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Herb stripper for thyme, rosemary and kale

Updated: 21.10.2026

Every listing seems to name thyme, rosemary, parsley, coriander and kale in one breath. A herb stripper earns its place only when the stem is stiff enough to pull and a hole will take that stem. Tender herbs and thick kale ribs are where the titles run ahead of the reviews. The pull is on [how to use a herb stripper](/hub/garden-tools/leaf-separator/sub/leaf-separator-how-to-use). Which row to open first is on [best herb stripper](/hub/garden-tools/leaf-separator/sub/leaf-separator-best). Prices stay on the [Leaf separator](/hub/garden-tools/leaf-separator) comparison. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Every listing seems to name thyme, rosemary, parsley, coriander and kale in one breath. A herb stripper earns its place only when the stem is stiff enough to pull and a hole will take that stem.

Our top picks

YOUDALIS YOUDALIS 9-hole steel herb stripper

Best overall

YOUDALIS YOUDALIS 9-hole steel herb stripper
7.5/10about £4.99
View offer
FooYee FooYee 2-piece wooden herb stripper

Best value

FooYee FooYee 2-piece wooden herb stripper
5.6/10about £1.89
View offer
VZU VZU 9-hole steel herb stripper

Alternative

VZU VZU 9-hole steel herb stripper
5.6/10about £3.72
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Why the herb matters more than the brand
  2. 2.Thyme and rosemary
  3. 3.Parsley, coriander, and mint
  4. 4.Kale and other thick ribs

Why the herb matters more than the brand

The plate knows a stem thickness, not the plant name. Thyme and rosemary can catch on a tight rim. Parsley, coriander and mint fold. Kale is a thick rib or no fit at all. YOUDALIS, VZU, FooYee, Xiciki and Bisienya still name those herbs together. A bullet is not a result. Buy the plate if thyme or rosemary is the job you repeat. Skip it if you only chop coriander and mint.

Thyme and rosemary

A UK review of FooYee at £1.89 says thyme came off on the first pull. VZU’s only written UK review says the holes were useful for thyme. FooYee does not print diameters, and an Australian note on that page says the smallest hole was still too large. That note is not British. YOUDALIS prints 1 mm to 15 mm at £4.99. Its UK texts mention dill and a cover more than thyme, so the 1 mm hole is the reason to prefer it. Rosemary is less tidy. Epicurious found tip-to-base better on a Chef’n zipper with a cup, which these plates are not. Xiciki’s UK review got clumps or a broken stem after measuring about 3–16 mm. FooYee’s note that rosemary did not bruise is one kinder point, not a pattern.
YOUDALIS YOUDALIS 9-hole steel herb stripper

Testsieger

YOUDALIS YOUDALIS 9-hole steel herb stripper
7.5/10about £4.99
View offer

Parsley, coriander, and mint

Epicurious found parsley and cilantro stems broke in a zipper, and bunching them did not fix it. A FooYee UK review still used parsley without bruising, and an Xiciki reviewer used the oval piece for coriander. One success does not make the teardrop piece safe: that back was untreated plywood. Mint and basil are names in the bullets, not results in the UK reviews that were read. If you only chop coriander, skip the plate. The stems are edible chopped, and they may not survive the hole.

Kale and other thick ribs

The rib has to enter the largest hole. Food Republic uses a knife when it does not, including lacinato, whose leaf does not slide off the way curly kale sometimes does. The only printed ceiling here is 15 mm, on YOUDALIS. Other listings do not give a millimetre. Chard and collards are the same problem. A totnwrooye review separated herbs from stalks and did not describe a kale rib. Buy for kale only if your shop ribs are slim enough to start. A rib you have to force goes to the board.

Common questions

Will it strip thyme?
It can, when the smallest hole is tight on the sprig. A UK review of FooYee says thyme came off on the first pull. VZU’s UK review says the holes were useful for thyme. Neither prints the diameters. YOUDALIS prints a 1 mm hole, and its short UK reviews talk more about dill and a cover than about thyme. An Australian note that a wooden hole was still too big for thyme is not a UK review. Dry the sprig, and do not pull the frayed tip first.
Which hole is for rosemary?
The small end, the same region as thyme, on a single stalk rather than a fork. YOUDALIS prints 1 mm to 7 mm before the holes jump toward kale sizes. Wooden plates that only say seven holes leave you to try. Epicurious found tip-to-base better for rosemary on a zipper with a cup. That is a second attempt, not a promise. A UK review of Xiciki still got clumps or a broken stem.
Does parsley or coriander work?
Sometimes for one cook, and often not in published tests of a similar tool. Epicurious saw parsley and cilantro stems break. A FooYee UK review used parsley without bruising, and an Xiciki reviewer used an oval wooden piece for coriander. Listings name both herbs as if they were thyme. If the stem folds in the first hole, chop it. Coriander stems can go into the pot chopped, so a failed pull is not a wasted bunch. Do not buy the plate only for these two.
Will a bunch of kale fit?
Only the ribs that enter the largest hole. Many shop bunches are already too thick for a greens stripper, and lacinato is a knife job even when you want a pull. The only printed maximum in this set is 15 mm, on YOUDALIS. A rib above that does not have a hole on that plate. Other listings do not print a large-hole size, so you find out at the board. Forcing a rib bends the leaf into scraps you still have to sort.
Should I still buy one if I only chop coriander?
No. Coriander stems are soft, they break in tests of similar strippers, and they are edible when chopped, so the knife already does the job the plate is bad at. A single UK note that an oval wooden piece helped with coriander does not make a £5 plate a coriander tool, and that set included a plywood piece the reviewer rejected for food. Buy a stripper when thyme or rosemary is the repetitive chore, and when you can see a small hole or a printed millimetre.

Related pages

Wooden or stainless steel herb stripper

Leaf separator

Best herb stripper: open the 55-review plate first

Herb stripper buying guide: holes, sets and titles

How to use a herb stripper and when to use a knife

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison. Listing prices, stars, and review counts are from amazon.co.uk on 19 October 2026.

  1. legislation.gov.uk — SI 2012/2619, food-contact materials in England (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  2. Food Standards Agency — food contact materials regulations (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  3. Food Standards Agency — food contact materials authorisation (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  4. Which? — items you can and cannot put in the dishwasher (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  5. Which? — how to clean wooden spoons and other wooden kitchen tools (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  6. Epicurious — Chef'n herb zipper (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  7. Food Republic — how to destem kale (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  8. legislation.gov.uk — Consumer Rights Act 2015 (retrieved 19.10.2026)