On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 760

the flavor has oozed into the oil Herbs in oil should always be kept in the refrigerator, because the same absence of oxygen that’s good for flavor preservation is also good for the growth of botulism bacteria The bacteria don’t grow or produce toxins at refrigerator temperatures Drying Fresh Herbs Drying is a process that removes most of the water in an herb, which when fresh may be more than 90% water The basic dilemma is that many aroma chemicals are more volatile than water, so any process that evaporates most of the water will also evaporate most of the flavor This is why many dried herbs don’t taste anything like the fresh version, and instead have a generic dried-leaf, hay aroma There are a few exceptions to this rule, mainly Mediterranean herbs in the mint family that are native to hot, arid areas and have aromatics that persist in drying conditions (oregano, thyme, rosemary, as well as bay laurel from the laurel family) Though sundrying sounds appealing, its high temperatures and strong dose of visible and ultraviolet light mean that it generally removes and alters flavor Air-drying over the course of a few days in the shade is much preferable Herbs can be dried in just a few hours in a low oven or a dehydrator, but the higher temperature usually causes greater flavor losses than air-drying Some commercial herbs are freeze-dried, which often preserves more of the original flavor The microwave oven turns out to work fairly well for drying small quantities of herbs, thanks to the selective and rapid effects of its radiation Microwave energy excites water molecules while leaving non-polar oil molecules relatively unaffected, and it penetrates instantly throughout thin leaves and stems (p 786) This means that all the ... commercial herbs are freeze-dried, which often preserves more of the original flavor The microwave oven turns out to work fairly well for drying small quantities of herbs, thanks to the selective and rapid effects of its radiation...aromatics that persist in drying conditions (oregano, thyme, rosemary, as well as bay laurel from the laurel family) Though sundrying sounds appealing, its high temperatures and strong dose of visible and ultraviolet light mean that it generally... ultraviolet light mean that it generally removes and alters flavor Air-drying over the course of a few days in the shade is much preferable Herbs can be dried in just a few hours in a low oven or a dehydrator, but the higher temperature usually causes greater