Fresh herbs are still available in the grocery stores in early December, but they get more limited and more expensive as winter comes on.
To save money, and to be able to cook with the same wide variety of savoury flavours that are available to us in the summertime, I’ve been trying to convert my recipes to using dried herbs. Fortunately, this turned out to be quite easy!
Here are my 3 newly-discovered tips:
- Use only 1/3 the amount of dried herbs, as their flavour is more intense. If the recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley, for example, use 1 teaspoon of the dried parsley.
- Crush the dry leaves slightly before adding to the dish you’re cooking, to help release the essential oils.
- Add dried herbs to the pot near the beginning of the cooking process, so the flavour can develop in the moist heat. Fresh herbs, of course, generally should be added to a cooked dish as late in the process as possible, so that their more delicate flavour, texture, and colour can be best preserved.