Kitchen Tips
How To Use Herbs And Spices
 

Cooking spices for too long may result in too strong flavours.

For long-cooking dishes, such as soups and stews, try adding your herbs and spices an hour or less before serving. For best results try crushing the herbs before adding to your dish.

For shorter cooking dishes try adding dry spices earlier in cooking. Fresh spices and herbs should be added towards the end of cooking.

Unless the recipe specifically calls for it, don't use more than three herbs and spices in any one dish. Some Indian Recipes are an exception to the rule, as they often calls for 10 or more different spices in one curry dish. Unless it is a curry, you are planning of cooking :-)

Try replacing herbs and spices called for in recipes with something different such as Marjoram instead of Oregano, Savory instead of Thyme, Cilantro, instead of Parsley, Anise seed instead of Fennel. Mixing herbs and spices will provide you with a new art in food preparation by allowing you to create a variety of exciting seasoned dishes.

I do this all the time! Simply because I am not well organised in stocking my cupboard, very often I find I don't have all ingredients I need. Now, I love not having the ingredients I need, because I can experiment again.

By following these simple tips on using your herbs and spices, you may just create a recipe that will be one of a kind and enjoyed by everyone.