How to Chiffonade Basil
January 28th, 2007
Stumble it!
Chiffonading, besides sounding strange in verb form, is a simple technique you may halready know. I find it a very handy for basil, but it can be used for any leafy thing large enough to roll. Kale leaves, collards, lime leaves, whatever floats your boat. Leaves can be difficult to cut on their own, but when you stack them your knife actually has something to sink its teeth into. The end result proves that your hands are cooler than any food processor around.
Start with your basil leaves stacked. I got a little over zealous here, you can stack half this many leaves. Larger leaves like kale might not need stacking, use your judgement. You want the leaves to all go in the same direction, all neat like.
Roll up your leaves. It is easiest to roll basil lengthwise, so that the stems are parallel to the roll. With lime leaves, however, roll the leaves from tip to stem; that way you can cut out the woody center when you get there.
With a sharp knife, begin slicing the roll perpendicularly, creating fine, thin strips. The tighter the roll, the easier it is to make your slices thin. My fat roll was a little difficult to maneuver.
My finished chiffonade isn’t that fine, but you can get really crazy and make the most impossibly thin whips of basil if you prefer.
I’m trying to build up a little reference library of easy techniques that not only make cooking easier, but also make you feel fancier. So far we have:
How to Chop and Onion
How to Supreme an Orange
40 Comments
1. Alex | January 29th, 2007 at 10:22 pm
Keep it up with technique posts! I love doing easy things that make food look better. It’s approximately 1/4 of the fun of cooking for me.
2. johanna3 | April 13th, 2007 at 8:16 am
Great tutorial!!
3. Panini Porn « Yum, &hellip | April 24th, 2007 at 2:23 pm
[...] — on sandwiches, hell – it’s even great by itself. Here’s a great rendition: Chiffonade some fresh basil and throw that [...]
4. T;C | May 30th, 2007 at 1:57 am
Mama mia,
summer season smell basil,
and you’re the poet who gives life to italian food !
Bravissima
T.C
5. chiffonade | September 27th, 2007 at 3:44 pm
Love the word “chiffonade” – it’s such a beautiful sounding word that means to SHRED. I frequently chiffonade basil and sometimes spinach.
To chiffonade is about the only way to effectively cut collard greens!!
Happy Cooking,
Chiffonade
6. Tomato Basil Salad «&hellip | May 30th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
[...] I did some research and found the basic tomato basil salad is simply sliced, salted tomatoes with basil chiffonade and olive oil drizzled on top. I also discovered that the best place to find good tomatoes are in [...]
7. VeganYumYum » Sweet&hellip | June 2nd, 2008 at 11:12 am
[...] Sweet Chili Lime Sauce 3 Tbs Sugar 3 Tbs Reduced Sodium Tamari (or soy sauce) 1 3/4 Tbs Fresh Lime Juice 1/2 Zest of the Lime 1/2 tsp Red Chili Flakes (or 1-2 fresh hot chilies, minced) 1 Clove Garlic, pressed, optional 1/4 tsp Salt 4 Mint Leaves, chiffonaded [...]
8. AndCalliope | June 3rd, 2008 at 12:42 pm
I love this, been cooking for awhile, but always looking for help with prep!
9. Gluten-Free Recipe: Basil&hellip | March 4th, 2009 at 8:37 pm
[...] 3 handfuls basil, sliced into thin strips [...]
10. Italian Grilled Cheese | &hellip | June 11th, 2009 at 7:46 am
[...] 2 fresh basil leaves, washed, patted dry & thinly sliced (for a picture tutorial on how to chiffonade basil, look here) [...]
11. One Frugal Foodie »&hellip | October 20th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
[...] Chiffonade 6 to 10 Fresh Basil Leaves [...]
12. Easy Caprese Salad Recipe&hellip | March 2nd, 2010 at 8:02 pm
[...] often see at fancy restaurants. Here’s a great How-To Chiffonade Basil tutorial by Vegan Yum Yum, and another by Fine Cooking. Don’t miss the YouTube video by chef Jenny [...]
