When my mom cooked, she always made everything taste delicious. Learning from her was one of the biggest gifts she gave to me. I have also handed down my love of food and cooking to my oldest daughter and my two younger kids are learning to cook as well. One thing mom told me was to always cook with dried herbs and spices because they tasted just as good and were easier to use. I never thought to question her until I was an adult and found the world of fresh herbs! I worked in a Mexican restaurant for several years and they used fresh herbs in everything and you could tell! Once I tasted food with fresh herbs I was hooked, but I did see moms point on dried herbs being easier to use. At that point, I decided it was worth the work in trade for a little effort. Here is a little information I found on the subject that I wanted to share:
- What are herbs: Herbs are leaves of plants that you can eat. These are no to be confused between herbs and spices. Spices are ground seeds, bark or flowers that are often aromatic and strong in taste.
- Fresh Herbs Or Dried?: When using fresh herbs, you get a more flavorful taste profile than with dried herbs. Many of the herbs used in cooking have flavorful essential oils, which is what makes them taste so good. When the herbs are dried, they lose those oils and therefor the taste is muddled as well. Also, you need 3 times as much dried herbs to get the same flavor from fresh herbs.
- Health Considerations: Fresh herbs have strong anti-oxidant and nutrients, which are good for your health. Herbs are also used for medicinal purposes, which backs up the information that they are good for you.
- Storage: One of the main reasons people prefer to use dry herbs is they are easy to store. With fresh herbs, you must keep them either in your crisper or in water. Although I have been keeping my herbs in the crisper, they don’t seem to last very long. Ironically, I was offered a very helpful and cool product from a company by the name of Prepara. This company, is like Disneyland for cooks because every fun thing you could every want for your kitchen can be found on this website!
Are Fresh Herbs Better?
I must admit I have been lazy over the past year or so and wasn’t using fresh herbs as often. I had started using dried herbs and my husband finally asked me why our spaghetti sauce wan’t as good as it used to be. I told my husband that, he said he could tell a difference and wanted me to switch back. If I had been asking myself “are fresh herbs better”?, I had my answer! When I was sent the Herb Savor from Prepara, I could not wait to use it. I send my husband out to the store and he came back with a big bunch of herbs and I took a bunch for our dinner and he put the rest in the Herb-Savor. You just open up the plastic holder, put the herbs in and close it, put water in the bottom, and set the plastic inside the base. The Herb-Savor can keep your herbs fresher for up to 3 times longer, which in this economy, that is great news! I also received the Power Tip ice cream scoop as well as the Market Fresh colander set. We have needed a good ice cream scoop for a while now and this scoop is super sturdy and is dishwasher safe, which I love. The Market Fresh colander is perfect for straining smaller amounts of food like fresh fruit and vegetables and canned goods. The company got its start during a Thanksgiving that was spent cooking and crushing garlic until some hands were cramped. Julie and her mother Inna decided there had to be a better way and with some in out with a lot of talented family, plans for the company started. That talent and determination paved the way for an entire e-commerce storefront filled with sleek, stylish and very cool kitchen gadgets. You can purchase the Herb-Savor for $29.95, the Power Tip scoop for $9.99 and the Market Fresh Colander for $14.99 at Prepara’s online store.
One reader will win an Herb-Savor ($29.95)
The garlic press with power ratchet looks very nice!
super scoopers would be fun
Thanks for the contest.
The salt savor is cool.
I love everything about this site 🙂
the dressing whiz!
I like the roasting laurel.
is my favorite product. Thanks for this great giveaway.
I love the power tip scoop and the roasting laurel
I like the dressing whiz!
The herb-savor mini pod
herb-savor mini pod
herb-savor mini pod
I like their chef’s basting set!
I like the topper chopper!
I like volcano fillable ice pops
The Salad prep set is my favorite
My favorite is the potato masher.
my favorite product is the dressing whiz
market fresh colander set
I like the milk frother.
The DRESSING WHIZ
I love the collapsible veggie savors. I’m always using just a section of a veggie and leaving the remainder in a plastic baggie. But then the veggies won’t last very long.
The topper chopper looks col
magic bullet
I like the chopper topper 🙂
I would love to have the dressing whiz because I’ve been trying to make my own salad dressings lately and this would really help me.
i like the topper chopper
jagar0047 at yahoo dot com
trio three blade peeler and paring knife
I think all of the items would be useful but a favorite for my kitchen would be the Dry Dock mat.
I love the garlic press with power ratchet.
i like the ice balls
I’d like to have a dry dock.
I like the Topper Chopper.
I like the dressing whiz
Dressing Whiz!
I really like the Chef’s Basting Set
i like the dressing wiz
love the topper chopper!
I can really use their trio three blade peeler and paring knife
I don’t know how easy it would be to clean but the dressing whiz looks really fun!
the dressing whiz looks cool
dressing whiz
I like the Chef’s Basting Set. Thanks!!
Like the roasting laurel
I like the topper chopper
My favorite product is the garlic press. Total time saver. No one has time to mince garlic!
Herb Savor for me please
I like the garlic press with power ratchet
I like the dressing whiz
herb savor
trio three blade peeler and paring knife
topper chopper
the topper chopper
The brew over ice carafe.
I like the Chef’s Center Cookbook Holder and the Herb savor mini Pods.
chef’s center cookbook holder
the herb savour
Roasting Laurel
I’d like the brew over ice carafe.
I like the Basting Set.
tarter95 athotmail dot com
The super scoopers look awesome.
