Herbs are one of the most important ingredients to have at home at all times – you never know when you need it. That is why it is important to preserve herbs and maximise their shelf life. We know that proper storage helps but another method to preserve herbs would be to rehydrate them.
Rehydration is usually the solution for when your herbs are lacking in moisture or in other words, dried. Rehydrating dried herbs will help to improve its flavour, soften its texture and help elevate its nutritional content in dishes.
Now that you know when and why we rehydrate herbs, it is time to learn how.
Rehydrating Your Dried Herbs
One of the simplest and quickest ways is to:
- Place the dried herbs in a small bowl of warm water, where the water is covering the herbs completely
- Cover the bowl and let it sit for about 10 minutes
- Pour the water through a fine strainer
- Herb is ready to use!
If you are adding dried herbs to a soup, stew, or sauce, then the steps above can be skipped. Adding the dried herbs directly while cooking the dish would help to rehydrate the herbs.
Generally, dried herbs work better in dishes where they are incorporated into rather than having to be rehydrated outside the recipe.
Examples of herbs you can incorporate into a dish include strong flavoured ones like rosemary, thyme and parsley. These herbs should preferably be added at the beginning of cooking, since they take some time to develop their flavours.
On the other hand, lighter herbs such as basil should be added closer to the end of cooking. Adding them in too early may cause them to either turn sour or even lose all of their flavour.
We hope this article helps you in preserving and maximising your herbs’ shelf life! Do check out our other blog posts for more tips about caring for your herbs and spices.