You always hear that fresh herbs have better flavor but they're hard to keep available. I typically use dried herbs but am looking into adding fresh versions when it makes sense. This post will try to answer the basic questions associated with using fresh herbs.
When is it most important to use fresh herbs rather than dried ones?
Fresh herbs should be used when you need to add the flavor quickly. This happens for recipes when there isn't any cooking involved, like for salads or cocktails, or when the spices are added at the last moment, such as folding into sauces or stews near the end of the cooking process just prior to serving.
Dried herbs have had their flavors concentrated through dehydration. They do best when given enough time to enable rehydration during the cooking process. They should be added early in the cooking process. Try adding them as one of the first ingredients so that they can be toasted to add more depth to their flavor. Deglazing a pan of toasted spices will incorporate extra levels of goodness to simple recipes.
How do you know how much of an herb to use when the recipe doesn't specify whether it's fresh or dried?
General rule is to use one teaspoon of dried herbs for one tablespoon of fresh herbs. This is about a 1:3 ratio. You may want to increase the amount of dried herbs as they get older. Dried herbs lose their flavor as they get older and should be replaced every year. You may also want to back off on the amount of dried herbs used if they are freshly ground.
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