How to Use Herbs in the Kitchen: Tips from a Chef

Knowing how to differentiate between cilantro and parsley is nothing compared to discovering the variety of herbs you could be using in your recipes. From epazote in beans to hoja santa in tamales, here are some essential herbs for your kitchen.For Yamilette González, coordinator of chefs at kiwilimón, some of the most common herbs in Mexican cuisine not only add flavor and aroma to food but also have medicinal benefits, such as cilantro and epazote, which are antiparasitic.Herbs are the leafy parts of plants that do not have woody stems, and in cooking, they can be used fresh or dried; when used in the latter way, they tend to have a stronger flavor than fresh ones, but they lose their potency quickly.Among the most common herbs in Mexican cooking are cilantro, epazote, parsley, spearmint, marjoram, oregano, bay leaf (for white meats), thyme, rosemary (for red meats), basil, and mint.“A very good way to know what to use for each recipe is to guide ourselves by the aroma and flavor of the herb; if it is very potent, it goes well with a strong meat, for example, rosemary pairs very well with lamb,” recommends Chef Yamilette, “while parsley and cilantro are stronger and pair well with beef or pork, which is why they always accompany our typical street tacos.”When using whole herbs, it is best to add them at the beginning of the cooking process, for example, bay leaves, because it takes longer for the flavor to be released when they are whole; but if you chop them, the cells in the leaves open up, and the aroma is released more quickly. Finally, when chopped, as in tacos, it is best to add them fresh just before serving.On the other hand, dried herbs require time to rehydrate, so they are also used at the beginning of the cooking process to allow the heat to release their flavors. But they can also be added crushed to a dish, like oregano in pozole, to help release its flavor.Tip from Chef Yamilette with spearmint: this herb is used to add freshness to certain dishes, and you can add it to your meatballs, soups, or chicken broth. For the meatballs, blend the spearmint with the tomato, strain it, and mix the resulting paste with the ground meat when making your meatballs.