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A ranch dressing recipe I found online calls for a few dried herbs and a couple of fresh herbs, specifically fresh chives and fresh Italian parsley.

To save time and money, I'd like to substitute if the fresh herbs for dried herbs. Is it OK to make the substitution if the dressing is allowed to rest overnight, hopefully giving the substitutes enough time to release its flavors? And if so, would it be a one to one substitution (e.g. 1 teaspoon fresh = 1 teaspoon dried)?

CookingNewbie
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  • Am I understanding correctly that you want to use dry herbs in place of the fresh herbs? – Cindy Aug 17 '17 at 13:03
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    Hello CookingNewbie, the ratio is a duplicate. The "Is it OK" question is not really answerable - there will be a difference in taste (this is true with all substitutes) but only you can know if the different taste is good enough for you personally. – rumtscho Aug 17 '17 at 16:25

1 Answers1

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When substituting dried herbs, a general rule of thumb is 1:3. That is, substitute 1 tsp of dried herbs for every 3 tsps of fresh herbs. Anything more could be overwhelming.

Also consider the difference between mild herbs (such as parsley and basil), which are put in food towards the end of cooking, and strong herbs (such as oregano or thyme) which are cooked with the food for some time. Substituting strong dried herbs works better than for mild, as the drying process diminishes the flavor of mild herbs.

Either way, allowing the flavors to meld overnight should improve the flavor.

As an aside, if you're looking to save money, fresh herbs can also be frozen. You could purchase in bulk or cultivate a small herb garden.

Wolfgang
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  • There is no cooking involved in the Ranch dressing. I specifically specified chives and Italian parsley as those were the only two fresh herbs listed; the rest were dried. I feel like something must be special about those two herbs. – CookingNewbie Aug 17 '17 at 17:38
  • Following the link from the duplicate question led me to this: http://www.healwithfood.org/substitute/convert-fresh-dried-herbs-recipes-chart.php - "chefs and other foodies generally agree that it is best not to substitute dried dill, curly parsley, *flat-leaf parsley*, chervil or *chives* for their fresh counterparts as the flavor of the fresh produce is far superior in these cases." – CookingNewbie Aug 17 '17 at 17:42
  • @CookingNewbie I only mention cooking as a way to contrast the herbs. As your link indicates, the recommendation applies to both cooked and uncooked uses. – Wolfgang Aug 17 '17 at 19:02