10 Herbs Worth Keeping in the Kitchen

Every cook accumulates a shelf of dried herbs, and most of them sit unused. These are the ten I actually reach for, and what each one is good for in cooking.

Traditional medicine has its own claims for all of them. I am a chef, not a doctor, so what follows is about flavor.

Sage

Grows wild across Anatolia and is sold everywhere — markets, spice shops, even street vendors.

Assertive, slightly camphorous, and it stands up to fat better than almost any other herb. Fry whole leaves in butter until crisp and pour it over pumpkin ravioli or gnocchi. Good with pork, liver and white beans.

Made as a tea, it is what most Turkish households drink through winter.

Chicory

The leaves are bitter and the root, roasted and ground, has been used as a coffee substitute for centuries — New Orleans still blends it into coffee.

In the kitchen, use the young leaves raw in salads where you want bitterness to cut richness.

Ginger

One of the few aromatics that works equally in savory and sweet cooking.

Fresh ginger is not interchangeable with dried — fresh is bright and sharp, dried is warm and dusty. Grate fresh ginger into marinades and stir-fries, use dried in baking and spice blends.

A few slices in hot water is the simplest thing you can make with it.

Licorice root

Intensely sweet with a distinct anise character. Used in confectionery and in some Scandinavian and Middle Eastern sweets.

A caution: licorice root is not harmless in quantity. It raises blood pressure and should be avoided during pregnancy and by anyone with hypertension. Treat it as a flavoring, not a daily tea.

Nigella seeds

Small black seeds with a flavor between onion and oregano, faintly peppery.

Standard on Turkish breads — scatter them over pide, simit or börek before baking. Also good in cheese, pickles and on flatbreads generally.

Garlic

The foundation of most of what I cook.

The thing worth knowing: how you cut it changes what it tastes like. Whole cloves are mild and sweet. Sliced is medium. Crushed or grated releases the most allicin and is the sharpest. Choose accordingly, and never let it brown — burnt garlic turns bitter and ruins a dish in seconds.

Bay leaf

Does its work slowly, in liquid. Essential in stocks, braises and tomato sauces.

Fresh bay is far more aromatic than dried. But lift it out after an hour of cooking — left in longer it turns bitter.

St John’s wort

Used mainly as an infused oil in traditional practice rather than in cooking.

Worth knowing before you use it: St John’s wort interacts seriously with a long list of medications, including antidepressants, oral contraceptives and blood thinners. If you take anything prescribed, ask a pharmacist first.

Raisins

Concentrated sweetness that works in both directions — into pilafs, dolma fillings and stuffed vegetables, and into breads, biscuits and compotes.

Soak them in warm water or wine for ten minutes before adding to anything baked. Dry raisins pull moisture out of the dough around them.

Rosemary

Woody, resinous, and strong enough to stand up to lamb, potatoes and anything roasted at high heat.

Use the whole sprig rather than chopping the needles, and remove it before serving — rosemary needles are unpleasant to eat and easy to leave behind on a stem.