 |
|
Healthy Diet Plans >>
Therapeutic Value of Different Foods >>
Spices and Herbs >>
Cooking Herbs |
Cooking HerbsHerbs are a group of plants that are used for their flavor, their medicinal properties and for the scents they produce. These have been used for centuries and form the backbone of traditional medicines as well as traditional cooking recipes. Herbs are known for their medicinal effects or for their culinary use. These uses may overlap as well. It is important to distinguish between herbs and vegetables. Vegetables may also be used for flavoring as well as for medicinal purposes, but they are used as either a part or an entire vegetable. Herbs are used in small amounts, often just as garnishes, and do not form the body of the meal. Herbs must also be distinguished from spices that tend to have a stronger flavor. Herbs are used in a similar way in medicinal applications where a mixture may be prepared using various ingredients with the herbs added in a small quantity. Herbs are especially useful in cooking applications as they tend to add a little extra to the taste and the health value of a meal.
Culinary use of herbs is generally restricted to the leaves of a plant. Some common herbs used in western cooking recipes include parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. The method of use obviously depends on the recipe being prepared but it is generally accepted that herbs are added in small quantities right at the end of the cooking process in order to give a final addition to the flavor of the meal. Some herbs like basil leaf may be added as whole leaves while the flavor of other herbs may be brought out through pounding and grinding the plant. Another factor of herb use in cooking is the freshness aspect. Herbs are available in packaged form at supermarkets. However, it may be better, if possible, to grow your own herb plants in a garden. This will allow you to pluck a leaf directly off a plant and use it in cooking immediately, ensuring complete freshness. Herbs contain phytochemicals that have certain effects on the body. Some may be beneficial, while other herbs may have different psychological effects like cannabis.
Herbs also have medicinal uses. However, the effectiveness and indeed the safety of using herbal medicines depend on the preparation process as well as the freshness of ingredients. Herbal remedies can cause an overdose of potentially lethal ingredients if the medicine is prepared by an inexperienced person.
|
| Submitted on March 25, 2011 |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
15 Slimming Foods for the Summer | Diet Plan | Cooling Foods | fruits and salads - May, 2010
Bratty Diet - Banana, Rice, Applesauce, Tea, Toast, Yogurt Diet - Mar, 2010
List of 21 Fresh Fruits And Vegetables For Fresh Healthy Nutrition - Nov, 2009
Fruits And Vegetables Nutrition Facts And Health Benefits - Jul, 2009
Cool Summer Food Ideas With Easy Summer Foods - May, 2009
21 Right Foods For Weight Reduction - Mar, 2009
51 Healthy Foods To Eat For Healthy Living - Feb, 2009
Healthy Winter Foods and Nutrition for Healthy Living - Jan, 2009
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
