Do This With Herbs Just Before Adding Them To Soup So The Flavors Pop The Hardest

If your homemade soup is bland, or if you're hoping to upgrade canned soup, the answer is often to add more herbs. This can be as simple as a garnish, but the addition of basil or rosemary can add a lot of complex flavors and aromas to a simple soup. Are you bruising your herbs, though? This doesn't mean punching them, or at least not literally. Bruising an herb refers to breaking the herb down in a way that releases its scents and flavors. Bruising isn't always recommended in recipes, so we spoke to Morgan Peaceman, recipe blogger and content creator at Nomaste Hungry, about herb bruising basics.

According to Peaceman, "Bruising herbs does in fact enhance the flavor of the herbs in the soup as it releases the oils from the herb itself. For example, rubbing rosemary, basil, or thyme allows those oils to become fragrant which is why your fingers tend to smell like the herb you touched afterwards." Bruising works because all of these herbs have oils inside them which won't necessarily come out just by chopping them. By deliberately smashing, bending, or flattening herbs, you break down the plant's cells and release those flavors. When you add them into your soup, those flavorful oils blend into it.

Peaceman has a specific bruising method she prefers for bruising herbs. "Specifically for basil or longer, leafier herbs, I like a chiffonade which is essentially when you tightly roll a bundle of the herb and slice thinly." However, you can also bruise herbs with a mortar and pestle, a blunt knife, the back end of a knife, or even with your hands. When the herbs are bruised and ready to add to the soup, Peaceman noted that different herbs have different timing. Leafy plants like basil go into the soup toward the end of cooking for a deeper flavor, while hearty herbs like thyme and rosemary go in at the beginning.

Keep in mind that bruising may cause herbs to become discolored, which is why some chefs try to avoid bruising when they prep herbs. If you over-muddle fresh herbs, you can also bruise them too much which drains out their oils and flavor. Be gentle, and don't slice so much that you break down and destroy them. According to Peaceman, "Too much manipulation will cause the herbs to lose their aromas." If your herbs are just a garnish, you might avoid bruising so they look nicer. If your goal is extra flavor for your soup, then bruise away — just don't go overboard.