Cooking with Herbs and Spices

Cooking with herbs and spices is what gives food flavor and makes it taste great. Have you ever tasted something that really didn't taste good? Chances are it lacked seasoning, it had a mix of spices that didn't go well or it had too much seasoning. This online cooking lesson will have you cooking a vegetable soup to experiment with seasonings and try several different methods of adding flavor to food including dry rubs, marinades and more.

Cooking with Herbs and Spices

Spices, whether it is simply salt and pepper, add flavor to your cooking that finishes off the dish. You can use dry spices that are bottled or fresh herbs. Use 3 times more fresh herbs if you are substituting fresh for dried.

 Learning to use spices in cooking is acquired mostly by cooking, experimenting and often times following the recipe.

 
I like to use this recipe for teaching about how important adding spices to cooking is. It is a lot like the story of Stone Soup, you add whatever vegetables or meat you have on hand.

Vegetable Soup

cauliflower
cabbage
potatoes
onion
carrots
Wash, peel and cut all vegetables in small cubes or pieces. Add to a large soup pan.
Cover with water.  Imagine how the soup would taste without seasonings if we left it just like this! Go ahead and taste your soup. Now add the follow seasonings and spices to your soup,
1 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon oregano
2 bay leaves
2 -3 cubes beef bouillon
Allow to cook 20-30 minutes. Taste the vegetable soup again and see if you'd can tell if it needs any more flavor. You can add a little more if you think it needs it. Cook until all vegetables are tender.


Tasting soup or other "safe dishes" while cooking is key. It helps you know what your soup might need. As you continue to cook, you'll learn quickly if it needs more salt, pepper, parsley or other seasoning.

~Some dishes you can't taste such as anything with raw meat. ~

Seasoning Ground Meat

When cooking meat, season while browning with chopped onions, salt and pepper. This add lots of flavor while it is cooking.

If I'm adding ground meat to spaghetti sauce or an Italian type dish, I add 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning while it is browning.

If adding to chili, I'll add chili powder or taco seasoning while I brown ground hamburger or ground chicken.

There are several ways to season or add flavor to food.

Cooking with Herbs and Spices

When cooking remember to start with a little seasoning and add as needed. You can always add more if needed but too much you can't always fix.

Common spices:	Where to use them:
Bay leaf	soups, marinades, sauces, pot roasts
Basil	tomato dishes, tomato sauces, pesto, salads, soups, pasta
Black pepper	variety of dishes
Cayenne pepper	chili, anything you want spicy
Chives	salad, egg dishes, potatoes, vegetables
Cinnamon	baking
Cumin	chili, soups, Mexican and Indian food, beans
Curry powder	Indian food-soups, meats
Dill	potato, soups, cream sauce
Ginger	Asian cooking, stir fry, marinade
Nutmeg	baking, dairy, sauces, soups
Oregano	Italian dishes, soups, sauces, salads, dressings
Paprika	egg dishes, chicken
Parsley	salad dressings, salads, soups, sauces, Italian dishes
Sage	chicken, stuffing, pork, roasts
Thyme	vegetables, chicken, meats, soups
	Print off a spice and herb chart for your kitchen reference.

Having fresh herbs growing in your backyard or kitchen windowsill is not only fun but helps in your cooking. Learn how to grow your own herb garden and how to use fresh herbs.

Dry Rubs

Dry spices and ingredients that are mixed together and rubbed over meat is called a dry rub. This method of cooking with herbs and spices works on roast chicken, beef or pork roast and meat.

Try this spicy roast chicken recipe.

Marinade

This method to cooking with herbs and spices is great for chicken and beef. A marinade is a mix of liquid ingredients. It is best poured into a ziploc bag or glass container with a lid. Add meat and marinade in the fridge at least 1 hour-4 hours.

Try these recipes:
Beef Kabobs
Peanut Sauce Drumsticks

Condiments

BBQ sauce, chili sauce, spaghetti sauce, Italian dressing and many common condiments found in your fridge that we often use as dips can also be used to cook your meat. Place meat in baking dish and pour condiment over top. Bake.

Try these recipes:
Eggs in spaghetti sauce
Applesauce pork chops
BBQ chicken-just use barbecue sauce poured over chicken. Bake.
Italian dressing chicken

Share your cooking with herbs and spices recipes and tips.

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Related Basic Cooking Lesson Pages:
~ Basic Cooking Lessons, ~ Stock and soups, ~ 5 mother sauces, ~ Yeast and baking breads, ~ Herbs and spices, ~ Vegetables, ~ Dry beans, ~ Grains, ~ Eggs, ~ Different cooking methods, ~ Growing an herb garden, ~ How to cook Q&A forum

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