Excellent Article on Fresh Herbs

I found this article and thought it would explain alot about the use of fresh herbs in cooking...Enjoy!!!!





Fresh herbs are what changes basic foods into favored dishes. They are the secondary seasonings that develop and extend the natural flavors of our raw materials. Fresh herbs compliment and enrich taste without adding any calories or fat. There are some basic ideas that apply to virtually all herbs. Let's take a look at them and then we can explore the individual herbs to see how best to enhance your cooking.

• Fresh herbs have both more and less flavor than dried ones. Dried herbs have had some of their flavor elements concentrated and so they can seem stronger. But drying them causes some other tastes to be lost and so the flavors are diminished. The general ratio to substitute fresh herbs for dried is 3 to 1. That is, use 3 times as much fresh herbs as dried herbs that recipes might call for.

• Fresh herbs have subtle and delicate flavors. Prolonged cooking causes them to lose their fragrance and their flavor. Add the fresh herbs near the end of the cooking time. The flavors develop very quickly. They shouldn't cook in liquids for more than about an hour, generally, to get the most from them. Add to stocks, soups, stews near the end and see how much richer the flavors will be at the table.

• Roasts should be rubbed with herbs before cooking. One restaurant technique is to chop the fresh herbs you want to use with a bit of salt and pepper. They each flavor the other. Then, rub the seasonings on the roast and finish as usual. This approach can be used for poultry and seafoods as well.

• For ground meats, finely mince the fresh herbs and mix into the meat before cooking. Add whatever other additions you like - eggs, crumbs, prepared sauces, salt, pepper, etc. - and shape them as appropriate for the dish.

• Fresh herbs may be added to both batters and crumb mixtures used for fried foods. Chop finely and add as desired.

• Fresh herbs enhance cooking waters for vegetables. Either chop and drop them into the water so they'll be part of the finished dish or tie them in a little cheesecloth bag and remove them before serving.

• Fresh herbs can add wonderful character and pleasantly surprising complexity to breads. A general rule of thumb is to add somewhere between 1 to 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh herbs per one-pound loaf. Herbal cornbread is wonderful. Likewise biscuits, dumplings, savory pancakes and waffles - add up to a tablespoon to 2 cups of flour.

• Fresh herbs are perishable and proper storage can prolong their lives rather nicely. Store bunches under refrigeration with their stems in water. Loose leaves are best kept in the coldest part of a refrigerator in perforated bags. Some moisture is good for fresh herbs. Too much moisture promotes decay. Shake them as dry as possible before storing. It's a good idea to crumple a paper towel and put it into the bag under the herbs. It absorbs excess moisture and lengthens the useful life of the herbs.

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DishyDelishy

Nice comprehensive set of tips, thanks for posting it.

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MOCK

I store robust-looking bunches of fresh mint in the refrigerator, with their stems in the water. But they decay within a day or two. Is that the life of fresh mint in the refrigerator?