Fresh and dried herbs are often used interchangeably and yet home cooks often are puzzled by the odd taste of their latest creation. Unfortunately, we do not always have access to the top 20 recommended herbs and spices that should form part of every chef’s pantry, so maximising the herbs and spices at our disposal becomes crucial.
Fresh herbs are always great to give an instant pop of flavor and color to a dish, and some herbs simply cannot be used dry at all.
Are fresh herbs more potent than dried herbs? Why do dry herbs taste stronger than fresh herbs?
Fresh herbs can contain up to 80% water. This means that weight for weight, dried herbs will be more potent than fresh herbs, with a deeper and spicier flavor. To prevent the stronger flavors from overpowering your dish, you should use less dried herbs than fresh herbs, except for parsley. A great ratio is 1 to 3 (dried to fresh).
Think about what happens when you reduce a sauce… the flavors concentrate, making a thin sauce very potent, sometimes too overpowering for the dish…
Fresh vs dried herbs conversion table
Not all herbs are created equal… the general rule of thumb is to replace 3 tablespoons of fresh herb with one tablespoon of dried herb, except in some cases where the dried herb is not as potent when dried. The table below highlights these ratios. The first part of the table shows herbs with a normal ratio. The 2nd part are the herbs that behave differently.
| Herb | Fresh | Dried |
|---|---|---|
| Chervil | 3 teaspoons fresh | 1 teaspoon dried |
| Cilantro | 3 teaspoons fresh | 1 teaspoon dried |
| Dill | 3 teaspoons fresh | 1 teaspoon dried |
| Fennel | 3 teaspoons fresh | 1 teaspoon dried |
| Garlic (large clove) | 1 clove fresh – 1.5 teaspoons minced | 1/2 teaspoon dried powder |
| Garlic (small clove) | 1 clove fresh – 1/2 teaspoon minced | 1/8 teaspoon dried powder |
| Marjoram | 3 teaspoons fresh | 1 teaspoon dried |
| Oregano | 3 teaspoons fresh | 1 teaspoon dried |
| Rosemary | 3 teaspoons fresh | 1 teaspoon dried |
| Tarragon | 3 teaspoons fresh | 1 teaspoon dried |
| Thyme | 3 teaspoons fresh | 1 teaspoon dried |
| Basil | 2 teaspoons fresh (finely chopped) | 1 teaspoon dried |
| Bay Leaf | 1 leaf – fresh | 2 leaves dried |
| Cinnamon | 1 cinnamon stick | 1/2 teaspoons dried – ground |
| Cumin | 4.5 tablespoons whole seed | 4 tablespoons dried – ground |
| Ginger | 1 tablespoon grated / minced | 1/2 teaspoons dried – ground |
| Onion | 1 medium onion | 1 teaspoon dried onion powder |
| Parsley* | 2 teaspoons fresh | 1 teaspoon dried |
| Sage | 2 teaspoons fresh | 1 teaspoon dried |
| Star Anise | 1 star anise fresh | 1/2 teaspoon anise seed |
* Parsley is for me a unique case. The dried version does not taste at all like fresh parsley and I would mix in a little dried basil and a tiny amount of dried mint.
Is it better to use fresh or dried herbs? Can I substitute dried herbs for fresh herbs?
Many chefs will recommend using dried herbs when one cannot find fresh herbs. In fact, considering the cost of growing fresh herbs in winter, there may be very good financial and environmental reasons not to overuse fresh herbs outside of their peak growing season.
Dried herb users will simply state that using 1 teaspoon of dried oregano is the same as 3 teaspoons of fresh oregano or that 1 dried bay leaf is the same as 3 fresh bay leaves and in general they are right when one considers herbs that dry well.
Unfortunately, not all herbs dry equally well and some change completely during the drying process. Parley comes to mind. Some herbs will be more bitter, others simply lose all their flavor or taste completely different. Care and experience come in handy when choosing to switch from fresh to dried herbs. After all, some recipes taste better with dried herbs while others can only be prepared with fresh herbs.
Put differently, a dry herb is not a concentrated version of its fresh counterpart. drying the herb will change the flavor profile and the use of the herb will change accordingly.
The recipe should guide you. Fresh herbs are more vivid and are milder than their dry counterparts, thus are usually preferred. However, in some cases, chefs have modified the original dish to specifically make use of the properties of dried herbs, in which case, using fresh herbs will yield a much more washed-out result.
How do you dry herbs?
Dried herbs are the result of dehydrating fresh herbs, traditionally done by hanging them upside down on a wall, inside a paper bag. Alternative drying processes include red-light drying, sun-drying, or shade-drying. Large-scale operators have specialized ovens or dehydrators which are faster and can handle larger volumes.
Whichever process is used, drying herbs simply strips out the water from the herb, intensifying the flavor, yielding a stronger, more potent taste.
Why do people dry herbs?
Water. Bacteria, fungus, and mold all require some water in order to propagate. Drying produce removes excess water, extending its shelf-life. As an added benefit, since water dilutes the flavor chemicals of herbs, dehydrating herbs increases their flavor by concentrating the flavor, making them more potent. The same effect can be found in dried tomatoes, coconuts, or fruits.
Drying food has always been a way to preserve it for prolonged travel or winter use. Not only is dehydrated produce longer-lasting, it also takes up far less space for the same weight and often is more potent, so less is needed for the same end-product.
