I have often been asked about how our Vegetables and herbs at Classical Thai Cravings are so fresh.  Do we buy daily?  The answer is, No.  It comes down to the handling of the produce when it is bought from a trusted supplier who genuinely has a passion for produce. These type of suppliers are not on every street corner that’s for sure.  But once found it than comes down to the handling of the produce.

Firstly, cooling slows down the chemical or metabolic activity within plant cells that cause decay. But different produce requires being stored at different temperatures, this is the key of storage put plainly. Without getting technical, vegetables from temperate climates  should be kept at the top of you fridge where it is most cold, e.g. 2 to 5 degrees and those herbs coming from hotter tropical or sub tropical climates should be stored at the bottom of the fridge in your veg draw eg 7 to 10 degree. This goes for the majority of Asian herbs. Secondly, stand your herbs upright in a container the way they grow with a black garbage bag gently slipped over the top as light accelerates decay. Put some paper towel in between the leaves and the garbage bag to absorb acids and condensation that leach from the leaves.

With all that said, remember to respect produce, it is a life that has gone to a degree of effort in becoming eatable.  Concentrate on what you’re doing.  Don’t just cut a carrot wrong and throw it in the bin. When food is respected it tastes better. Try and you will see the comments from your dinner guests. When I first heard this I thought it was quite crazy hair brain thinking but I have come to believe in it through trial and error.