HerbDried or fresh leaf
Peppermint
Mentha × piperita
The after-dinner leaf: cool, bright, and easy to keep in a jar.
Peppermint is the most useful mint in a kitchen. Fresh or dried, it makes a clean cup after a meal and a sharp scent for the room. Spearmint is sweeter if menthol feels like too much.
Traditional uses
- After-meal tea, hot or iced
- A handful of fresh leaves in water in the fridge
- Chopped into fruit salad or yogurt
How to prepare
- 1
Tea: 1½ tsp dried leaf (or a small handful fresh) per cup, cover 5 minutes.
- 2
Iced: double-steep, cool, pour over ice.
- 3
Fresh leaf bruises easily — add it at the end of cooking.
Kitchen & home
- Keep a pot on a bright sill and pinch often.
- Dry extra stems in a paper bag, then strip the leaves.
- A sprig in a carafe of water is enough for the table.
Go gently
- Mint can worsen reflux for some people.
- Not a stand-in for care if pain is sudden or severe.
