Chives

Chives look like grass, and that fools people into treating them like a garnish instead of an ingredient with real character. Look closer. The leaves are hollow, thin, bright green, and they don't keep well — chop them carelessly or leave them in a warm kitchen, and soon you'll see them go limp. Choose them upright, springy, deep in color. If they've gone yellow at the tips or feel slippery, they're already breaking down, and no amount of chopping brings that back.

Some people say chives are a mild onion, so they should go into the pot early, the way onion does. No! Onion needs that time in the pan to turn sweet and soft. Chives don't work that way. Taste one raw, sharp and grassy, then taste one that's simmered in a pot for a while — flat, faded, barely there. That's the mistake this misconception leads to: a beautiful soup or omelet with chives stirred in too soon, looking garnished but tasting of nothing.

Add them at the very end, off the heat, or raw over warm food. Let the dish carry its own flavor, and let chives sit on top of it, sharp and fresh, exactly as they're meant to.