Herbs and spices both play an important role in adding texture, flavor, and even color to some of your favorite food dishes. While they are commonly grouped together, they are actually different from one another. Understanding their differences will help you use them more effectively, so let’s get started with our herbs and spices guide.
Spices vs. Herbs
Often, herbs and spices both come from plants, just from different parts. Herbs usually come from the fresh part of a plant, like the leaves, and spices come from the root, stalk, or even seed. In terms of flavor, herbs are a bit more subtle than spices, so you can add more without going overboard. If you’re following a recipe and add too much of a certain spice, it could overpower the entire dish.
Don’t be afraid to pair herbs and spices together because they can work together beautifully to add complexity and depth to dishes of all sorts.
Classic Herbs and Spices
Common herbs to have in your kitchen are basil, dill, thyme, oregano, and rosemary. These herbs can be found fresh or dried. Fresh herbs are a wonderful way to add nutrients to a dish; sometimes they even have a higher nutritious value than leafy greens! You can throw herbs into a dish while you’re cooking or wait to use them as a garnish at the end – or both!
Spices and herbs together are a powerhouse combination. In terms of spices, you can’t go wrong with keeping salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and cumin on hand. We have a more extensive list here.
Get Funky with It
Depending on what you and your family like to cook and eat, you’ll use different spices and herbs than your neighbors will. It might take some trial and error to figure out what you like best, so have fun with it along the way! If you’re not sure how to use your spices and herbs in the kitchen, we recommend testing out some recipes in our electric pressure cooker; this appliance will help you really get a feel for how flavors combine and how up-leveling your cooking is easier than ever!
Cooking can be a solo, therapeutic adventure, or you can do it with someone you love. No matter how you like to cook, you shouldn’t have to deal with faulty appliances that take up too much space or are difficult to clean. At Comfee, we designed our products with you in mind to ensure that cooking is joyful, not stressful.