Fresh Herbs or Not: The Flavor Factor in Cooking

Do you happen to have pots of fresh, flavorful herbs at your place as well? These add flavor, color, and delightful scents. However, do you also know which herbs are suitable for cooking and which ones should be avoided?
The belief that you can only incorporate fresh herbs into your dish right before serving is incorrect. In reality, some herbs can comfortably sit in marinades for several hours without issue. Additionally, many think that using either fresh or dried herbs is an exclusive choice, but they actually complement each other well. Moreover, because herbs have strong flavors, reducing the amount of salt added during cooking can enhance the overall taste significantly.
Do not cook with
Soft-leaved herbs like basil, mint, cilantro, parsley, tarragon, chives, and dill
are best added at the end of the cooking process or just before serving. They quickly release their flavour and heating or cooking for too long leads to loss of flavour.
Hint: Instead of cutting the leaves, tear or bruise them. This helps prevent discoloration more effectively.
Feel free to allow it to continue cooking.
Hard-leaved herbs like thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, and sage require both heat and time to unlock their flavors. Thus, you can comfortably incorporate them at the beginning of your cooking procedure.
Pepper, garlic, and cloves are spices that are best sautéed.
Hint: Don’t discard the stalks from rosemary, thyme, and cilantro as these impart extra flavor to your sauce during cooking.
Fresh herbs compared to dried herbs
Having fresh herbs readily available at home isn’t always straightforward, particularly if they aren’t used daily. As an alternative, you might consider using dried herbs instead.
Dehydrated herbs tend to have more potency, requiring smaller quantities for recipes. It’s advisable to introduce these into your dish right from the beginning to allow their flavors to develop fully. However, should you opt for green dried herbs, it's wise to incorporate them towards the last five minutes of cooking since they can easily scorch due to their nature.
(MH with FVDV for / Illustration image: Unsplash)
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