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I've heard numerous times (especially in connection with Italian dishes) that you shouldn't cut basil with a knife, but rather tear it with your hands. I've heard two different reasons for this:

  1. the steel knife oxidizes the basil causing the edges to turn black (which is visually unappealing);

  2. the tearing bruises the basil and releases more oil from the leaf than simply cutting it would.

But, I'm skeptical of (1) and don't particularly care about the color issue anyway (I consider this a negligible issue; additionally, you could use a plastic knife if the steel knife is really the cause of the supposed oxidation). Also, with (2) you could simply bruise the leaves before cutting and still save time especially if you need to cut/tear a lot of basil.

Examples of the claim:

So, are there any non-negligible reasons to tear basil instead of cutting it (or vice versa)?

Community
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Dennis
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    I've heard the same in relation to lettuce; in that case the concern was the browning of the cut edges. I've always assumed that modern knives are OK because they are made of stainless steel instead of the old carbon-steel. In the case of basil, I have also heard that tearing releases more flavour. Unfortunately I have no evidence for either. – hdhondt Sep 05 '13 at 00:52
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    My training when I worked as a line cook, as well as personal experience, suggest that tearing causes iceberg lettuce to brown more slowly than cutting with a knife. I would imagine the same to be true of basil, but much less noticeable (due to basil's naturally darker appearance). And there ARE [plastic lettuce knives](http://www.amazon.com/Zyliss-31612-Lettuce-Knife-Green/dp/B002MQ3SOA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1378363548&sr=8-1&keywords=lettuce+knife) for this reason, although I have no experience with them. – Flimzy Sep 05 '13 at 06:44
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    I always though that the browning was due to cutting damaging the adjacent cells while tearing tended to separate the cells along their borders, resulting is less damaged cells meaning les browning. Now to find a study... =) – Jens Sep 05 '13 at 06:51
  • The accepted answer in the Seasoned Advice link indicates that there is no difference whatsoever; it's only the second, lower-ranked answer that indicates there might be discoloration. So at best that link both denies and makes claim (1) – Yamikuronue Sep 12 '13 at 20:30
  • It's lettuce, not basil, but there's a more thorough answer here: http://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/24227/is-it-worth-tearing-lettuce-for-salad – Cascabel Sep 12 '13 at 21:15
  • @Jefromi That question is linked to in my answer. There are also more references for the notability of this claim (thanks @OddThinking). It is _both_ basil and lettuce (and I imagine that for any leafy green someone will make this claim). – Dennis Sep 12 '13 at 23:56
  • @Dennis Do you mean your question? In any case, I linked to a different Seasoned Advice question than the one you linked to. – Cascabel Sep 12 '13 at 23:57
  • @Jefromi Oy, I did mean question and I mis-remembered. Many apologies for the hasty (and incorrect) correction. Point still stands that the claim is made about both basil _and_ lettuce, though. – Dennis Sep 13 '13 at 00:00
  • Yup, of course - only mentioned it because your question is only about basil and your second claim is specific to herbs. I'm just trying to figure out what you're asking here that's not answered in our questions, and still a bit surprised to see this asked here instead of on cooking. – Cascabel Sep 13 '13 at 00:02
  • @Jefromi I am asking about basil in particular. I suppose I'm curious about lettuce but that's another question. The reason I posted here instead of on SA is that I want a well reasoned and scientifically supported answer refuting or supporting this notable claim--- which I understand is this site's specialty. I'm curious to hear the reason behind the answer (the scientific explanation) as much as I'm interested in the answer itself. – Dennis Sep 13 '13 at 00:09

1 Answers1

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According to The Tuscan Year: Life and Food in an Italian Valley, page 73

There is a local superstition that basil must never be cut with a blade but always torn with the fingers; this precaution ensures protection from snake bites. It is also far pleasanter and more aesthetic to tear the soft perfumed leaves.

DavePhD
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  • How is this an answer? The cited source only repeats the claim (including a far more dubious version of it), and offers no supporting evidence of any kind. – Nate Eldredge Jan 19 '17 at 04:08
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    @Nate It does more than just repeat the claim; it adds *protection from snake bites* as a (superstitious) reason. –  Jan 19 '17 at 09:10