Herbs

What It Is

• Herbs are an easy way to heighten the aroma of a dish

• Whether fresh or dried, herbs are fragrant leaves of plants, stems and flowers, but herbs are almost always green

Plant Families

Mint FamilyBasil

BergamotHyssop

Lemon BalmLavenderMarjoram

MintOregano

Rosemary Sage

SavoryThyme

Carrot FamilyAngelicaChervilCicely

CilantroDill

FennelLovageParsley

What It Does

• A herbs aromatic compounds are concentrated in its leaves

• Some leaves also contain enough fibrous cell wall material to be used as thickeners

Herbs and Culture

• Every region in the world has a preference for certain herbs based on its geography, climate, and history– India, Thailand, Vietnam, & Mexico

• Cilantro

– Southern France & Northern Italy• Thyme, rosemary, sage

– Italy, Greece, & Mexico• Oregano

– Japan & China• Chrysanthemum greens

Using and Storing Herbs

• When do you add fresh herbs? When do you add dried herbs?

• Not so much a question of fresh vs. dried but, whole or chopped– Whole herbs

• Fragrance is contained within the leaves so it takes longer to draw out the flavors from whole, uncut herbs so they are often added at the beginning

– Chopped herbs• The leaves’ cells are broken open and the volatile aromas are free

to escape and so they are added to dishes just before serving

Using and Storing Herbs

• Most dried herbs are chopped, but dried herbs also need time to rehydrate so they are added early in the cooking to allow moisture to rehydrate them and heat to reawaken their sleeping aromas

• To speed the release of aromatic compounds from dried herbs, crush them between your fingers before adding to a dish

Using and Storing Herbs

• Most of the essential oils in herbs are volatile and evaporate during drying and storage

• To prolong the aromatic life of fresh herbs, treat them like bouquets of flowers and store stems down in a tall glass of water

• Loosely cover tender herbs like parsley and cilantro with a plastic produce bag and refrigerate

• Woodier fresh herbs like rosemary and thyme should be stored in the fridge in a plastic bag, after wrapping the stems in a damp paper towel

Using and Storing Herbs

• Fresh basil is one exception to the rule of refrigerator herbs – it stores best at room temperatures because cold temperatures can wither its leaves quickly

• Dried herbs are best stored in an airtight container in a cool, dark place, where they should last for about 6 months

Using and Storing Herbs

• Freeze fresh or dried herbs, which delays the evaporation of their aromatic compounds– Wash and dry them thoroughly– Lay them on a mesh rack in a single layer– Freeze until stiff, about 2 hours– Transfer to a resalable plastic bag, press out the air,

and freeze for up to 3 months• You can also freeze the herbs in water in ice cube

trays, then pop out the ice cubes and store those in a resalable bag

How It Works

• Fresh herbs contain mostly water but they also contain potent aromatic compounds and essential oils

• These strongly flavored oils frequently act as natural deterrents to pests and are mostly concentrated when plants begin to flower

• The aromas are released when the herbs are cut, chewed, or heated

How It Works

• In general, air drying preserves more flavor then the heat of sun-drying or oven-drying

• Freeze-drying preserves even more aromatic compounds

• For home cooks, microwave ovens work well because they evaporate water without evaporating much of the herbs essential oils

How It Works

• The compounds in herbs not only smell good, they’re often food for us containing many polyphenolics (a type of chemical founds in plants) with antioxidant properties that can help prevent cell damage in your body and reduce risk of cancer and heart disease– Example: curry leaves contain antioxidant

compounds called carbazoles that can help prevent the cell damage that leads to certain cancers

How It Works

• Carbazoles also have anti-inflammatory properties, relieving pain from inflammation much like aspirin does

• Not every herb’s aromatic compounds have a clean bill of health – after all many of these compounds are designed to deter pests– Example: borage has a wonderful cucumber

aroma but the leaves can be toxic to the liver in very large amounts

How It Works

• Color in herbs comes mainly from chlorophyll, but some herbs appear red or yellow from different plant pigments