Principles of Using
Fresh Culinary Herbs and Spices
Herbs
and spices have been used to flavour food for thousands of years. It is
a practice that is as popular today as it was in ancient Rome.
Most people, however, feel that they lack the necessary experience or
knowledge to use herbs on a regular basis. The simple truth is that
anybody can create dishes that are delicious and unique.
You do not have to be a gourmet chef.
All it takes is a little experimentation. A dish may not always taste as
intended, but one can learn a lot through mishaps or even the odd
culinary disaster.
The purpose of using fresh herbs is to compliment food and in doing
so increase your appreciation of the taste and aroma of the food.
A herb
should never overpower a dish. The salt rule applies: you can add more,
but if you have added too much, you cannot take some out again. Start
with small quantities and add more if you so desire and as your
experience develops.
Each herb has its own unique flavour and aroma that compliments
certain foods and combines well with certain other herbs. You may find
that you are very fond of one herb and that you dislike another.
The
only way to find out what works for you is to experiment. Start by
adding one herb to a recipe that needs some variation or livening up. As
your experience grows, you can start adding combinations of herbs.
Fresh herbs are almost invariably preferable to dried herbs. Herbs’
essential oils evaporate when dried, some of them to the point where the
dried herb is tasteless and practically useless. Herbs also loose a lot
of their volume when dried, so it is important to increase the
quantities should you use fresh herbs when a recipe gives quantities for
dried herbs.
Read the short article "Fresh
herbs versus dried herbs" for more information on this subject.
By using fresh herbs you can transform the most ordinary meal into an
unforgettable one. This is especially true for processed foods. The
processes they go through strip them of a lot of flavour and nutritional
value. Herbs can restore lost flavour and can go a long way towards more
variation in your daily cooking.
In the article "Variety
is the spice of life" we explore more reasons for using herbs in
your home cuisine.
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