This site uses only a few technical cookies necessary for its operation. By continuing to browse, you accept their use.
To find out more...
To find out more...
Parsley stems
Parsley, whether curly or flat, is a delicious ingredient in many recipes, where it is used both raw and cooked.
When used raw, in a salad for example, where it always provides, alone or with other herbs, a remarkable freshness, only the leaves are kept.
And when used cooked?
When used raw, in a salad for example, where it always provides, alone or with other herbs, a remarkable freshness, only the leaves are kept.
And when used cooked?
Last modified on: July 28th 2025
Parsley stems
Parsley, unlike chives, for example, can be used both raw and cooked, but when cooking, don't neglect the stems, also known as "tails".
It's not obvious at first glance, but much of parsley's flavour is in the stems, so it's a good idea to put them in your saucepan for cooking.
Let's take a recipe for mussels marinière as an example: heat a base of dry white wine with onion and parsley, and open the mussels (I'm oversimplifying).
Well, the big difference here is that the recipe uses the whole parsley, not just the leaves, because parsley tails are just as, if not more, important than the leaves when cooking. You can't eat them, but they add a lot to the taste, so you have to read "whole parsley sprigs (leaves + stems)" in the recipe, even if it says "parsley" in the list of ingredients, because it's very important for the recipe.
As they can't be eaten, it's a good idea to tie them with string into small bunches for easy removal at the end of cooking.
As a general rule, when a recipe calls for whole parsley, we often indicate "parsley sprig" instead of "parsley".
If you ever come across an old cookery book (before 1960/50, roughly speaking), you'll see that it's not uncommon to find recipes with "parsley tails" as an ingredient, mainly sauces in fact.
And parsley is one of the essential ingredients in the famous bouquet garni I've already told you about.
To sum up: for a recipe using cooked parsley, it's essential to use the whole sprig, leaves + stems.
It's not obvious at first glance, but much of parsley's flavour is in the stems, so it's a good idea to put them in your saucepan for cooking.
Let's take a recipe for mussels marinière as an example: heat a base of dry white wine with onion and parsley, and open the mussels (I'm oversimplifying).Well, the big difference here is that the recipe uses the whole parsley, not just the leaves, because parsley tails are just as, if not more, important than the leaves when cooking. You can't eat them, but they add a lot to the taste, so you have to read "whole parsley sprigs (leaves + stems)" in the recipe, even if it says "parsley" in the list of ingredients, because it's very important for the recipe.
As they can't be eaten, it's a good idea to tie them with string into small bunches for easy removal at the end of cooking.
As a general rule, when a recipe calls for whole parsley, we often indicate "parsley sprig" instead of "parsley".
If you ever come across an old cookery book (before 1960/50, roughly speaking), you'll see that it's not uncommon to find recipes with "parsley tails" as an ingredient, mainly sauces in fact.
And parsley is one of the essential ingredients in the famous bouquet garni I've already told you about.
To sum up: for a recipe using cooked parsley, it's essential to use the whole sprig, leaves + stems.
Lasts posts
The other use for bowl scraper
Your kitchen or bakery utensils may include a horn (left) or a pastry cutter (right). These practical utensils are normally used to scoop the contents of a bowl or salad bowl - the horn - or to cut dough - the pastry cutter. But they also have another, very practical use - let's see what it is.May 9th 2026607
The strange foam of potatoes in milk
As you may have already noticed, when you cook potatoes in milk, especially in small pieces (slices or cubes) for a gratin for example, a surprisingly abundant white foam forms on the surface. Where does it come from?April 26th 2026952
A little leftover butter
Very often when you're making a cake, your recipe will tell you to melt some butter and mix it into the batter - a classic for cookies, cakes, moelleux and the like. And every time you do this, you'll have to butter the baking tin to prevent the dough from sticking during baking. Naturally,...April 16th 20261,0295
A tablet holder
Perhaps you too cook by consulting your recipe on a tablet or phone, and putting it down on your worktop? It's practical, but not the best solution. Here's a look at how you can make an inexpensive, almost universal stand.March 14th 20261,7635
Pre-calibrated pastry dough
When making pie dough (shortbread, shortcrust, sweet...), it's always a good idea to make a lot at once, and then divide it into pieces, which you can freeze. I've already pointed out the mistake not to make, which is to form a ball before freezing. It's difficult to roll out afterwards because...March 9th 20261,5735
Other pages you may also like
A few tips for effective kneading at home
When you have to knead dough for bread or some other recipe, you may well use a food processor or the type of machine known as a stand mixer. The best-known brands are Kenwood and KitchenAid. They are useful tools, but here are a few tips to help you get the best out of them.June 23th 2021287 K 23.8
Fruits which can ruin your jelly
There are many ways of making a fruit mousse, but one of the simplest is to prepare a fruit jelly (basically a fresh fruit coulis with gelatine) and then mix this jelly before it sets completely with whipped cream. The result is perfect for filling a charlotte, for example. But do beware;...March 6th 201380 K4.0
Kitchen ovens
You certainly have one in your kitchen, an oven, the essential tool for all kinds of cooking, whether in the kitchen of course, but also in pastry, bakery, pizza, and many others. Here is some information on its structure and operation.May 16th 202035 K4.4
The 3 secrets of Parisian flan
A flan Parisien, or boulanger, is a simple yet delicious cake. A cream, a mixture of milk, eggs and sugar, is poured into a raw pastry base and baked in the oven until the pastry and cream are cooked. This is the simplest version of the recipe, probably the original one, but nowadays the cream...July 21th 202317 K4.7
Perpetual stock
It's something you have probably have done yourself: cooked or pre-cooked vegetables before adding them to a recipe. This is almost always done the same way: peel the chosen vegetables (carrots, for example), cut them up, boil them in salted water (using a tablespoon or so of coarse salt per litre),...November 22th 201632 K5
Follow this page
Receive an e-mail as soon as this page is modified or receives a new comment.
We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.
The 1 comment already posted on this page
Thank you.