# Basil Paste From A Tube **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 1, 2009, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basil-paste-from-a-tube/491524 "2009-04-01T01:14:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basil-paste-from-a-tube/491524/1 "2009-04-01T01:14:03Z")
At the grocery store I’ve seen these squeezable tubes of (what looked apparently like) pastes made from various spices. The ingredients generally said something like “Basil, Canola Oil, Whey, Preservatives.” (There were tubes for other spices, like oregano and cilantro, as well as garlic. Ingredient lists were, to my recollection, the same, except replacing “basil” with the appropriate alternative of course.) Has anyone tried these? Do they work better than dried? It would be nice if these made for a good compromise. I generally like the taste of sauces made from fresh spices a little better–but I hate spending the money on a whole bunch when I’m not even going to use half of it. ---
**Author:** ![Marconi\_Schmeese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ea666f/32.png) [@Marconi\_Schmeese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marconi_Schmeese)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basil-paste-from-a-tube/491524/2 "2009-04-01T02:17:44Z")
Yep, I can only speak for the basil, but I grow my own basil by the bucketfuls in the summer and I can’t tell the difference b/w it and the tube. ---
**Author:** ![Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harriet_the_Spry)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basil-paste-from-a-tube/491524/3 "2009-04-01T02:23:44Z")
Yes, they taste better than dried and almost as good as fresh. But they keep only a little longer than fresh, IME. So I generally prefer to buy fresh and freeze leftovers. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basil-paste-from-a-tube/491524/4 "2009-04-01T02:34:28Z")
Isn’t basil paste just pesto? ---
**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basil-paste-from-a-tube/491524/5 "2009-04-01T02:55:25Z")
No, pesto has nuts and cheese in it. Back to the op. I have lemongrass, cilantro, and dill in the tubes in my fridge. Lemongrass because it is so much more convenient, cilantro because it’s cold and my cilantro plants are dormant, and dill because it is actually cheaper that way. ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basil-paste-from-a-tube/491524/6 "2009-04-01T04:08:56Z")
I have the cilantro paste, and I throw it in the freezer between uses. I don’t feel like going down to check, but I think that was actually recommended on the tube to freeze it if you want it to last more than a week or two. It works just fine for what I need it for, and with no waste. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basil-paste-from-a-tube/491524/7 "2009-04-01T11:34:56Z")
> [@kittenblue](#): > > I have the cilantro paste, and I throw it in the freezer between uses. I don’t feel like going down to check, but I think that was actually recommended on the tube to freeze it if you want it to last more than a week or two. It works just fine for what I need it for, and with no waste. Can you squeeze it right from the freezer, or do you have to thaw it? What I miss are these little frozen basil, cilantro and garlic cubes from Trader Joes. Actually, what I miss is Trader Joes. (Had to move away… ☹ ) ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basil-paste-from-a-tube/491524/8 "2009-04-01T16:03:39Z")
I tried the basil-in-a-tube once, and didn’t care for the flavor. I decided I’d reserve my basil-intense recipes for the summertime when I could pick a batch from the garden; otherwise, a little clump of overprice store-bought basil was fine for spaghetti and pizza toppings in the wintertime. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basil-paste-from-a-tube/491524/9 "2009-04-01T17:39:42Z")
I like the basil paste from a tube for home made pizza. I put that on first then the tomato sauce.