How to Store Herbs and Spices
If you grow your own herbs, pick them just before the flowers open to get the best flavor. When buying from the supermarket, look for fresh, moist, sprightly leaves with no signs of decay or wilting. Fresh herbs should be stored in the refrigerator--wash gently and shake off excess water. Wrap in paper toweling and refrigerate for up to a week. The exceptions are basil and mint, which turn black when damp. Store these herbs unwashed and upright with their stems in a vase of water in the refrigerator, covered loosely with a plastic bag. Store herbs in the freezer for up to one year. Basil and sage leaves can be stored, covered with olive oil, for several months in the refrigerator. Red spices (paprika, chili pepper, and ground red pepper) will hold their color and keep their flavor longer if refrigerated. Dried herbs, and gound or whole spices, should be stored in a cool, dry, dark cabinet away from the heat of the range, the refrigerator exhaust, or under-cabinet lighting units. Once a year, give dried herbs and ground spices the "sniff test" by passing the container quickly under your nose and seeing if the contents can be identified; if not, discard the container and replace it. Whole spices will retain their flavor and aroma almost indefinitely. To dry fresh herbs, tie them in small bunches and hang them in a cool, airy place. When the bunches are brittle and dry, store them in tightly covered containers. |
How to Use Herbs and Spices
For long-cooking dishes, whole spices give better results than ground and should be added at the beginning of cooking. For ease in removing them, you might tie them in a cheesecloth bag or enclose them in a tea ball first. The flavor of ground herbs and spices does not hold up well during lengthy cooking; so add them toward the end of the cooking time; if you have put them in at the beginning, refresh the flavor with an extra pinch or two just before the dish finishes cooking. To release the fullest flavor of fresh or dried herbs or seeds, crush them in the palm of your hand or grind them with a mortar and pestle before adding them to the food. Frozen fresh herbs can be added to recipes while still frozen, in the same amounts as fresh. To substitute fresh herbs for dried ones, use three times as much of the dried called for, since flavor of the fresh is less intense.
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Cooking With Herbs
