Ingredients 101: How to Select, Store, & Prep Fresh Herbs
Herbs, both fresh and dried, can be intimidating and mysterious to cooks. Just how much is too much? How do you prepare them?
Herbs, both fresh and dried, can be intimidating and mysterious to cooks. Just how much is too much? How do you prepare them?
There are a lot of reasons for wanting to make sure your herbs last a long time. Maybe you know that your grocery store won't have decent parsley in the winter. Maybe you're taking a last-minute trip and don't want to throw away your perfect batch of basil. Or perhaps you're simply like me, and buy a dozen different herbs at the farmer's market, only to remember that you can't make it through all of them before they go bad.
Using fresh herbs can make a huge difference in almost any dish, but they're not always available everywhere. Depending on where you live, you can't always get them during the colder months. Personally, the problem I run into the most is not being able to use fresh herbs before they go bad.
Dried spices and herbs seem to be immortal; a peek in your parents or grandparents' cupboards will likely unveil cinnamon, basil, and oregano older than you.
Fresh herbs are a surefire way to enhance a dish, but buying them at the store each time you need them is costly. Luckily, growing your own herbs is a lot easier than it seems: You can even using cuttings from the herbs you already buy to start your own little herb garden.
Whilst drying herbs is a well known method they do suit certain types of dishes but with this method of using olive oil to infuse before freezing, you get the best results many weeks after you've cut them and it allows you to continue enjoying those summer flavours well into winter.
If you are looking for appetizer ideas, check out this Feta Cheese Cups with Herbs recipe made from scratch.
Here at Food Hacks, we're very fond of finding ways to regrow food. That means taking things like carrot tops and leftover bits from garlic, onions, chives, and other herbs and aromatics to create mini reusable herb gardens.
As a kid, my favorite part of Easter were the days leading up to the holiday, when my family would dye eggs. This became an enormous event in my household, as dozens and dozens of perfectly white eggs would become little oval canvases for arts and crafts.
There are some ingredients I cook with so often I can never buy too many of them, and most of them are produce. Onions, garlic and fresh herbs are staples in a lot of dishes, and they may be inexpensive, but when you use them on a daily basis it can add up.
We can't get enough of fresh herbs in our cooking, but that's just the problem: About 2 days after we purchase our sprigs of thyme and sage they look sadder than Ashton Kutcher's last romantic comedy.
If you're into creating your own dried herbs and spices, you will eventually start to have questions about how to store them long-term, rather than just leave them hanging. This tutorial shows you how to properly store and care for home dried herbs.
How to divide and re-pot onions and herbs
Having a nice supply of fresh herbs from your own herb garden or from the grocery store is a great way to enhance and add flavor to virtually any meal. But, what do you do when you have a surplus of fresh herbs? This video from Food Network offers an easy way to store all those fresh herbs, so you will have them fresh and ready when you need them in the kitchen. First, dry them with a paper towel, wrap them in a paper towel, store in a Ziploc bag and place them in the fridge until you are rea...
Now that we're approaching the holiday season (i.e. the season of friends, family, and gain ten pounds) boxes of chicken stock are soon going to be flying off the shelves to be tossed into soups, to flavor meats, and to add a richness to vegetable dishes.
When cooking Latin American food, richer dishes loaded with mountains of meat must be balanced out with contrasting textures and tastes that aren't as...rough on the stomach. This is why accompaniments like sofrito, made out of a blend of vegetables and herbs, are a delight to your taste buds after so much savory meat and spiciness.
Did you know that garlic breath is really garlic lungs? According to the Mayo Clinic, garlic breath stems from chemicals in the garlic that get absorbed into your bloodstream and that cause you to give off garlic breath.
Growing your own herbs is easy. So easy, in fact, that you may soon find that you have more than you know what to do with. In this home gardener's guide, Melinda Myers discusses how to store herbs that you've harvested from your home garden.
In this tutorial, Hungry Nation visits Brooklyn soda works to see how to make a delicious homemade soda using fresh fruit and herbs. Check out this clip and learn all about soda making and how to get started drinking your own.
Learn how to dry herbs, particularly nettle. Yay! This how to video is a great step-by-step tutorial on drying stinging nettle. Nettle is a great spicy herb that can add extra flavor to any dish.
