Dry Basil - A Stand Out Among All Cooking Herbs and Spices

Dry basil stands out among all cooking spices and herbs. Use it to spice up your family's favorite recipes. Dried basil leaves can be used to add flavor and color to so many recipes including soups, stews, casseroles, pasta dishes...just about any recipe you can think of.

Whether you dry your own or purchase some from the cooking herbs and spices section of your local grocery store, you want to make sure what you are using is fresh. The best way to do this is to mark the date on the jar and dispose of it after 6 months.

Unlike fresh herbs, which should be added to most dishes at the end of the cooking process, dried herbs can be added in the beginning to really permeate the entire dish with flavor. To release the essential oils and get the most flavor, crush the dried leaves in the palm of hand or in a mortar and pestle just before adding to your dish.

You can use dried basil alone or you can combine it with other dried spices and herbs to create some well-known and frequently used spice blends or put it together with some of your own favorite flavors to create a blend unique to your taste.

For some great ideas, check out these dried herb recipes.