Fresh herbs are the best and easiest way to transform a simple ordinary meal into a healthy extraordinary meal. Besides adding flavour to foods, they impart several additional benefits on their own. Recent studies have revealed that culinary herbs whether used in fresh or dried form, contain antioxidants which protect against heart diseases and cancer.
A few common culinary herbs and the foods that they can be combined with, is mentioned here for beginners who are willing to experiment with herbs while cooking.

Basil – can be included in fresh pesto, can be snipped with tomatoes, or included in pea, pasta sauce, zucchini.

Chives – tomatoes, potatoes and dips

Cilantro – salsa, tomatoes, Asian, Mexican and Caribbean cooking.

Mint – parsley, fruit salads, carrots, peas, tea and tabouli.

Oregano – tomato, pepper.

Parsley – mostly included in tabouli or potato salad

Dill – fish, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, cottage cheese.

Thyme – lima beans, poultry, tomatoes, eggs

Sage – stuffings, poultry seasoning

Rosemary – lamb, pork, stews, fish, chicken, tomatoes, soup and stews

A few tips on the usage and storage of culinary herbs discussed here:

An important guideline when using fresh herbs for cooking is to use thrice as much as one would use a dried herb. Herbs should be purchased fresh and used immediately. As far as indoor herbs are concerned, the best time for picking them, is in the morning when the dew has dried, and before sun gets too hot.

Fresh herbs can be stored in perforated plastic bags in refrigerator. For storing fresh herbs for longer periods, the herbs can be placed in a tall glass containing an inch of water. They can be covered loosely with plastic bags for air circulation. Now place in refrigerator and change water everyday.

While using herbs for recipes, mince them into tiny pieces. Herbs with sturdy stems such as sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano etc., can be stripped off the leaves by use of fingers. But herbs with small leaves such as thyme, both stem and leaves, can be used for cooking during early season. Thereafter, when the stem begins to get sturdy, only the leaves can be used. As for herbs with tender stems, such as cilantro, parsley etc., the stem can be chopped along with leaves while using them as garnishes.

Unlike dried herbs, fresh herbs should be added only in the end to cooked dishes to preserve their flavour. Delicate herbs such as cilantro, chives, basil, mint, marjoram, parsley, chives etc., should be added only a minute before the end of cooking, or should be sprinkled when the food is served. Other less delicate herbs such as Rosemary, Dill seeds, Thyme, Tarragon and Oregano should be added during the last 20 minutes before cooking. However, for certain foods such as batters, breads etc., the herbs may be required to be added while beginning the cooking process.

Fresh herbs can even be added to refrigerated foods several hours before serving. Allowing the cold food with herbs, to wait a couple of hours before serving, helps in good blending of the flavours.

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Tags: fresh herbs, dried herbs