Using fresh herbs is always the best call for any recipe, but if you're an herb gardener with load after neverending load of herbs that you can't find a use for right now, drying these herbs may be your best option.
In this tutorial, we learn how to preserve and dry herbs. First, you will want to cut your herbs fresh from the garden. Next, use scissors to cut the herbs into small pieces. After this, place the herbs on a piece of wax paper on a plate. Now, place the plate into the microwave on half power for three minutes. Look at the herbs to see what they look like when they come out of the microwave. If there is still moisture in them, place them in a microwave again. Adjust the power and time you cook...
Fresh herbs can transform almost any dish. Watch this how to video and let Bon Appetite show you how to chop herbs for your recipes. Learn to chop and mince herbs with woody stems or leafy herbs. Even get tips on how to chiffenade mint and basil leaves.
Cut the salt and sugar, but not the taste with these herbs your kids will love. Watch this how to video and learn how to diversify your recipes with a little sprinkle of fresh herbs. Incorporate fresh herbs like stevia, basil and lemon verbina into your kids diets.
Herbs add flavor and dimension to all types of recipes. This how to video demonstrates how to use use different dry and fresh herbs in your cooking. Learn all about bay leaves, parsley and chives, tarragon, cilantro, thyme, sage, rosemary, oregano and marjoram.
Southwest Yard and Garden shows viewers how to dry and freeze vegetables and herbs. First, you need to wash your hands for at least 20 minutes. You can dry herbs in a whole form so the flavor stays strong. First, just wash off your herbs, put them on a cookie sheet and allow them to dry. Once they are dry, you can package them into small jars or containers! When you are drying fruits you should also store them in the freezer for 72 hours so prevent bugs. Want to make sure your pepper is hole ...
Garnishes may sometimes feel as something that we thinks is too difficult to do. Don't fear in this how to video Chef Paul talks about food presentation and how to garnish your dishes. Watch and learn how to make a great tasting dish stand out even more with fresh food and herbs.
This simple dish combines a rich mushroom pan sauce, with moist chicken breasts scented with Herbs De Provence. Watch the video and try at home.
The turkey is the A-list star of your Thanksgiving table, so it only makes sense to make sure it's as savory and enjoyable as possible, right?
Grilling a perfect steak is not as hard as you think...when you have a few tips, of course. Check out this food video to learn how to grill a thick, tender slap of striploin steak seasoned with salt, pepper, and herbs.
Patti Moreno shows us how to freeze herbs you've cut fresh from your garden.
Evergreen bows, like Hemlock, can be placed over tender plants to protect them against cold, winter winds. Gently place them over the plant creating a tepee or tent form. It will allow some air circulation underneath so the protected plant doesn't rot but the Evergreen bows protect it against the cold.
It doesn't have to be summer to get deliciously fresh herbs and spices. Check out this tutorial, and learn how to preserve and dry your spices in the summer for use in those dull winter months.
Planting and growing herbs is a simple and satisfying project for any gardener or cook. Start an herb garden with this free gardening video series.
Home cooks know firsthand what it takes to make delicious and amazing food for friends and family. One of the most effective ingredients to making foods as delicious as possible is herbs.
Drying herbs like sage is a great way to store the bounty of your garden. In this how-to video, Rita Heikenfeld from AboutEating.com shows you a simple way to dry and store your herbs straight from the garden. Use the old fashion method of drying herbs to make sure they last through the year.
Preserving herbs is important for being able to use them later. Keep your herbs usable throughout the year using these helpful gardening tips for drying, storing and maintaining plants picked fresh from your garden. You'll be able to enjoy the product of your gardening efforts all year long!
Chris Smith discusses the how to on use fresh herbs through out your recipes for a healthy diet. Herbs can be stored in plastic bags for freshness, and can be used to liven up a diabetics diet.
Omelette recipes are the perfect quick and easy dish. An omelette can easily be made like the omelets you get in fancy restaurants. Watch this how to video and learn how easy it is to scramble some eggs and herbs to make a fluffly omelette with no added fat. You can stuff it with chopped bell peppers or your favorite filling.
Watch this how to video to learn a special cooking technique called chiffonade. Create popular garnish with herbs, spinach and more.