Are dried herbs healthier than fresh herbs? Do their nutriens and essential oils content change?
Drying herbs changes the water content of the herbs. While this can concentrate the flavor of the herbs, the process also has a definite impact on the nutrient and essential oil content of the herbs. As a whole, water-soluble vitamins will be lost in the drying process, while essential oil profiles will vary widely, affecting the taste profile of the herbs. This effect is more pronounced if the herbs are heated or warmed during the dehydration process by using an oven or warm sunlight as opposed to shade-drying.
The University of Nitra showed that vitamins such as vitamin C will drop by as much as 80% for parsley and celery. In other words, 15g of dried parsley had less than 20% of vitamin C as 100g of fresh parsley…
Mint lost between 30 to 60% of beta-carotene in the drying process while coriander lost up to 70% of ths vitamin. This has a knock-on effect as beta-carotene is required for the body to make vitamin A.
Some water-soluble minerals will also be lost, such as iron, which is greatly affected by the drying process, with up to 80% loss of this valuable mineral.
A different study, looking at how flavor profiles changed during the dehydration process supports the anecdotal view that many herbs such as parsley simply do not taste the same once dried! Essential oils are responsible for the taste of many herbs and fruits and the relative ratio of each component in the oil contributes to the final taste profile. During the drying process, we can expect oils to be lost, but what was surprising is that some spearmint oils disappeared entirely while others dropped by only 30%! This variability changes the entire flavor profile to the point where the dried herb simply does not taste the same.
Which herbs perform particularly well when dried? Which ones should you avoid?
Bay leaf is a particular “herb”, where the dried version is far superior to the fresh one. Other herbs which do particularly well when dried are found in the typical “bouquet garni” or Italian Herb mix – Rosemary, Oregano, Thyme, and Sage. Ok, sage is not found in those mixes, but is great when dried. These herbs perform particularly well as their main essential oils, which give them their characteristic profiles, are not too affected by the drying process, and therefore can be even better when dried. I personally prefer dried oregano on my pizza.
Where these herbs are used to flavor stock, stew, or soup, the extra water and longer cooking times allow the flavors to be better extracted. Be careful though not to make these dishes too “twiggy”!
Parsley, cilantro (coriander), basil, and chervil should not be used when dried if you can avoid it. Parsley in particular will taste totally different while all of these herbs will taste washed out, almost tasteless.
When should you add fresh or dried herbs during cooking?
Fresh herbs are more delicate and will lose their flavor quite quickly and can turn quite bitter as a result. Worse, they can also burn easily, ruining the dish.
The golden rule is to rather add fresh herbs right at the end of cooking while dried herbs should be added towards the start of the cooking process. Fresh herbs tend to be used in the last 15 minutes of cooking and using them too soon may strip them of their essential oils, leaving you with a bitter dish. Some fresh herbs such as parsley, basil, and cilantro are only added after the dish finishes cooking, or even served on the table as a garnish or condiment as their flavor is too delicate to withstand heat. In contrast, fresh herbs that require less water to grow such as rosemary are specially adapted to withstand heat and perform better when added right at the beginning of the cooking process.
Some dishes, specifically sauces or dressings can only be made with fresh herbs. A proper pesto for example would not be the same if made from dried basil and fresh chimichurri is not the same when made from dried herbs.
Dried herbs are invariably added right at the beginning of the cooking process to allow them to rehydrate somewhat and release their essential oils. Adding them towards the end of the cooking process causes a subtle, unpleasant, stale or dusty flavor to emerge.
How fresh are your dried herbs?
While it is ironic to be discussing the freshness of dried herbs, which by default are no longer fresh, there is a method behind this madness.
While drying herbs extend their shelf-life, this is not an open-ended process. One cannot just dry herbs and store them indefinitely. Their potency tends to drop off during the course of two years on average and any remaining herbs should be replaced after this time. Some such as basil and parsley will only last 1 year.
The problem with determining the shelf-life of dried herbs is that one simply has no idea how long ago these herbs were dried. From the farm to the processing plant is quite fast, the processing plant will dry the herbs before they have a chance to wilt, but then do these herbs sit in storage for a few weeks, months? When they are packed, do they sit on a packing shelf for a few weeks? They are then transported to a depot, sometimes by road, sometimes by sea. How long does this take and how long do they sit at the depot and then the supermarket before you buy them?
The best approach is to simply sniff the herbs, taste a pinch to determine their potency and then adjust the amount you use accordingly.
How to store dried herbs?
Dried herbs should be stored in a cool, dark and dry place… well away from heat sources. Preferably store these herbs in a clean glass jar that can be sealed. Avoid plastic jars as these can absorb flavors, destroying the herbs faster or can release off-odors as they age.
How to store fresh herbs?
Fresh herbs are essentially still alive. This means that they need to be kept cool to slow down the decomposition process and slightly moist to keep them from wilting. As such, the ideal way to store cut fresh herbs is to simply wrap a damp paper towel around their stems and place them in a resealable plastic bag in the fridge. Storing them will usually keep them fresh, though some herbs such as basil need to be used immediately while parsley and rosemary can last for up to two weeks.
Most fresh herbs can also be spread out on a tray and placed in the freezer. Once they are frozen, simply gather them and place them in a resealable plastic bag in the freezer and use them as is in any cooked dish.