Which herb should I use?

When it comes to cooking many of us are unsure of which herbs to add to our dishes. Unlike chefs in commercial restaurants who are used to creating incredibly flavours whilst they work over their Lincat SLR6 Silverlink 600 4 Burner Gas Oven like the ones you can find at 247cateringsupplies.co.uk/lincat-slr6-silverlink-600-4-burner-gas-range-oven

When it comes to the vast number of herbs and spices that you have to choose from it can be a little overwhelming to work out where to start. Here are some of the basic herbs that everyone should have in one form or another in their store cupboards.

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Basil – this popular herb is grown on window sills of houses are the country. It has a very mild but sweet flavour and is used to enhance the flavours in dishes which are Italian in origin. In Greek the name Basil is translated as the ‘king’ which is very apt considering it is one that is favoured by culinary experts. As already mentioned, Basil is included in many Italian dishes as is also used in Indian dishes to add a sweet note to the otherwise spicy dishes. There are a number of different varieties of Basil available included sweet, lemon and thai. It is the sweet basil that is most often used in the tomato dishes that have become accustomed to in Italian cuisine. Lemon basil is used in Asian food along with Thai basil that has more of a minty flavour.

Parsley – a herb that is most often used in dishes as a garnish rather than for its flavouring. It is usually sprinkled over dishes once they have been plated up and its aroma helps to tempt the diner into tucking into the beautiful dish in front of them. Again, there are a number of different varieties including the traditional curly leaf parsley that we have become accustomed to seeing, along with flat leaf parsley which is more often used as an ingredient to add to a dish during cooking.

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Thyme – this herb has a much strong taste and scent to the other herbs mentioned and should be used sparingly. It is often used in salads and stews as well as with vegetables that are sautéed and tossed in oil. It is a popular herb to add to potatoes. There are an incredible 60 different varieties of thyme and it is used in many European countries.