Cooking With Herbs
You have seen all the stars on television do their best cooking when they use herbs. The aroma of fresh or dried herbs in a dish can appeal to everyone’s senses when they walk into your door. Cooking with herbs is also healthy. Can you imagine the best Italian dish without Basil or Oregano? Because herbs have been around for as long as cooking has the perfection of using herbs is something that has also been perfected as well.
Healthy eating should never be boring and bland. If you are trying to cut down on salt, you can still have delicious, flavorful meals. All you have to do is add herbs to your food. Herbs come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and have long been celebrated for their health benefits such as protection against diseases. You may choose to use them fresh or dried. They are easy to find in grocery stores, and you can also purchase good quality fresh herbs at places such as farmer’s markets. When buying the latter, you need to make sure they are not tainted with any blemishes and look and smell fresh.
There are several advantages to using dried herbs instead of fresh, but the dried form is not ideally suited for all herbs. The obvious advantage is that dried herbs are easier to store and can be kept without spoiling for a few months longer than fresh herbs. To keep them from spoiling, it is best to store them in a cool area with minimal light, and to examine their freshness from time to time by observing their color and smell. If they are pale with a weak scent, it’s time to replace them.
However, if you want a stronger taste, it is usually better to use fresh herbs in your cooking. You can keep fresh herbs in the fridge for about a week. The most preferred way to do this is to refrigerate them in plastic bags with openings, or if they are larger, you can position them stem-down in a container of water. If you need to keep fresh herbs for a longer time, you can also store them in bags in the freezer.
Remember that when using the crock pot you will need to add the herbs towards the end of cooking, otherwise they will loose their intensity during cooking. For the best use of herbs in crockpot recipes take a look at Lisa’s home cooked crock pot meal ideas. Be sure to sample one of her crock pot meat loaf recipes.
To use fresh herbs, it’s important to wash them carefully first. You can use fresh herbs in your cooking in a variety of ways: tear off the leaves and cut them with a knife, shred them manually, or chop with the stems before using them to garnish and flavor your food. You can use some varieties of herbs whole, particularly the kind with large leaves on small stems. Most fresh herbs should be added to a dish in the last few minutes of cooking; this is the best way to bring out their essential taste. You may substitute fresh herbs for dried, especially if you’re aiming for a stronger flavor, but make sure to use a larger amount. Raw fresh herbs can also make fantastic salads when combined with lettuce and other healthy additives.
