Cooking with herbs

 Want to add some new flavors to your foods? Get the information you need here for cooking with herbs and how to afford it!
 

Cooking with herbs can be overwhelming at first. There are so many to choose from, how do you know which one will go best with chicken, or even cheese? Who can afford them anyway? Hopefully, this page will give you a push in the right direction to be able to help you understand optimum pairings and how to choose your own favorites to get you started on cooking with herbs for some fresh flavor!

Ideally, if you want to start cooking with herbs without the crazy cost of buying them everytime you need them, you should consider growing your own herb garden. You don't need to have a large backyard to grow them either, a window sill and some small pots could work well when you are first starting out. After you have been using them you will most likely develop some favorites! They can be moved to a porch or balcony in larger pots to accommodate all of those delicious meals you are making cooking with herbs! A few staples in most kitchens are rosemary, basil, parsley, and mint, but don't be afraid of thyme, oregano, tarragon, and chives.

First a few tips on the process you go through before you start cooking with herbs. If you need to purchase them, be sure to buy close to the time you need them. They lose their potency and freshness if not used soon and especially if not stored properly. To store them you can place them in an open plastic bag, ( or a plastic bag that you've poked a few hole in for ventilation.) If you are using dried varieties, know that keeping them in a cool, dark place will help their flavor last. Although dried are more convenient, they do lose their potency over time. A general rule is that whole herbs and spices will last about one year and the ground varieties will last about six months. When using fresh herbs, you will use about two to three times more (in volume) than you would dried. For example, 1 teaspoon dried equals 1 tablespoon fresh.

When cooking with herbs it is important to know when to add them to your recipes. Dried varieties are usually thrown in earlier in the recipe to allow their flavors to have time to come out. Fresh types are typically tossed in later in the process because they are much more delicate. The hardier the fresh herb, the sooner it can go in the dish. If you a using stiff leafed or seed types, like dill seed or rosemary, you can put them in within the last 20 minutes or so. The more delicate leaf types like mint or parsley can be added the last few minutes or even just sprinkled on top at the end.

There are many great pairings when you are cooking with herbs. You can be as creative or cautious as you want. If you really want to get into it, use your senses! I tend to use my sense of smell the most. If I smell my dish and smell the spice, you can typically tell if it melds together. You can go so far as to taste as well. Take a few leaves (fresh of course) and chew them around in your mouth. There is no need to swallow, just test the flavor and find out which dishes you think it could compliment. Another good way to start is to add herbs to everyday condiments such as butter or sour cream. That way you can test their flavor with recipes as a later, personal, addition without committing them to the entire dish.

Have fun experimenting! The flavors you add to your dishes can be as unique as you wish to make them. So break out some old recipes and add a new twist when you start cooking with herbs!