If you want your meals to be as delicious as possible, you are always going to find that making the proper use of herbs is a really good way to do that. As long as you are using herbs in the right way, it has a way of really lifting your meals up and out of themselves, and you might be surprised at just how effective this can really be. In this post, we are going to discuss how you might be able to cook with herbs as a professional does. The following tips should help you to really make the most of whatever herbs you are using.
Don’t Overdo It
One of the first things to say is that you should not overdo it. It is all too easy to use too many herbs in your cooking, and this is a sign of an amateur who doesn’t really know what they are doing but who wants to do what seems right. Actually, with herbs you will normally find that less is more, so if you can follow that rule you are going to be in a much better place. Keep it simple, don’t pile on too many herbs at once, and your cooking will be a lot more delicious in no time.
Pair The Right Herb With The Right Meat
With meat in particular, you are going to need to learn which herbs work and which just don’t. There are many tried and tested pairing that you can simply learn, and you can also rely on your taste if you tend to be a good intuitive cook too. Good examples of pairing that work include rosemary and garlic-infused roasted rack of lamb, rosemary and thyme with chicken, and mint with pork. If you can learn these kinds of pairings, you’re well on your way to better herbs in your cooking, and better cooking overall.
Add The Herbs In Early
Here’s a trick that’s worth knowing too – if you add your herbs early on in the cooking, they tend to have much more of an impact on the final taste of the dish. Adding them at the end means that you will end up with a layer of flavor on the very top of the meal, whereas putting them in early means that they go through the layers of the dish much more, which is a lot more effective on the whole. So add your herbs early and see what a difference it can make.
Know When To Chop – And When Not To
Finally, experiment with chopping your herbs up and seeing when that seems best, compared to not chopping them. Sometimes, you will want to just put an entire sprig of rosemary in, such as when you are making a stew for a long period of time. At other times, however, chopping leaves up finely can be best, so it’s all about the situation. Again, experiment and see what seems to be best. You’ll find you soon work it out.
