It's time for some good guys! Use them frequently and enjoy !
Rosemary
Rosemary goes well with just about anything, in my experience, which is
odd, because it’s one of the most pungent, powerful herbs in existence. Some
herbs just kind of linger in the background, maybe adding a slight change to
the bouquet of a dish but never really distinguishing themselves, but when
rosemary’s around, you know it. You can’t avoid it. Heck, even walking around
most neighbourhoods you’re liable to find a massive rosemary bush trying to
evolve into a rosemary tree.
What’s so great about rosemary, besides
the flavour and smell? Rosemary-infused olive oil displayed the
strongest resistance to oxidative
damage and rancidity, beating out herbs such as thyme, lemon, and basil (although both thyme
and lemon improved stability, too). In healthy volunteers, oral rosemary extract improved
endothelial dysfunction (perhaps due to up-regulation of
glutathione, eh?). Rosemary extract also improved
the oxidative stability of butter, and it inhibited the formation of
heterocyclic aromatic amines (a potential carcinogen) in fried beef patties.
Thyme
Rosemary’s great, but I find it even greater with a bit of thyme
involved. If you have the time, I’d definitely use both in concert. Okay, that
was bad; I apologize.
Thyme, however, is worth using, awful jokes aside. I
mean, what else but thyme could stave off the oxidative damage done to corn oil under deep-frying conditions for a couple extra
hours? Sure, you’re not eating corn oil, but that same lipid-stabilizing acumen
would probably work awfully well for, say, butter. And for those who enjoy the
classic rosemary/thyme/garlic rub on your lamb, keep an eye out for lamb borne to thyme-fed pregnant ewes, which exhibits
greater oxidative stability, lower bacterial counts, and better colour. No word on whether it
influences taste.
Sage
Sage is under appreciated. Brits have always used
it in their cooking, and Mom probably uses it to season her turkey stuffing,
but that’s about it. I like it, but I’ll admit that it can be overpowering; you
only need a pinch, or a few leaves, meaning most of the bunch you bought for $2
at the market goes to waste. One solution is to grow your own. Another is to freeze or dry the
leftovers. Either way, it’s worth using on poultry and fatty cuts of meat
(think big juicy roasts).
Sage is rich with rosmarinic acid, an antioxidant found in many
common culinary herbs that (surprise, surprise) protects fats against oxidative
damage. In humans who drank sage tea for several weeks, endogenous
antioxidant defences were up-regulated and the lipid profile was improved (HDL increase). Perhaps most interestingly, a
sage extract was used to improve memory and attention in healthy older
subjects. It also
seems to work on memory in healthy younger subjects, too.
Mint
Everyone loves something about mint, in my experience. They may hate the
classic spearmint, but love peppermint (a hybrid of spearmint and watermint).
They may hate the taste, but love the smell (or vice versa). They might be
scared of Santa and his creepy elves, but the allure of the candy cane draws
them to his expansive lap. They may hate getting haircuts, but cannot resist
the hypnotic swirl of the barber’s pole.
As for its health benefits, peppermint oil was more
effective than placebo at treating irritable bowel syndrome, ameta-analysis
of the clinical literature found, and it was equally effective as pharmaceutical
treatments. Also, though it was a very brief trial, spearmint
leaf tea showed promise as an anti-androgen treatment for hirsutism(abnormal hairiness) in
polycystic ovarian syndrome in female subjects.
Basil
Ah, basil. Pesto uses it. Thai cooks will
sometimes stir-fry it. I like nibbling on raw leaves, from time to time. It’s
one of those herbs with a flavour so distinct that its usage is severely
limited. That is, you can’t just add basil to everything and expect the dish to
taste good, but when it works, it’s a thing of beauty. Go get yourself a plant
or a bagful. The good thing about basil is that it freezes well, so don’t worry
about wasting it.
And basil does some cool stuff, too. In
hypertensive rats, sweet basil reduced blood pressure. In diabetics, holy
basil reduced both fasting and post-prandial blood glucose. And as is usual with the herbs,
basil displays some protective attributes against fatty acid oxidation.
Oregano
US soldiers returning home after World War II
carried with them a fondness for the “pizza herb” – oregano. We at MDA prefer
to call it the “meatza herb,” but you get the point: it’s
a good ally in the kitchen.
Oregano is a strange herb in that its dried form
confers a more potent taste than the fresh leaves, so don’t feel too bad about
using the dried stuff. It works just fine, and it retains most of its
antioxidant capacity even when dry as a bone. And a bountiful, impressive antioxidant capacity
it is, what with its ability to reduce the formation of
carcinogenic and atherogenic compounds when added to cooking hamburger meat.
Malondialdehyde levels were also reduced in plasma and urine samples taken from
those who ate the meat.
What can
we gather from this quick look at just a few of the most common culinary herbs?
Well, herbs confer a lot of benefits to the cooking process. They make it taste
good for one, but they also protect the fats from oxidation during cooking,
making them perfectly paired with fatty foods – like herbed cheeses, herbed
butters, lamb legs studded with rosemary and thyme, butter or cream sauce
reductions with a dash of herbs, and herb-infused olive oils.
A Few Herby Tips
Use a wide variety of
herbs.
Never use too much of
any single herb at once.
Try different blends.
Grow some fresh herbs
and keep plenty of dried on hand.
Let your taste buds
guide you.
Add herbs when
cooking fats; this won’t just protect the fat from oxidation, but it will also
provide the best flavour.
Feed your pregnant
ewe plenty of thyme.
Herbs are relatively easy to grow in pots and tubs around the home. Great as a small garden for the young ones to learn and appreciate them at an early age.
Herbs are relatively easy to grow in pots and tubs around the home. Great as a small garden for the young ones to learn and appreciate them at an early age.
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