13. Chicken and Roasted Veget&hellip | April 7th, 2010 at 10:13 pm
[...] pkg. brown rice lasagna noodles (oven-ready) 1 carton of light ricotta 1 egg 5 large basil leaves (chiffonade) 2 c. skim-milk mozzarella cheese 1, 2 x 2″ piece of parmesan cheese [...]
14. Zesty Gluten Free Pizza R&hellip | July 1st, 2010 at 10:12 am
[...] handful of fresh basil leaves, chopped (or chiffonade if you know [...]
15. three little words «&hellip | July 25th, 2010 at 9:25 am
[...] fine), with basil either layered as whole leaves between the other ingredients, or torn, chopped or chiffonaded and sprinkled over the top of the other [...]
16. Three Recipes! | Living i&hellip | August 10th, 2010 at 5:29 pm
[...] Chiffonade 6 to 10 Fresh Basil Leaves (BOTH times I just plain forgot this, but it would be super-good!) [...]
17. VGCC – Sweet Chili &hellip | August 12th, 2010 at 11:27 pm
[...] Sweet Chili Lime Sauce 3 Tbs Sugar 3 Tbs Reduced Sodium Tamari (or soy sauce) 1 3/4 Tbs Fresh Lime Juice 1/2 Zest of the Lime 1/2 tsp Red Chili Flakes (or 1-2 fresh hot chilies, minced) 1 Clove Garlic, pressed, optional 1/4 tsp Salt 4 Mint Leaves, chiffonaded [...]
18. Summer Salad App | Jenn C&hellip | September 10th, 2010 at 7:03 pm
[...] tomatoes, seeded and chopped 2 cucumbers, chopped 2 small onions, peeled and chopped 1 bunch basil, chiffonaded 1 clove garlic, minced 4 oz. goat cheese, sliced 2 tbs. extra virgin olive oil 2 tbs. cider vinegar [...]
19. Farmers Market Dinner Sur&hellip | October 4th, 2010 at 12:27 am
[...] ground pepper to taste 1-2 Tablespoons or more balasamic vinegar 2-3 teaspoons fresh basil leaves, chiffonaded and/or flowers Remove stems for beet greens, slice into 1 inch bits and set aside. Remove center [...]
20. The Best Vegan Tofu Tacos&hellip | October 17th, 2010 at 1:16 pm
[...] garnish & Salads: 1/2 cup spinach, chiffonade 1 tomato, diced 1/2 avocado, diced 1/2 lime, [...]
21. Frugal Food-Five Tips to &hellip | November 26th, 2010 at 1:06 pm
[...] http://veganyumyum.com/2007/01/how-to-chiffonade-basil/ [...]
22. the IMA, Dr. Strangelove &hellip | December 4th, 2010 at 4:02 pm
[...] 1 cup chopped tomatoes (cherry, grape, or small tomatoes) – I used a combination of red cherry and small yellow tomatoes from our garden. 1/4 cup basil cut in a chiffonade [...]
23. Wine Imbiber » Polp&hellip | July 7th, 2011 at 10:25 pm
[...] ground black pepper, to taste Extra–virgin olive oil, for drizzling Fresh basil leaves, chiffonaded Fresh mozzarella, sliced Sandwich rolls (not baguettes!), sliced and toasted [...]
24. Wine Imbiber » Mari&hellip | July 7th, 2011 at 10:27 pm
[...] ground black pepper, to taste Extra–virgin olive oil, for drizzling Fresh basil leaves, chiffonaded Fresh mozzarella, sliced Sandwich rolls (not baguettes!), sliced and toasted [...]
25. The best grilled bruschet&hellip | July 14th, 2011 at 12:05 am
[...] Chiffonade your basil and sprinkle it over the arugala. For info on how to chiffonade basil click here. [...]
26. a wonderful summery grill&hellip | July 31st, 2011 at 11:55 pm
[...] Start first by creating your topping. I cut up the tomatoes into 1/4 inch cubes and then added fresh basil which had been cut correctly (see chiffonade) [...]
