Oregano is one of a small group of herbs that is actually improved by drying. The fresh herb is extremely pungent and can easily dominate other flavors in a dish. Many cooks find the dried herb milder and more palatable. If you have access to the fresh herb and want …
Rosemary is an excellent herb for drying but unlike other members of the mint family like basil, it gets hard and woody when its moisture is removed so you won’t be able to crumble dry rosemary leaves with your fingers. If you are drying whole sprigs, the leaves will fall …
Drying parsley to preserve it is a great skill if you wind up with too much of the herb. Dried parsley is great for adding a touch of green to everything from potato salad to tomato soup. Here are some of the best ways to dry parsley: In the oven …
Saffron consists of the stigmas (including the pistils) that are picked from the flowers that grow on the Crocus sativus plant. Saffron is known for its bright red-orange color and the distinctive floral flavor profile that it lends to Spanish paella and French bouillabaisse. It has long had a reputation …
Dried basil is almost as versatile as the fresh herb and is easy to make. Whether your backyard garden delivered a bumper crop of the herb or you simply bought too much at the grocery store, you may find yourself needing to preserve fresh basil by drying it. Here are …
The various kinds of maple syrup are differentiated by grades. While it may seem that the grading system is designed to categorize by quality, it is not. No grade is inferior to another. Because of this, the old grading system was confusing since it included different letter grades up to …
If you are a fan of Middle Eastern cuisine, you have likely encountered tahini. It is one of the main ingredients in hummus, which may be the best-known Middle Eastern dish. If you have tried to cook with it, you may well have a partially consumed jar of it somewhere …
Vanilla sugar is a flavored sweetener consisting of sugar (usually refined white sugar) and split vanilla bean pods or the scraped seeds from those pods. In either case, it can be a great way to add the vanilla flavor to drinks and baked goods without the drawbacks that can come …