does basil really bruise?

[epabella]

hello all. if it really bruises when sliced and i want a finer and more consistent "break-up" (for lack of a better term), what would you guys recommend?

[Fritter]

If you want basil sliced then you want to lay several leaves flat on top of one another and roll. Then slice with a thin sharp knife into a chiffonade.
If you want fine basil remember to slice it and not physicaly chop it. I don't know how mant times I have seen guys with two knives banging away on a board at herbs only to wind up with a black pulverized pile of what used to be something fresh.

[epabella]

i always chiffonade but 'purists' still insist not to use a knife and just tear. like i have time.

[white light]

I've always wondered why my basil stays fairly green after being "pulverized" in a food processor when making pesto. Does the olive oil preserve it or something?

[epabella]

"my basil stays fairly green after being pulverized"

my point exactly, and i don't use the cuisinart. i chiffonade, then pound mercilessly in a mortar and pestle and my basil and parsley stays as green as a golf course. kidding aside, i feel that bruising is a myth but wanted to get other opinions.

[Fritter]

I don't think a processor pulverizes basil like pounding it with a knife on a board. The processor blade is really shredding as the blade does not come on direct contact the bowl vs the herbs being crushed by a knife. At least that would be my guess. Now why it gets black on a board Vs being crushed with a mortar and pestle is certainly an interesting question.
You can definitely turn it black or very dark by chopping it fine with a knife.

[coll]

A very sharp knife.