Dried Herb Intensity: Stronger or Weaker?

[Chris Amirault]

I make 10# batches of meatballs at my house on a regular basis and freeze them in two dozen pouches for later use. Last night, I defrosted a batch, made a quick tomato sauce, and got ready for spaghetti and meatballs.

As we all dug in, I noticed that the dried oregano that I had used in the meatballs had intensified quite dramatically since the original batch. No science here -- everything is relative; sense memory is unreliable -- but it made me wonder about whether certain herbs intensify and other herbs weaken. (Thyme in gumbo, for example, seems to lessen.) I don't know whether it's the type of quality of herb itself, the preparation(s), or what.

Anyone else have this experience? Any sense as to what causes it?

[Darienne]

I know very little about this topic, but one thing I do know from traumatic experience: when you forget take the dill out of the chicken soup, which your Aunt has told you to do, the soup will taste overwhelmingly of dill the next day, which your husband will remark rather carelessly to you the next lunch, and if you are then 8 months pregnant with your third child, you might throw the much-dilled bowl of soup at his head. Which I did. About 44 years ago. And neither of us ever forgot.

[maggiethecat]

My experience in growing my own herbs and drying some of them is that drying concentrates the flavor, and oregano is the perfect example. Fresh oregano is much less pungent.

Until the dried herbs get too old -- then the flavor's less intense than fresh.

Edited February 11, 2010 by maggiethecat (log)

[Jenni]

I think it's more than intensity - dried herbs have quite a different flavour. Compare dried and fresh mint. I don't think they are interchangeable.

[Chris Amirault]

My experience in growing my own herbs and drying some of them is that drying concentrates the flavor, and oregano is the perfect example. Fresh oregano is much less pungent.

Until the dried herbs get too old -- then the flavor's less intense than fresh.

Right: I got that part. I wasn't clear in my OP: I'm wondering whether there are post-drying things that change the intensity of certain herbs: freezing, reheating, etc. Maybe it's poppycock....

[Special K]

Sez here http://homecooking.about.com/od/foodstorage/a/sagestorage.htm

"Be aware that freezing will intensify the flavor of the herb and adjust accordingly." Sage, at least.

[ambra]

Wierd. I have some frozen parsley which is thoroughly useless.

[Chris Amirault]

Well, how about that. So... why, exactly? Are leafy herbs like parsley and basil likely to get lousy, and beefier herbs like rosemary, sage, oregano, are thyme likely to get stronger?

Edited February 11, 2010 by Chris Amirault
clarification -- (log)

[Special K]

Hmm. Do the "beefier" herbs contain more oil?

[Lapin d'Argent]

It's interesting that you bring this up, Chris. I have lately come to think of dried oregano as a "power" herb. Particularly in tomato dishes, a small quantity of good quality dried oregano can add a distinct hit of umami. In a sautee dish, I usually add it to the oil when I add garlic and hot pepper.

Lately I've been making Braised Tomatoes & Green Beans from All About Braising, and the main flavor component is oregano. Molly includes a smashed anchovy, but I never have any in the fridge, so I just throw in a teaspoon or so of fish sauce. It's particularly good with fire-roasted diced tomatoes from Muir Glen. But the oregano makes the whole dish -- it ties all the other flavors together.

I don't have any experience with oregano in frozen foods yet, but now that we are the proud owners of a SnorkelVac, I'll have to try freezing something.

What I want to know is how you have the patience to brown 10lbs of meatballs! I think I would jump off the roof before I was halfway finished....

[djyee100]

It's an interesting question. The essential oils from any of these herbs (oregano, parsley, basil, rosemary, sage, thyme), when distilled, are supposed to last a long time when properly stored away from heat or light. They are supposed to retain their scent and flavor, sometimes for years. Extrapolating from that fact, I'm guessing that the essential oil from the dried oregano in your meatballs probably stayed much the same in the freezer. What changed were all the flavors around it--the meat, tomato, and vegs in your meatballs. As those other flavors faded in the freezer, the oregano flavor became relatively more pronounced.

Edited February 11, 2010 by djyee100 (log)

[egale]

It's really interesting that you bring this up, because I have noticed the very same thing with fresh rosemary. I made a quantity of meatloaf with fresh chopped rosemary and froze portions (my husband loves it).

When I defrosted some of the meatloaf it definitely seemed to me that the rosemary fragrance had intensified. It was quite noticeable. It must be something to do with the freezing/defrosting process.