Choosing the Best Cooking Herbs

With so many cooking herbs to choose from, it is not always easy to know which herbs are best to have in your spice collection. Each herb has its own flavour and benefit, with some herbs being versatile enough to use in a variety of dishes and other herbs being better suited to just a few dishes. To help you know which herbs to add to your spice rack, we have put together a list of some of the most useful cooking herbs.

Essential Cooking Herbs for Every Pantry

These cooking herbs will see you through a wide range of dishes, from soups and stews all the way to pasta, roasts, and any other type of dish you are preparing. As a side note, dried herbs will often provide the best value. Fresh herbs can also be used but dried herbs give you all the flavour while lasting a lot longer. Stock up on the following dried herbs to see you through all of your cooking needs.

• Basil. Ideal for pasta dishes, soups, salads, tomato-based dishes, and roasts. Basil works best with garlic, tomato, and Mediterranean dishes.
• Parsley. Parsley works well in a variety of dishes, including meat dishes, roast vegetables, seafood, pasta, meatballs or chilli bites, salads, and many others.
• Sage. You can add sage to meat dishes, including homemade sausages or meatballs, as well as roast vegetables, soups, omelettes, pasta, and numerous other dishes.
• Oreganum. Another versatile spice, oreganum works very well in pasta dishes - especially tomato-based sauces - as well as curry, soup, roasts, and meat dishes.
• Thyme. Thyme is ideal for roast meats, along with soups, stews, salads, pasta dishes, and other dishes that require a subtle flavour.
• Mint. One of the best herbs for sweet and savoury dishes, mint works well for lamb and other meat dishes, desserts, roasted vegetables, and plenty of other dishes.
• Mixed Herbs. If you’re looking for an easy combination of herbs to use in just about any and every dish, mixed herbs is always a good choice. 

Add these herbs to your spice rack and you will be able to enjoy the best cooking herbs with every meal you make.