A general rule of thumb to convert fresh herbs to dry. The important thing is to have the door open a bit to let the moisture escape Walker says.

How To Dry Herbs In The Microwave Drying Fresh Herbs Drying Herbs Herbs

Make sure to be very gentle when washing herbs like basil which are easily bruised and torn.

How to dry fresh herbs. 1 tablespoon fresh herbs 1 teaspoon dried herbs. Drying herbs in a paper bag is slightly faster than hanging herbs to dry. Continue heating at 30-second intervals if needed until the herbs are fully dry.

Microwave on HIGH for 30 seconds increments. Start by rinsing your fresh herbs thoroughly. A basement spare bedroom or large closet can serve this purpose quite well.

Use another dry towel gently pressing it over the herbs. Drying them in the dark will help keep their colour. Dry fresh herbs in the microwave or oven.

Punch or cut several holes in a paper bag. Hang or lay the herb branches out where they will get plenty of air circulation so they can dry out quickly. Make Sure Herbs Are Dry If youve picked your herbs while the plants are dry you should be able to simply shake off any excess soil.

Rinse with cool water only if necessary and pat dry with paper towels. To dry your herbs in the oven youll need to get it as low as 50 degrees Celsius or 122 degrees Fahrenheit. Make small bundles if you are trying to dry herbs with high water content.

Finish with a gentle shake over the sink to dislodge as much of the water as possible. Wash the herbs thoroughly under cool running water. Use the least amount of water possible to avoid crushing or bruising the herbs.

Place the herb bundle upside down into the bag. Although herbs look lovely hanging from the kitchen ceiling that is not the best way to dry them. To air-dry herbs in bundles Tie small bunches of herbs into bundles with twine or twist-ties which are easier to tighten as the bunches shrink down.

1 teaspoon dried leaf herb 12 teaspoon ground dried herb Why These Ratios. Shake the herbs or send them through a salad spinner to remove most of the water then blot dry with a towel. When the leaves are dried and cool remove them from the plate crumble them into small pieces if desired and store in an airtight container.

If your oven doesnt get that low residual heat from the oven after youve turned it off will do the trick. Perhaps lay herbs in a colander under running water or just hold the herbs under the water. Place a single layer of leaves on a paper towel on a microwave-safe plate.

A home dehydrator proves a great way to dry herbs in bulk especially if your device has mesh inserts which keep the leaves from falling. Be sure to keep the bundles small to avoid rot or mold. In that case use 12 teaspoon of garlic powder for every clove of fresh garlic in the recipe.

Step 1 Prep. How To Dry Fresh Herbs. Lay another paper towel on top and microwave on high for one minute.

Cook at the lowest setting for approximately two to four hours. Use an indoor clothesline laundry rack closet rod or exposed rafters to keep them off the ground. Make sure the leaves are clean and undamaged and then put them in a single layer on each tray.

Blot the herbs dry with a clean towel. Gently add the freshly harvested and washed herbs. This will remove any insects dirt and pollen from the herbs.

Watch closely and stop if you smell the herbs burning. For example if youre converting fresh sage to dried sage. Lay them out on a paper towel and pat them dry.

Speed is the key. If youre drying less hardy herbs like cilantro or parsley separate the leaves from the stems and discard the stems. Hang the bundles upside down in a warm spot out of direct sunlight.

Tie bunches of herbs with string and hang up in a cool dry well-ventilated spot out of direct sunlight. Woody herbs will take longer to dry than tender herbs. There are several methods to dry herbs such as rosemary sage thyme and bay leaves.

If you are working with dried ground herbs like ground ginger which is going to be even more potent than the dried flaky herbs the general ratio is 4 to 1 or four parts fresh to one part dried. Using a pen or pencil poke some small holes throughout the paper bag. Label the bag with the name of the herb you are drying.

After each increment open the microwave and check the herbs to make sure that they are dry but not burnt. You want to dry them quickly but gently so as to retain as much of the flavour as possible. This method for how to dry fresh herbs is fool proof especially for those who humidity issues.

Once the herbs are dry transfer them to another dry towel or dish. The best spot for drying herbs is dark or at least out of direct sunlight dry clean and free of smoke dust cooking oils and steam. Use one-third the amount of dried herb for the fresh herb called for in the recipe.

You want the herbs to be as dry as possible when they go into the oven.