You’ve seen them featured in many recipes, but what’s the deal? What’s the benefit of popping out a cube when you can just as easily sprinkle in some dry parsley?

Essentially, frozen cubes are actually fresh parsley — just frozen. But what that means is that the vitamins and minerals, flavor, and aroma are all conserved and maintained, and therefore are levels above the dried version.

While drying usually concentrates flavor (think, dried fruit), delicate and leafy herbs like parsley, tarragon, and chives are typically not as flavorful when they are dried. And you just cannot beat the convenience of having fresh herbs at your disposal without the worry of washing, chopping, and properly storing. Pop one in your salad dressing, in your omelet, or in your chicken marinade — you’ll never be able to cook without them again!

A PARSLEY PARTY

Breath Mint?

Chewing parsley can help eliminate bad breath. Maybe sucking on a parsley cube can accomplish the same thing?

Flat-Out Tasty

Flat parsley is used to impart flavor, while the curly leafed ones are just meant to make your plate look pretty.

Treacherous Trimmings

Fool’s parsley is not parsley at all but rather a plant called Aethusa cynapium. While it looks similar, it has dangerous alkaloids that can lead to serious poisoning when ingested.

Garlic Knot Pizza

Recipe by Michal Frischman

Originally, I made these as plain pizza muffins, which were cute in shape but boring in taste. Turning the pizza base into a garlic knot turns up the fun and flavor! If you’re not a huge garlic fan, just use a little less of the mixture in the dough, but don’t leave it out — it’s what makes these muffins extra delicious!

SERVES 12

• 1 lb (450 g) pizza dough (store-bought or make your own dough)
• 1 cup pizza sauce
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Garlic Mixture

• 10 cubes frozen garlic
• 4 cubes frozen parsley
• 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
• ¼ cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).

Combine garlic, parsley, Parmesan, and olive oil for the garlic mixture in a small bowl and set aside.

Spray 12 muffin cups well with cooking spray. Divide the pizza dough into 12 portions. (If using frozen dough, allow it to come to room temperature to make it easier to work with.)

Take each portion and flatten into a circle, then spoon some of the garlic mixture into the dough. Fold the dough in half, then press down into the muffin tin. Repeat with all 12 pieces of dough.

Spoon pizza sauce over the tops of all the muffins and cover with shredded cheese.

Bake until the dough is browned and baked through, about 30 minutes.