Quick tip: Drying fresh herbs

At some point recently I stumbled upon the idea that you can dry fresh herbs in the microwave. I had some fresh sage I wasn't sure what to do with, which was rapidly aging in the fridge, so I thought I'd test it out - and it worked amazingly well.

Wash and thoroughly dry your herbs, removing any tough stems. Spread them in a single layer, as flat as you can get them, on a few layers of paper towel, and cover them with an additional paper towel. Microwave in 15-30 second intervals until crisp. (For sage this took 2, maybe 3 minutes total - I did not keep good track - but for something like basil I imagine it would be quicker.)

The water in the leaves will soak down into the paper towels they are lying on, so you may wish to change the towels directly under the herbs after the first round or two. My sage got quite crispy without browning at all, and I expect I'll be able to rub it between my hands into powder when I want to season with it.

I have tarragon in the fridge now, for another recipe, and since the grocery store that's most convenient for me no longer sells herbs by the stem I have substantially more than I need for that recipe. So I will try this out again with the remainder!