Storage Tips for Fresh and Dried Herbs

The reason why packaged foods and fastfood meals are generally high in salt is because in an effort to keep costs down, food manufacturers scrimp on natural flavors and just add more salt.  But as any experienced home cook knows, very little salt is needed if there is just enough natural flavor in the dish.  The natural tastes of meat, vegetables and herbs, in particular, are already so satisfyingly deep and full that a pinch of salt may be all that is needed.

Here are some of the great herbs you should regularly add to your dishes.  Not only are they great flavor enhancers, they are also dense storehouses of vital phytonutrients which protect your health.

Fresh Herbs

Herb Garden

Nothing beats an herb garden for freshness.  Those charming windowsill pots of herbs are much better than any spice rack.  Mint, oregano, thyme and rosemary are so easy to grow and add such full-bodied flavors to your everyday dishes.

Room Temperature Storage Tips

Sans an herb garden, you can opt to buy fresh herbs and just learn to store them properly.  You can store fresh herbs at room temperature much like you would fresh flowers—with their stems in water.  Standing up in water like some floral arrangement, fresh herbs would keep for several days.  Just remember to change the water every day or two.

Ref Storage Tips

To store fresh herbs in the ref, you need to loosely wrap the leafy ends with plastic bag which has holes.  Plastic having no holes keep in moisture which makes the herbs go bad quickly.

Soft-stemmed and Woody Herbs 

Soft-stemmed leafy herbs such as basil, mint, parsley and cilantro taste best when fresh.  Basil keeps well longer at room temperature.  Mint can be stored either in or out of the ref.  Parsley may also be stored in the ref or at room temperature.  Cilantro is best kept in the ref. 

Woody herbs, on the other hand, like rosemary, thyme and sage, are best wrapped in paper towels, kept in a Ziploc bag and stored in the crisper drawer of the ref.

Dried Herbs

You can find dried versions of virtually any herb.  Some herbs taste even better dried than fresh.  Generally, however, dried herbs are not as flavorful as fresh ones but are very convenient and still healthy add-ons to your homemade meals.  Remember these things when using dried herbs:

• Dried herbs are best cooked for about 30 minutes in order to bring out all their flavors.
• It is best to use dried herbs within 6 months for optimum flavor.
• Before using your stock of spices, smell them first.  If they no longer smell the way they should, chances are they’ve already gone bad and should thus be tossed away.
• Situate your spice rack in a cold, dark place away from sunlight and heat.  As such, it is not wise to keep your spice rack above or near the stove.