The drying method only uses the cilantro leaves but gives a longer-term storage. Place your cilantro in a colander and rinse it off and wrap the cilantro with a towel and gently roll it to catch any excess water. a) hang the cilantro in small bundles upside down in a dry area until they are dried out. b) 20 mins. In oven 250 °F (121 °C) The heat of the oven dries out the leaves and preserves them. Monitor the leaves while they dry. They should only lose their fresh green color. They shouldn’t burn or turn brown. If this starts happening, either take them out or lower the temperature of the oven. c) Dehydrator. (Make sure you close the windows and turn off the fan for this step. A sudden gust of wind could blow all your cilantro to the floor.) After cooling, place in an airtight jar to store in a cool, dark cupboard for up to a year or more. With a glass of water and a plastic bag, you can keep fresh cilantro ready to use in your fridge for about two weeks. Use a paper towel and gently pat it dry. Don’t rub or you could tear the leaves. Even if the cilantro looks dirty, don’t wash it now. Store it and save the washing for right before you use it. Lay it flat on a cutting board. Using a sharp kitchen knife or scissors, cut away the bottom portion of the stem. This exposes the fresh part of the stem and lets it absorb water while it’s stored. Work quickly after cutting. The stem edge starts drying out immediately after cutting, so don’t leave it out to dry. The cilantro doesn’t have to be submerged, only the ends of the stalks need to be in the water. 2–3 inches (5.1–7.6 cm) of water. Rinse out the jar first to make sure there are no contaminants. Place the herbs in gently and make sure the leaves are facing up and the stems are covered by the water. Place a clean plastic baggie loosely over the jar. Make sure the bag covers the cilantro leaves and the mouth of the jar. This keeps air from drying out the cilantro. You could use a rubber band or strip of tape to keep the bag in place. Make sure the bag is loose. Don’t push the leaves down. Make sure you can see the cilantro when you place it in the refrigerator to monitor its freshness. Change the water when it starts to discolor. Your cilantro requires fresh water, so replace the water in the jar every few days. When the cilantro’s leaves darken and turn a dark green, it’s going bad. Brown leaves indicate the cilantro is dead. Spoiled cilantro emits a pungent smell. If you discover an unpleasant smell, dispose of the cilantro. To freeze for several months, place your cilantro in a colander and hold it under the sink. Run the water while shaking the colander so the water reaches all of the cilantro. Then turn the water off and let the cilantro drip dry for a few minutes. You can freeze whole stalks if you want, but then it would be harder to measure out when you want to use cilantro. Plan ahead by slicing the leaves off the cilantro stalk. Use a sharp knife or pair of kitchen scissors to avoid tearing the cilantro. Gently cut away the leaves and dispose of the stalks. This way, you can go into the freezer and take only a small amount when you need it. Place a layer of freezer paper down first so the leaves don’t stick to the tray. Lay the cilantro out in a single layer on the baking sheet. Make sure the leaves don’t touch teach other or they’ll stick together. Wax or parchment paper will also work if you don’t have freezer paper. Use more than one sheet if you have a lot of cilantro. Don’t pile it up on one sheet. Place the sheet in the freezer for 30 minutes then take the baking tray out of the freezer and immediately to transfer the cilantro into a freezer bag. Don’t let the cilantro start defrosting or it will all stick together when it refreezes. Squeeze all the air out of the bag before sealing it. You can stay organized by marking each freezer bag with the name of the herb, the date you froze it. When you take the cilantro out fort use, don’t thaw since that will make it soggy. Another choice is to dice it up including the stems as well to do the ice cube method (can chop with a food processor). Fill the spaces gently with water to ensure all the cilantro is encased in ice.