Axe Posted July 31, 2008 Report Share Posted July 31, 2008 On a couple of recipes I have followed recently I have had to substitute fresh herbs for dried. I know that dried are much stronger than fresh but by how much, I do not know. So my question is this, if a receipe asks for a teaspoon of fresh herb what is the equivelant in dried herb? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poacher Posted July 31, 2008 Report Share Posted July 31, 2008 i think this is an impossible question, as some dried herbs will be stronger in flavour than others, depending on how old they are, exposure etc But to answer your question, if it says a tsp of fresh i'd go for a pinch or two of dried, keep tasting and add as neccesary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axe Posted July 31, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2008 So as a rule of thumb 1/4 of the fresh amount. Sounds about right to me, based on what I have eperienced recently. I do take on board the differences between the various herbs. One that I ued recently was Tarragon in some Mackeral fish cakes, had to substitute for dried and ruined the meal even though I had halved the amount. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WeihrauchPower Posted July 31, 2008 Report Share Posted July 31, 2008 I would use about a third. It depends what herb you are using and freshness as someone mentioned before. If when you rub it through your fingers it produces little or no smell then throw it away. Generally chefs will use dried Tarragon, Oregano and sometimes Margoram and Rosemary BUT NOT any others as the flavour they give is very poor and sometimes worse than not adding anything. The following dried herbs are useless and should be avoided Parsley, Basil. To be honest I "try" to grow all of my own herbs and seem to do very well with Rosemary, Parsley and Thyme. I use a lot of herbs and these three thrive on being hackd right back, they constantly produce really fresh new growths. I've tried Basil but I tend to kill it off fairly quickly as I think i use a months growth in a weeks cooking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markio Posted July 31, 2008 Report Share Posted July 31, 2008 Don't forget Dried Coriander. The fresh stuff is very strong in flavour (and gorgeous) whereas the dried has no smell or flavour what so ever! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WeihrauchPower Posted July 31, 2008 Report Share Posted July 31, 2008 Don't forget Dried Coriander. The fresh stuff is very strong in flavour (and gorgeous) whereas the dried has no smell or flavour what so ever! Yep! Another one, there are some more as well but my min has gone blank. Ah ha Nother, fresh Bay leaves compared to dry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob300w Posted July 31, 2008 Report Share Posted July 31, 2008 Don't forget Dried Coriander. The fresh stuff is very strong in flavour (and gorgeous) whereas the dried has no smell or flavour what so ever! Yep! Another one, there are some more as well but my min has gone blank. Ah ha Nother, fresh Bay leaves compared to dry. Mint is another waste of time using it dried, it tastes more of tea-leaves than mint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WeihrauchPower Posted July 31, 2008 Report Share Posted July 31, 2008 (edited) Don't forget Dried Coriander. The fresh stuff is very strong in flavour (and gorgeous) whereas the dried has no smell or flavour what so ever! Yep! Another one, there are some more as well but my min has gone blank. Ah ha Nother, fresh Bay leaves compared to dry. Mint is another waste of time using it dried, it tastes more of tea-leaves than mint. I've always thought the same of dried Basil, tastes and smells like cheap tea. Edited: Because I can't spell! Edited July 31, 2008 by WeihrauchPower Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axe Posted July 31, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2008 I think we would all agree that fresh is way better than dried. But it does come down to availability and practicality. I keep most herbs and spices in the cupboard. Dried herbs work particularly well in sauces, broths, stews, etc. where you can rehydrate them to a degree. The fish cakes I did really needed fresh herbs but I simply couldn't get any and had to use dried. Biggest waste of dried herbs for me has to be Mint and Parsley, it seems no amount of hydrating does the any good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob300w Posted July 31, 2008 Report Share Posted July 31, 2008 I think we would all agree that fresh is way better than dried. But it does come down to availability and practicality. I keep most herbs and spices in the cupboard. Dried herbs work particularly well in sauces, broths, stews, etc. where you can rehydrate them to a degree. The fish cakes I did really needed fresh herbs but I simply couldn't get any and had to use dried. Biggest waste of dried herbs for me has to be Mint and Parsley, it seems no amount of hydrating does the any good. Yep, apart from adding colour, dried parsley seems to do nothing at all, irrespective of the amount used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malkiserow Posted July 31, 2008 Report Share Posted July 31, 2008 Fresh bay is different to dried in flavour. Mint in water then frozen in ice-cubes is fairly successful for winter use Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maiden22 Posted August 5, 2008 Report Share Posted August 5, 2008 Agree with all of the above really, especially with regards to dried parsley and basil. They seem to be very disappointing. The one exception to the "fresh is best" rule is, I believe, oregano, which seems to imptove for being dried. Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC Posted August 11, 2008 Report Share Posted August 11, 2008 I'd use PAXO if I were you. It's the same stuff after all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axe Posted August 11, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 11, 2008 Touche! But the Rusk in Paxo makes it the perfect way to make and flavour Bisley Burgers. Can't beleive I bit the hook. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullet boy Posted August 11, 2008 Report Share Posted August 11, 2008 (edited) AXE,if the recipe is asking for fresh herb then fresh herbs you need -not dried!The flavour obviously wont be the same as the stated recipe. Edited August 11, 2008 by bullet boy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axe Posted August 11, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 11, 2008 BB Did you not read the recipe? It does not ask for fresh herbs. I should know, I made it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullet boy Posted August 11, 2008 Report Share Posted August 11, 2008 I think i`ve read enough recipes Axe,-I was a chef for 16 years!Your question is saying you want dried herbs instead of fresh.Well like i said-if the recipe in front of you is asking for fresh herbs-then fresh it should be-end of story!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axe Posted August 11, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 11, 2008 Aha, the Mexican stand off! No BB, I do not state I want dried in place of fresh, I ask what would be the equivalent in dried herb if fresh isn't available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullet boy Posted August 11, 2008 Report Share Posted August 11, 2008 Never have a substitute Axe-it doesnt work!If you aint got fresh then go out and buy some!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axe Posted August 11, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 11, 2008 ok, ok , you win, my sides are splitting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullet boy Posted August 11, 2008 Report Share Posted August 11, 2008 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC Posted August 12, 2008 Report Share Posted August 12, 2008 But what if you can't go out and buy any? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry d Posted August 13, 2008 Report Share Posted August 13, 2008 Most of the decent herbs grow well in gardens and window boxes ie. thyme, parsley, rosemary, tarragon....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axe Posted August 13, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 13, 2008 In one recipe in particular it called for Tarragon, but I very rarely use the herb. I did look for this at the local shops but to no avail. So I reluctantly fell back on the use of dried herb. We do keep some basic herbs in the garden, the ones easy to grow, but will rely on being able to buy fresh from local stores. I have alot of dried herbs and spices in the cupboard for fall back reasons and in alot of recipes that I make, they do well indeed. Of course that is not to say that some herbs and recipes must be fresh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darebear Posted August 14, 2008 Report Share Posted August 14, 2008 am i the only one laughing again? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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