2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29
Fresh herbs and spices and their filling aromas are among the unique tastes of summer. Everyone loves their unadulterated smell, mixed with that of the vegetables in the salad, or their appetizing aroma in the dishes. When it's summer, it's easy to enjoy them, but if we decide to preserve their aroma and for the colder months, things get a little more complicated.
But not impossible.
Here are a few tips on how to preserve spices and herbs and the pleasure of them for longer:
The trick to store them in the refrigerator
Everyone was faced with the unpleasant surprise of finding their connection with fresh spices withered and lost its aroma, even though it had been bought the day before. Coriander has turned yellow, the basil is almost dry… But this is logical, herbs are fragile and need water to live, otherwise they dry out. To keep their freshness and taste unchanged for a long time, there is a very simple trick - just rinse the onion or parsley and wrap them well in wet absorbent paper. Then put them in a plastic bag or in an airtight box and place them in the vegetable compartment in the refrigerator.
If you leave the paper wet (you need to water it with a little water every day), you will be able to store your herbs for at least a week.
How to dry herbs and spices
We may not think often, but most of the spices can be used dried, because even then they retain their aroma. This is because their flavoring power becomes more concentrated once they are dried. To store thyme, savory or oregano for at least a year, we have two options:
- traditional drying - Once rinsed spices, you can collect them in a bouquet, tie them and hang them with the leaves down in a ventilated, preferably dark and warm place. Your herbs should dry after two weeks. You can then put them in an airtight box or in a jar, on twigs or on leaves;
- oven drying - to dry them in the oven, spread your spices on a tray and turn on at low temperature (40 to 50 °), leaving the oven door half open. You will find that herbs are dried when they break between your fingers. For even faster drying, you can spread them between two sheets of absorbent paper and put them in the microwave at maximum speed for 60 seconds. If they still haven't dried, turn them on for another 30 seconds.
Storage of spices and herbs by freezing
It is best to freeze spices and herbs as soon as they are picked, because at this very moment they are the most delicious and useful. Before freezing, wash them with clear water and then dry them with a towel.
Then separate the leaves of spices, cut the onion stalks because it will be easier to use them later, and freeze them in an airtight box or zippered bag.
An ultra practical trick: an ice pack. It is enough to fill the bags with finely chopped spices and add a little water - this will make the fragrant ice cubes ready for use. Water can even be replaced with olive oil, so it will be even tastier.
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