Herbs in culinary Herbs in culinary consists of making use of leaves, stems, seeds and flowers that can be added up to specific food dishes and drinks.
By having their own particular taste and scent, herbs help people to create and garnish dishes of vegetables, fish, meat, salads, etc.
Culinary makes regular use of fresh or dried herbs to flavour food, and as a source of nutrients to the body.
Herbs can also be used both fresh, dried, single or combined with other spices. They can be added up to dishes while cooking, or when the dish is ready to be served. Likewise, many researchers believe that culinary herbs have wonderful antioxidants properties, helping to fight heart diseases, purifying in the process the blood.
Some also believe, that culinary herbs are of great aid in the treatment of cancer, anaemia, ulcers and digestive problems.
Besides flavouring food, herbs can also be added up to dishes of people with specific health problems, for special diet cases e.g. low salt, low fat and sugar free. Tips on how to use herbs in culinary
1 - Use three times more fresh herbs in a recipe, than if the herbs were dried. Fresh herbs are more appealing to our taste, and more inviting while cooking. And when fresh herbs are not available, dried herbs can be a very good substitute! 2 - Fresh herbs should be bought close to the cooking time or in the same day. If bought much earlier they turn old, lose their nutrients and flavour. 3 - In case one grows herbs, it's important to pick them up early in the morning, and when the earth in still fresh. As soon as the sun gets hot, herbs begin to lose their freshness. In case one picks up herbs mainly to freeze, the morning period is also the best time of the day to do it. 4 - Make sure you only use one strong-flavoured herb at a time and while cooking e.g. rosemary, mint, sage, dill, marjoram, thyme, tarragon etc. But, strong-flavoured herbs can be easily combined with mild-flavoured herbs e.g. chives, chervil, parsley, etc. Together they can increase each others flavour, creating wonderful aromatic dishes. How to prepare and preserve fresh herbs The most common way to prepare and preserve fresh herbs is to dry them. This can be done either way air dry, in an oven or in a microwave. When drying herbs naturally, its best to tie them up in small bunches with a string and hang them upside down. This will allow a good dry, preserving the herbs natural flavours and characteristics. After a few days, the herbs can be stored in small bottles or containers. They can be smashed or be preserved with dry leaves and stems.
For storage purposes, its convenient to look for a dry and cool place, in order to avoid moisture, heat, light and contact with other strong flavoured products. Herbs can also be stored in plastic bags or cube trays in the fridge. But, first don't forget that they need to be well cleaned and rinse off any chemicals and dust. They can be stored chopped or as a whole. Dried and natural herbs, are very useful in the kitchen to add up to salads, vinegars, olive oils, olives, butters, cheeses, breads, sandwiches, marinades and salt blends. More about cooking herbs Basil Bay leaves Caraway seeds Chives Coriander Cummins Dill Garlic Lemon Balm or Melissa Mint Oregano Parsley Rosemary Saffron Sage Tarragon Thyme
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