Q: What's the proper method for cutting fresh herbs so that you don't bruise them or extract their juices or flavor?

A: Use a chef's knife that's large enough to chop the amount of herbs you need. It's important that the knife is sharp so that it cuts the herbs cleanly rather than crushing or bruising them. Try to chop as efficiently as possible without overdoing it. Bunching the herbs tightly helps keep them within a controlled cutting area and maxamizes the amount of herbs chopped with each cut.

Some cooks prefer to snip herbs with kitchen scissors. An easy way to do this is to place the herbs in a glass and snip them off in the size pieces you need. This takes more time but prevents bruising.