Tips For Cooking With Herbs And Spices
By:Amy Hanten
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- Spice your food well! Before serving, always taste it and adjust the spices to meet your taste.
- Toasting whole spices in a dry skillet over medium heat before grinding will bring out even more flavor. Be careful not to burn.
- Did you know that one teaspoon of dry herbs equals about one tablespoon of fresh herbs?
- Do not use dried herbs in the same quantity as fresh ones. In most cases, dried herbs are much stronger than fresh. As a general rule, herbs and ground spices will retain their best flavors for a year.
- Store spices in a cool, dark place – not above your stove. Humidity, light, and heat will cause herbs and spices to lose their flavor.
- To keep herbs fresh longer, loosely wrap them in a damp paper towel, place them in a plastic bag, and store them in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- To keep larger quantities of spices fresh, store them in the freezer in tightly sealed containers.
- Store freshly cut basil on your kitchen counter in a glass with the water level covering only the stems. Change the water occasionally. It will keep for a week or more this way. Basil hates to be cold, so NEVER put it in the refrigerator.
- Instead of using cheesecloth for holding spices, use the toe of pantyhose!! Put spices in the toe, tie them off with a knot, cut off the extra, and put it in your pot. Works great!
