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I live by myself, and bagged salad mixes seem like a good way to avoid half-bunches of spoiled romaine. I'd appreciate a couple of suggestions on dried herbs/herb blends to sprinkle on. I'm just beginning to learn about seasonings -- in my family, the use of Lawry's Seasoned Salt was pretty fancy steppin'. Thanks!

Personally, I like rosemary on just about anything. "Italian seasoning" isn't bad for starters either. My boyfriend insists on putting garlic salt on just about anything edible. Other toppers, aside from herbs that can add some flavor and are easily prepared before or come prepared are: hard-boiled eggs, capers (add tons of flavor), aged/old goat chese, dried fruits (cranberries, rasins, blueberries), roasted nuts, and fresh fruits (apples, grapes). Go nuts! Salads are fantastic because they are a purely blank palate really.

My favorite herb for putting in salads is fresh dill. Can't get enough of it...

i love basil and parsley. is it possible to freeze them somehow? i've tried buying plants at the grocery, but they either die on me or take over my countertop.

I have a suggestion for a new Kitchen feature: 'What's on your counters?'

It would be great to hear from people what they keep on their counters, the best small appliances, not-so-small appliances that they can't do without, condiments, spices, etc etc.

i have to say, the herbs-in-icecubes idea is brill. i made a big dinner last night and, as i'm am going away tomorrow for a week, was just eyeing the bunches of remaining herbs with dismay.

I think that's a great idea, NJ_gal. I'd be curious to see how foodies with tiny kitchens cope.

My own kitchen? I have no counter space at all. Just an area of roughly 1 sq. foot upon which my cutting board rests. A lot of my food preparation is carried out on the stove.

Hey Liz,

Parsley and Cilantro freeze well (never tried basil). What I do is stuff chopped herbs into freezer trays and top with water then freeze em. Then just toss the herb cubes into whatever you are cooking. (Don’t wanna take undue credit for this tip. I think I picked it up from AT Kitchen, but I am not totally sure.)

Liz, I live by myself and what I do with herbs is buy them fresh when I'm wanting to cook with them. Then, tie them together and hang upside down to dry out. Herbs like Basil and thyme will keep their smell and flavor - just crumble the dried leaves in your hand when you want to cook or season with them.

thanks, sassy and nisha! great ideas--i'll try them both.

Hi, I am in England and just found this amazing site. We all do things so differently! Looking at Apartment Therapy I can see that the way your kitchens are organised are quite unsimilar to ours: for instance we usually have a table, TV, radio, music, and view of a garden is a must! You also hang your microwaves over the cooker hob (wow space-saving idea)- we cannot due to fire regulations which mean a huge space must be left over the hob. I cook on an Aga - do you have these in USA? Also...herbs are cool...we grow them in pots for all year round use...will grow anywhere...kitchen/bathroom?

I've successfully frozen all kinds of herbs (parsley, rosemary, thyme, oregano) by just wrapping the bunch in a paper towel and putting it in a freezer bag in the freezer. Then I just slice or scrape off what I need when I need it. I haven't noticed a significant difference in taste between herbs frozen this way and fresh.

Bob--I'd recommend mixing the herbs (either dried or fresh herbs chopped fine) into an olive oil vinagrette instead of sprinkling them on top of your salad. That way you get a little herby goodness in every bite. I think the herbs would tend to fall to the bottom otherwise.

I love love love breaking up leftover bits of stale bread into my salads instead of croutons--bagels, sourdough, whatev as long as it's not fluffy grocery store bread. Also chickpeas, dried cranberries and cherries, some nuts. Yum yum! I was never a fan of the "lettuce leaf and cherry tomato with ranch dressing" salads, so I tend to go a bit overboard with the fixin's sometimes....

I just made a batch of tomato sauce using some leftover sausage. The sauce was fantastic, but I was a bit worried about the sausage being a bit too leftover. It was past the eat-by date, but it SMELLED ok and I SOOO wanted sausage in my sauce, so I took the chance. Made me think of our discussion of several weeks ago about when we consider food to be still 'ok' and when it just needs to be thrown away. Meep!

Thanks much, all!