I know this may come across as abit of a stupid question but which is better? fresh or dried herbs? thanks for your help
juliewn,
Dec 30, 3:16am
Hi.. no question is stupid.. :-).. I definitely prefer fresh.. they taste nicer to us, and don't have the dry/dustiness dried herbs can have..
They're easy to grow too, available at any garden centre, usually about 3 pots for $10 or so..
buzzy110,
Dec 30, 3:48am
If you have fresh then use fresh. Often, in the winter there are not so many fresh herbs, though I can gather parsley, mint, coriander, sage, thyme, rosemary, dill and oregano through the Auckland winters. Not sure about colder climes. In the cases where fresh are unavailable use dried.
Sometimes fresh herbs are definitely better. For instance ripped basil in salads, fresh parsley for garnish, mint sauce are just a few of the uses where fresh is best. But for cooking in soups, stews and other savoury dishes dried herbs work just as well or even better.
jag5,
Dec 30, 4:37am
Fresh are preferable to me, but I also dry my own surplus for use in the off season.Much nicer home dried.Still using basil and rosemary from earlier this year.
stevee6,
Dec 30, 4:40am
Fresh is generally best imo, you can also freeze herbs for later use especially if where you live is too cold in winter to sustain the basics such as parsley, rosemary, mint etc...
uli,
Dec 30, 4:50am
"Which is better" might not be the right question - as sometimes fresh herbs are better in a recipe and other times dried ones work better.
In salads I would always use fresh herbs, while in cooking it doesn't matter so much if fresh or dried. However in an oil infusion you can only use dried herbs as the water content might make the herbs go slimy and even mouldy beneath the oil you want to infuse.
So really it does depend on the recipe and the use you put those herbs to. Also obviously dried herbs keep longer than fresh ones - and also some herbs dry better than others ... it might pay to get some books out of the library and study the subject a bit more.
prawn_whiskas,
Dec 30, 7:27am
Both definitely have their place.
budgel,
Dec 30, 8:32am
Dried herbs tend to have a stronger flavour if that is what you want. I have a selection of Greggs packets for when my herb garden cant deliver.
gardie,
Dec 30, 8:39am
I have to agree with Uli.Watched a chef on Food TV the other night who said exactly the same thing - different types for different purposes.
spongeypud,
Dec 24, 4:56pm
I use fresh as I have them in my garden, but still use dried on occasions as poster #7 says, they both have their place.
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