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Key Ingredient
Eleanor Nakama-Mitsunaga
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Chili pepper in a tube eliminates the need to protect your fingers from raw chilies.
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Tubed herbs are squeeze easy
Fresh herbs and spices in squeezable tubes make up the latest offering from an Australian company called Gourmet Garden.
Handy for Asian cooking are the lemongrass, ginger and cilantro tube herbs, but there are 11 others: parsley, garlic, hot and mild chili pepper, dill, basil, mint, chives, oregano, rosemary and Italian herbs.
Processed without heat, the herbs are said to retain flavor, color and aroma. They certainly save on prep time and waste, as the cook can squeeze out just what's needed. The tubes will keep for three months in the refrigerator or six months in the freezer. Most have a bit of salt added as a preservative, so make sure you take this into account when cooking. Combinations of herbs can be used in one recipe -- for example, cilantro, chili and garlic in a guacamole recipe.
Gourmet Garden herbs can be found in 4-ounce tubes at select supermarkets such as Safeway for about $4.99 a tube. Check out www.gourmetgarden.com for recipe ideas.