27. The Cox-Fitz Chronicles &&hellip | August 13th, 2011 at 5:31 pm
[...] know what I am talking about, you need to watch more TV! Or just read this link about how to chiffonade basil. If you don’t have time or don’t give a damn, just chop your basil leaves long & [...]
28. Corn on the cob simmered &hellip | August 17th, 2011 at 8:42 am
[...] pour in the star attraction, the crushed tomatoes. Also look to throw in approximately half of the basil at this time, the ½ cup of water, and then season aggressively with salt and pepper. Allowing the [...]
29. Simple Bruschetta «&hellip | August 30th, 2011 at 9:18 am
[...] half into 3 pieces, so that 1 cherry tomato yields 6 slices (3) Cut the basil into thin ribbons (chiffonade) and place in the bowl. (4) Add rest of the ingredients to the bowl. (5) Mix, taste to season, and [...]
30. Lemon Basil Bulgur and Wh&hellip | September 1st, 2011 at 5:09 am
[...] Chiffonade basil leaves into thin strips using this method. Mix them into [...]
31. Lemon Basil Bulgur and Wh&hellip | September 1st, 2011 at 8:38 am
[...] Chiffonade basil leaves into thin strips using this method. Mix them into [...]
32. Berkeley Farmers Market -&hellip | September 9th, 2011 at 1:12 pm
[...] of basil leaves. If you want to get all fancy pants, roll your leaves before cutting them into a chiffonade (aka, ribbony bits of [...]
33. Grilled Steak Salad with &hellip | September 23rd, 2011 at 11:52 am
[...] 1/4 cup fresh basil, cut in strips (chiffonade) [...]
34. sweet, sweet, chili lime &hellip | November 4th, 2011 at 10:15 am
[...] Sweet Chili Lime Sauce 3 Tbs Sugar 3 Tbs Reduced Sodium Tamari (or soy sauce) 1 3/4 Tbs Fresh Lime Juice 1/2 Zest of the Lime 1/2 tsp Red Chili Flakes (or 1-2 fresh hot chilies, minced) 1 Clove Garlic, pressed, optional 1/4 tsp Salt 4 Mint Leaves, chiffonaded [...]
35. Recipe of the Week: Tomat&hellip | January 27th, 2012 at 5:17 pm
[...] Chiffonade is a fancy way of saying “cut into thin long strips.” Here’s a link that explains how to chiffonade basil. Now that fresh basil is available in the produce section year-round, it’s a nice [...]
36. Frugal Food-Five Tips to &hellip | March 11th, 2012 at 11:43 am
[...] http://veganyumyum.com/2007/01/how-to-chiffonade-basil/ [...]
37. Fresh & Fruity Quinoa&hellip | March 20th, 2012 at 2:46 pm
[...] About 8 large basil leaves, cut into fine ribbons called “chiffonade” – check out this post from @VeganYumYum on how to chiffonade basil [...]
38. Sweet Chili Lime Tofu wit&hellip | March 24th, 2012 at 10:17 pm
[...] Sweet Chili Lime Sauce 3 Tbs Sugar 3 Tbs Reduced Sodium Tamari (or soy sauce) 1 3/4 Tbs Fresh Lime Juice 1/2 Zest of the Lime 1/2 tsp Red Chili Flakes (or 1-2 fresh hot chilies, minced) 1 Clove Garlic, pressed, optional 1/4 tsp Salt 4 Mint Leaves, chiffonaded [...]
39. Freshmade – Fresh &&hellip | March 27th, 2012 at 4:24 pm
[...] About 8 large basil leaves, cut into fine ribbons called “chiffonade” – check out this post from @VeganYumYum on how to chiffonade basil [...]
40. TOFU VERACRUZ STYLE | FOO&hellip | April 5th, 2012 at 7:50 pm
[...] 10 fresh basil leaves, chiffonaded [...]