The spice of 2 ingredients that you want to sprinkle on everything

I have maintained gardens – including my father’s carefully cultivated patch in New Jersey and the hydroponic system on my Brooklyn terrace – my whole adult life. As a rule, I only wake up edible things. The simplest and most reliable plants are herbs. Unfortunately, they grow faster than I can use them. There can be a jungle of parsley for a week, and in the next I stare at Wilded branches. The freshness of the herbs is fleeting and even with that Best memory tricksIt is difficult to use the bounty of the season before it is too late.

Turn fresh herbs into the herbs Pesto And Chimichurri And then it is a way to freeze the best of them. But here is another option: herbal salt that preserves your herbs and creates an aromatic, versatile spice that you can keep in your fridge. Pulverizing herbs with salt creates conditions that are hostile to the shapes and microbes that spoil and extend the usable life of the herbs. This process also gives the salt aromatic oils and creates a fragrant, long -lasting spices that immediately increases the taste of what it indicates.

Keep a glass at hand and you will have a versatile friction for steaks, chops and chicken. A finish salt for fried potatoes and vegetables; And a herbaceous spice for eggs, popcorn and even bread and sweet pastries. All you need are two ingredients, a kitchen machine and a little drying time.

Which salt should you use?

Not all salts are the same. Salt differ in the density and the crystal form, which changes both their taste and its behavior. A teaspoon of table salt contains more sodium chloride – and therefore tastes much more salet than the same volume of kosher or coarse sea salt. The structural differences between salts influence the rapidly dissolved resolutions and whether they season in a fine, uniform dust or a crispy, irregular bite. Even two brands of the kosher salt – for example with kosher salts from the diamond crystal – differ in the density. It is best to use a scale and work by weight for consistent results.

For herbal salt you want a coarser crystal that does not dissolve too quickly, so that the salt slowly pulls out moisture to keep the herbs and dry it into different, crumbly crystals – than to be released on contact and leaving it with a bunch of salty green porridge.

• Coarse sea salt: This is the sweet spot. The larger crystals of the coarse salt do not dissolve immediately. Instead, they gradually pull moisture out of the herbs and lower the water activity – the amount of water that is available for the growth of microbes – which contributes to maintaining the herbs.
• Coarse grain salt: Every mineral salt, including pink Himalaya salt, can work well, as the salt slowly dissolves so that the mixture can dry in crumbly, different crystals instead of collapseing into a green paste. One paste remains almost as long and it defeats the whole purpose: they want herbal salt, not herbal distribution. If your salt is particularly large, like the pieces with pebbles you see in salt grinders, give you a few impulses in the food processor, so you are closer to standard grob sea salt.
• Kosher salt: Diamond Crystal is our standard for daily cooking at serious Eats, but it is not the best salt that can be used here because the small, jagged crystals dissolve too quickly when it is moist. Morton’s kosher salt is a slightly better option for herbal salt because the rough grinding lasts longer and also maintains crystalline crunch after processing.
• Flaky finishing salt like Maldon: These salts are beautiful in finished dishes, but they are expensive and worth not being used here, since the sensitive pyramids collapse in the processor immediately.
• Table salt: Avoid using table salt; His tiny, even crystals dissolve almost immediately and his density leads to a very salty green paste. Many brands are attached to iodine and mixed with anti -artists, both of which can leave a weak metallic or bitter aftertaste.

Which herbs work best?

• Robust herbs: Rosemary, thyme, sage, oregano and Marjoram are good options. Thanks to their strong oils, their taste and aroma have been lingering for months. A frequent combination of home chefs are equal parts rosemary, thyme and sage; In grocery stores, the three are often sold as “poultry mixture”, since the trio is often used to prepare roast chicken or turkey.
• Delicate herbs: Basil, dill, parsley, tarragon, coriander, core, chives. After washing, turning or knocking them thoroughly dry and let them dry until no surface moisture remains. Your taste will take a few months, but its color will finally fade from light green to subdued olive. However, note that delicate herbs have a higher water content and have a more delicative taste and less long -lasting aromatic oils in their leaves, which means that they produce herbal salts that tend to become tough and do not last so long or to deliver so much aroma and taste. Nevertheless, they work, especially the fragrant ones like Dill and tarragon.
• Mix and match: Combine herbs that you are already happy to use together. Dill and tarragon for fish. Basil and Oregano for pasta. Thyme and parsley to cook French. The possibilities are endless.

Tip: I would personally avoid sage or rosemary myself. Your essential oils are powerful, and in Solo your taste can be uncomfortably medically. They shine best in a herbal salt when they are mixed with other herbs.

How to use herbal salt

Use it as a finish salt on roasted vegetables, grilled meat or fish, as rubbing before cooking or instead of normal salt in soups or stews. Stir it into eggs or sprinkle it via avocado toast. Dust it on popcorn. One of my favorite suggestions is to stir it into olive oil to create a quick herbal oil for drizzling or diving.

Imagine herbal salt as a taste dust: an upgrade with the two intentions, in which almost everything tastes better.

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