I can’t tell you how many times people watch me cut cilantro or flat leaf parsley leaves off the stem in my classes and say,”Wow… just watching you do that was worth the class!” I guess most of you have been picking the leaves off the stems one by one. Yikes… what a pain! What I am about to show you is a piece of cake easy! 

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Here is a big bunch of cilantro. Oh I love this stuff!

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A sharp knife is crucial for removing the leaves with ease.

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Holding the cilantro with one hand, take your knife and hold it almost parallel to the stems. 

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With short, light strokes, shave the leaves off the stem. Starting at the base and working your way up to the top.

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Rotate the bunch and do the same thing on all sides.

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Until they are all shaved off. The stems that are left are longer than what the picture is showing. 

IMG_0246 Now to answer another common question. What about the stems that are in there? Should you pick those off? Nope! Just chop them up with the leaves.

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See? You barely notice the stems that were left in there. See… wasn’t that easy? Now go make some salsa or chimichurri with some of this amazing stuff!