The food lab better home cooking through science ( PDFDrive ) 854

The sauce also pops up in other places in this book, such as with my meatballs here.. DRIED VERSUS FRESH HERBS Most recipes for marinara sauce call for either dried oregano or Italian se

Here’s the basic recipe, along with five variations it The sauce also pops up in other places in this book, such as with

my meatballs (here)

DRIED VERSUS FRESH HERBS

Most recipes for marinara sauce call for either dried oregano or Italian seasoning, which is mostly dried oregano and basil My immediate thought was replace the dried herbs with fresh Imagine my surprise when I found after cooking two sauces side

by side with dried oregano in one and fresh leaves in the other, there was barely any difference at all! Why was that?

Many chefs assert that fresh herbs are superior to dried herbs, and they’re right—most of the time Most herbs contain flavor compounds that are more volatile than water, which means that drying process that removes water also ends up removing flavor.

But it’s not always the case, and here’s why: savory herbs that tend to grow in hot, relatively dry climates—like oregano, for instance—have flavor compounds that are stable at high temperatures and are well contained within the leaf They have to be,

of humidity in their natural environment With these herbs, as long as you cook them for long enough to soften them, the flavor is just as good as with fresh— and a whole lot cheaper and easier to boot.

This chart shows you which herbs are best used fresh and which will fare just as well when used dried (in cooked applications).

HERBS

THAT ARE

BEST USED

FRESH

HERBS THAT CAN

BE USED DRY (in cooked

applications)

Parsley

Basil

Mint

Cilantro

Chervil

Chives

Dill

Sorrel

Tarragon

Oregano Rosemary Marjoram Bay leaf Thyme Sage Savory