When it comes to herbs, fresh herbs might not always be the best option when cooking at home, depending on the dish. A dietician outlines the benefits and drawbacks of each.
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One of the best ways to add color to a dish is with fresh herbs. Sometimes there’s no alternative for something, like in a caprese salad with sliced tomatoes and fresh mozzarella stacked on top of fresh basil leaves or in guacamole and fresh tomato salsa with chopped fresh cilantro tossed in. Without fresh parsley, Lebanese tabbouleh is undoubtedly impossible to create. That being said, dried herbs are still superior. Depending on the decision you’re making, they might even be a superior option in some cases.
Fresh vs. Dried Herbs: What’s the Difference?
According to registered dietitian and cookbook author Amy Myrdal Miller, founder of Farmer’s Daughter Consulting in Carmichael, California, “my basic rule is to use dried herbs for long cooking applications, like soups, stews, or braising, and to use fresh herbs for fresh, uncooked dishes like lettuce salads with fresh basil, coleslaw with fresh cilantro, or fruit salads with mint.” “I usually use both, but in some cases, either fresh or dried will work, like in a tomato sauce for pizza or pasta,” she says. “I usually top my pizza with fresh oregano or basil leaves after using dried oregano in the tomato sauce.”
When to Use Fresh Herbs
Herby sauces like pesto, chimichurri, chutney, and salsa verde are built on fresh herbs. With dried herbs, these fragrant, green sauces infused with basil, cilantro, or mint wouldn’t taste the same.
In addition, fresh herbs are a key component in the newest TikTok craze, compound butter, which has received over 120 million views. Popular variations of this flavored butter blend garlic with chopped fresh herbs such as parsley, rosemary, and thyme. Meats, seafood, and veggies are grilled and topped with homemade compound butter.
According to registered dietitian and cookbook author Liz Weiss, who is based in Boston, fresh herbs are a key component of some of the dishes she frequently prepares, including butternut squash ravioli topped with a fresh sage brown butter sauce and spring rolls with fresh basil, cilantro, or mint. According to Weiss, picture fresh herbs like parsley, dill, cilantro, basil, and mint as a type of vegetable.
When to Use Dried Herbs
With all this glory extolled by fresh herbs, do not ignore the value of those jars of dried herbs in your cabinet or spice rack.
Dried herbs are more likely to hold up in a pot of simmering marinara sauce or a slow-cooked stew, says Carolyn O’Neil, an Atlanta-based registered dietitian and cookbook author who is a big fan of dried herbs. The drying concentrates the aromatic oils and specific flavor notes in herbs, so a little goes a long way to season a dish, she says.
“The herbs de Provence blend, which is typically a mixture of common dried French herbs like marjoram, rosemary, savory, thyme, fennel seeds, and lavender buds, is one of my favorites,” says O’Neil. This sophisticated blend of herbs can enhance anything from grilled meats to steamed veggies, making it an essential addition to any Mediterranean pantry. Look for herbs de Provence in a ceramic jar, which is the typical packaging in France to preserve the freshness of the dried herbs.
“When using dried herbs, I add them early on during the cooking process so their flavor has a chance to develop,” says Weiss. “I find that woody herbs—thyme, rosemary, and oregano—retain their flavor best when dried.” Dried herbs are also ideal for making a dry rub for seasoning beef, pork, lamb, and chicken, including a whole roasted chicken, a leg of lamb, or a beef roast. Popular dry rub ingredients include dried rosemary, thyme, oregano, and marjoram combined with kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and paprika.
Fresh to Dried Herbs Ratio
Dried herbs are concentrated forms of fresh herbs, so you will need less when you’re substituting dried varieties. As a rule of thumb, use about one-third the amount of dried vs. fresh, says Chicago-based registered dietitian and chef Raeanne Sarazen, author of “The Complete Recipe Writing Guide.” That translates to 1 teaspoon of dried herbs being equivalent to 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs.
“Be flexible when cooking. You can always make substitutions work,” she says. “Just use what you have (or can easily buy)—whether it’s fresh or dried. Experiment!”
Myrdal Miller says she tends to use more than one-third of dried herbs because they lose potency the longer they sit.
“I’ll often use half the amount of dried if I’m using it in place of fresh in a recipe, but I also taste a lot when I’m cooking to see if I’ve developed the flavor profile I’m seeking,” she says.
Using More Herbs
One of the best ways to increase your use of herbs when cooking is to grow your own fresh herbs by planting them in your backyard or in pots on a windowsill. Herbs are incredibly easy to grow, and they’re a quick way to add fresh flavor to meals.
Some of the best no-fuss picks include basil, mint, chives, oregano, parsley, rosemary, and thyme. If you’re not ready to commit, start by buying the whole basil plant instead of a small sprig, according to Rust. “Trim the plant back regularly, and you’ll have new growth,” she says.
Whether fresh or dried, herbs are hard-working ingredients in your kitchen that can elevate any dish.
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Disclaimer: The opinions and suggestions expressed in this article are solely those of the individual analysts. These are not the opinions of HNN. For more, please consult with your doctor.
