How To Make A Bouquet Garni If You Don't Have Twine

A bouquet garni (pronounced "bow-kay gaar-nee") is a French culinary term that refers to a bundle of fresh herbs that are used to infuse gentle flavors into soups, stocks, broths, sauces, and stews while cooking. The bunch is typically held together with kitchen twine so that after the dish is done cooking, the bouquet garni can be easily removed and discarded. 

But what if you don't have twine on hand? If you add the herbs directly without securing them, then you'll have to meticulously fish through the final dish to remove every loose little rosemary or thyme sprig, and who has time for that? Instead, you can create a bouquet garni utilizing other kitchen and household tools, like coffee filters, aluminum foil, cheesecloth, or dental floss.

I recently found myself in a similar scenario when I was cooking a large pot of Vietnamese pho. The recipe called for whole spices to be held in a spice bag, which I didn't have. However, I did have an abundance of coffee filters, which can serve the same purpose as a spice bag and can certainly replace kitchen twine for a bouquet garni as well. Whether you're cooking with fresh herbs or whole spices, place them inside the coffee filter. Then bunch up the edges of the filter so the herbs are trapped inside, and tie the top closed with some unwaxed, flavorless dental floss. If you have one, you can also use a tea sachet instead.

Cheesecloth may be less common than coffee filters in most home kitchens, but it can also be used to create a bouquet garni. Cut a large square of cheesecloth and spread it out on your counter. Place your fresh herbs in the center of the cheesecloth, and then gather the four corners of the cheesecloth together to tie into a knot. If your piece of cheesecloth is too small to tie off, you can also use dental floss to secure it. Depending on the herbs you are using, you can even just make a bunch, string the dental floss around the stems of your bouquet of fresh herbs, and then tie a knot.

Another option is to fold up a long, thin rectangle or rope of aluminum foil and wrap it around your bunch of herbs. This is a great way to reuse aluminum foil that you may have saved from something else instead of reaching for a new piece. Since aluminum foil obviously doesn't tie together like twine does, you'll just press the foil together instead. 

You're now ready to throw any of these makeshift bouquets garnis into whatever dish you're making. The next time you're in the kitchen and find yourself without the ideal tool a recipe calls for, just remember that creativity and resourcefulness can go a long way, just like with this unique hack for how to make muffin liners out of parchment paper.