"leaf" the stems? sometimes.

This topic came up in one of my classes recently and I wanted to pass on scientific information on the topic.

I was using cilantro for the Veloute and used the chopped stems in the broth (which would later be strained out). One of the students was aghast that I would use the stems-thinking that all herbs had unpleasant stems.

My advice was that cilantro is an herb that you can use the entire leaf and stem for flavor. But I did not think that any other heb shared this distinction. I did say the fine stems of parsley were ok.

Today, Cook's illustrated had this to say about thier test of Cilantro and parsley stems:

"Recently, we heard a wild rumor that the stems of flat-leaf parsley hold more flavor than the leaves. We decided to put this notion to the test, and, because most of us had also heard of using cilantro stems (a.k.a.Chinese parsley) in cooking, we included it in the test as well. After cleaning and drying several bunches of parsley and cilantro, we asked tasters to eat the herbs by the sprig, from the tender leaf to the fat tip of the stem. What did we find? Well, the stems do have more flavor, but that's not always good news. While the parsley leaves were fresh and herbal, we were surprised by how intense the flavor became as we traveled down the stems. By the time we reached the stem ends, tasters were complaining (loudly) about bitterness. Cilantro, however, was another story. Sure the leaves were tasty, but the great flavor found in the stems caught us all off guard. Sweet, fresh, and potent the flavor intensified as we traveled down the stem but never became bitter. The moral? If a recipe calls for cilantro and a crunchy texture isn't an issue, use the stems as well as the leaves. But when it comes to parsley—unless you'll be using the herb in a soup or stew where its strong flavor won't be out of place—be picky and use just the leaves"

I love being right :).