My favorite product is the Market Fresh Colander Set in red/white.
My sons like the topper chopper…I like the dry dock and the mini pod herb- savor.
I would love to own the herb savor. Nice product. Thanks.
Herb Savor mini-pod
topper chopper
Aside from the herb savor? My favorites are the potato masher or the tabletop oil mister. Thanks for offering the giveaway!
i like the topper chopper
chef’s center cookbook holder
The topper chopper.
the topper chopper
The roasting laurel looks like an awesome product.
Definitely the herb savor! My husband and I are really big into gardening, and this would be awesome to have!
i like the topper chopper
My favorite product is the garlic press with power ratchet. Thanks!
The Topper Chopper is my first choice!
I like everything!!! 🙂 The tabletop mister, the volcano fillable pops, the chef’s basting set…
fave:
xo
herb saver
My favorite is the super scoopers
I like the Topper Chopper.
I would love to have this
I like the herb saver.
I would love the herb-savor mini pod in the three pack so that I could sort my herbs.
The dressing whiz is so cool! I would be so obsessed with that.
I like the Tabletop Oil Mister.
I like the garlic press
I like the dressing whiz
I like the chef’s basting set
I really think the chefs basting set would be nice
I like the herb saver.
herb savor been wanting to for a long time
knickgirl_3 at yahoo dot com
The “power tip scoop” would be great – icecream is a favourite in our home.
I like the chef’s basting set. Thanks for the chance.
Do I have to choose only one favorite? Because there are many things on this site I’d love to have like the brew over ice carafe, collapsible veggie savors, and the ice balls.
I used to be a barista and enjoyed making frappes with espresso year=round! It would be great to win an espresso machine to make mixed coffee drinks from home. Also, the green mountain coffee frappe mix is the best ever!
tHE tOPPER cHOPPER WOULD BE MY FIRST CHOICE.
The Topper Chopper is really cool!
Volcano fillable ice pops Great to make nutritious and delicious treats.
The brew over ice carafe would be perfect for summer… I love ice coffee!
the topper chopper is cute
My fave is their volcano fillable ice pops!
tabletop oil mister
I like the brew over ice carafe.
garlic press with power ratchet
the volcanao ice pops
like the brew over ice carafe
tabletop oil mister
i like the herb saver mini pod
The topper chopper is pretty cool.
I like the chef’s bottle kit.
HERB SAVER MINI POD
topper chopper
paring knife
I like the dressing whiz.
I really like the topper chopper
I would like the pairing knife
I like the topper chopper.
I love the topper chopper!
trio three blade peeler and paring knife
I have wanted the herb saver for EVER but if I can’t pick the giveaway item then it sure would be great to get the brew over ice carafe for making great iced tea for this summer!
I would love the tabletop oil mister
My fav product is the herb-savour
The topper chopper!
That herb savor and the mini pods are nifty. I wonder if the topper chopper would work with flax seed.
My favorite is their potato flip masher. Not only is the masher the right shape for mashing, it flips flat for storage. Awesome!
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Pinterest: hotval16
I like the volcano fillable ice pops
i like the topper chopper
I’d love to get the topper chopper
I want the garlic press with power ratchet
The tabletop oil mister is my favourite.
I want the power tip scoop!
I like the
dressing whiz
volcano ice pop set
roasting laurel
really like the salad prep set
i love the topper chopper
I like the herb savor mini pod
the trio three blade peeler and paring knife is my favorite!
dressing whiz, love this product
love the topper chopper
k-cup carousel
Love the market fresh colander set
[berry red / white] !!
I love all things kitchen gadget, but if I had to choose only one I would have to pick the Roasting Laurel. How cool is that? I am always looking for a rack that fits a pan, and of course, I don’t have one that fits them all….this could be the one!
I like the volcano fillable ice pops
I love the Dry Dock! 🙂
I think the super scoopers are cool!
I like the Topper Chopper
I like the ice balls
Oil Mister. Need one.
I like the super scooper
I like the tabletop oil mister
Chef’s bottle kit.
The Dressing Whiz.
Either the super scooper sets or the collapsible veggies saver 🙂
I like the collapsable veggie savers.
I love making my own salad dressing. The dressing whiz looks awesome!
I really like what you are offering but to choose another one I would choose the K-Cup carousel
[32 K-Cup]
I really like the chef’s basting set.
PP05U-CBSWH
The dressing whiz looks like a good product for me
I make all my salad dressing homemade, so the dressing whiz would be a wonderful addition to my kitchen.
I like the super scooper
topper chopper
I like the herb-savor mini pod
I like/need the tabletop oil mister.
I like the dressing whiz
My favorite item (gadget) is the Topper Chopper.
I like the tabletop oil mister
like the tabletop oil mister
I like the collapsible veggie savors.
whoever developed the collapsible veggie savors
is a freaking genius–I have to have them!!
volcano fillable ice pops – love making my own popsicles
i like the collapsible veggie savers
i like the veggie savers….and they are collapsible!!
Frozen Ice Pop Maker
i love the collapsible veggie savers!!!!!!!
I like the Salad Prep Kit and the Chef’s Bottle Kit.
I like the roasting laurel. Great idea!
Well, I love the herb savor. But I also like the power tip scoop!
I think I like the gourmet cruet the best!
I like the Topper Chopper!
dressing whiz. It is also entertaining!
My favorite product is the Topper Chopper
I like the chef’s basting set
I like the Roasting Laurel. I like things crispy and this will help.
brew over ice carafe
My favorite product is the Tabletop Oil Mister.