Did I scare you with that title? Okay, well before you scroll past this post and delete me out of your life forever, hear me out. I’m all about fresh. Sleeping on a fresh set of sheets, is there anything better than that? A fresh bouquet of flowers is sooooooo much better than fake flowers, right? Freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, because is there anyone in the world who doesn’t like warm, soft, fresh-from-the-oven cookies?!
And of course, I’m all about fresh food. OK that was dumb, because I’m pretty sure if you are human, you prefer fresh food over stale…or spoiled food (YUCK!). But being that food and feeding people is my life (like seriously, it’s my WHOLE entire life right now), I’m pretty obsessed with making sure I am using only the freshest ingredients for my clients. Clients, if you’re reading this, this is where you give a huge sigh of relief knowing that this post isn’t about what you might have thought. I would hope you know me better than that! Okay, so what the heck is this post about? Fresh herbs! Are fresh herbs really best? Read on…
This might surprise some of you but I most often actually prefer dried herbs over fresh. I know it’s shocking. I’m sure most people think of personal chefs in a kitchen with an endless supply of straight-from-the-garden herbs and vegetables (Ha! If only I had a green thumb AND time to tend to my garden). However, the more experience I’ve gained, I’ve realized that I just NEED my dried herbs. Dried herbs are a concentrated version of fresh, and therefore have a bolder flavor. Let’s say a recipe calls for some minced garlic (which by the way is technically a vegetable, but I’m throwin’ it in the herb category right now). Depending on the dish, I might use solely garlic powder or add it to pump up the flavor of the minced cloves. Another bonus to using dried herbs? It saves you money!! Dried herbs last FOREVER and a day, while those freshies are wiltin’ away in your fridge. Recently, I have also been using fresh herbs in a tube, such as ginger. Gourmet Garden makes a great line of “lightly dried” herbs and stir-in pastes. Check them out!
Now, some fresh herbs just cannot be replaced. I ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS use fresh basil, fresh cilantro, and fresh mint when called for in recipes. The flavor is incomparable! Other than those few, feel free to substitute dried in your meals. Because really, you can’t buy just one measly sprig of thyme! 🙂
FYI: Be sure to do a quick Google search for conversion ratio when using dried herbs instead fresh. Since dried herbs are more concentrated, you most likely will reduce the amount that’s called for in the recipe.
