Mincing woody herbs?

[madmotts]

Home cook looking for some answers- i was mincing some rosemary last night and wondering what's the pro tip on breaking down woody herbs? I pull the needles off the wooded part, but then mincing them is quite messy and i lose a lot of product due to it flying off the board.

 

[Pie]

My wife lives for rosemary, and yeah it does get everywhere. I’m no pro but I find going slower and more slicey vs choppy helps keep it under control.

If all else fails you can try setting up a little cardboard wall against your cutting board.. lol. I do this with some prep containers when I need to go fast and loose, it sounds dumb but it works. Until I ping a tip off one of them.

 

[iimi]

This might be the one time I make sure my board isn't dry.

 

[WildBoar]

Get a bigger board. One big enough that when the pieces go flying they still land on the board.

 

[M1k3]

Stack the needles like you've chiffonaded them and want to dice them.

 

[Delat]

I’m probably doing it wrong but haven’t really experienced it flying everywhere. I’ve only ever minced rosemary once though, but I caught it on video.

The double-rock wasn’t terribly effective and I went back to straight rock chop, but it wasn’t any more messy than something like garlic.

 

[mmiinngg]

Best rosemary slayer in the game.
Sometimes you have to accept that a knife is not the best tool for every purpose (only 30euro)

 

[stringer]

I don't remember the last time minced fresh rosemary. If I just wanted some rosemary punch but wanted to avoid texture issues I would probably use a dry leaf or powdered form. Most of the time with fresh I am using it with roasted veggies, roasted meats, soups, stews, braises, marinades, etc. I just take it off of the stem and use the leaves whole. Or if I am feeling really lazy, I toss the whole thing in there stems and all and fish it out later. It will still leave plenty of flavor.