Ingredients That Are Pointless If Not Fresh

[Jenni]

Quite a few herbs...fresh coriander (cilantro to most people here it seems!), curry leaves and fenugreek greens are probably the most important to me. Dried mint actually has a purpose to my mind, as it has a different flavour from the fresh kind and is absolutely necessary for some dishes e.g. cannot be replaced by fresh.

I think 100% of vegetables are infinitely better fresh, but I do stoop to frozen peas as they are a vegetable that really needs to be picked and then eaten immediately to have any worth, which is obviously tricky for quite a large part of the year.

Paneer should always be made fresh - the prepackaged stuff has a horrible texture and the taste is not as good. When you make it at home (which is so easy anyway) you actually realise why it is such a fabulous cheese.

There are other things, many other things...I think almost everything is better fresh, guess it just depends on your definition of "pointless"!

[skavoovie]

In my experience, rosemary freezes quite well, and frozen parsley is acceptable, too. Almost everything will get worse by preservation, but almost always there is a reasonable preservation method, too. Drying is inappropriate for most herbs, but there are workarounds.

[Chris Amirault]

Quite a few herbs...fresh coriander (cilantro to most people here it seems!), curry leaves and fenugreek greens are probably the most important to me. Dried mint actually has a purpose to my mind, as it has a different flavour from the fresh kind and is absolutely necessary for some dishes e.g. cannot be replaced by fresh.

What dishes need dried mint?

[rarerollingobject]

Hmm, I like rolling balls of labneh yoghurt cheese in dried mint. I also crust lamb chops, or octopus chunks, in it before grilling quickly. I really like dousing fried eggs in olive oil, za'atar and dried mint and then muddling pita or Turkish bread into them. The particular woody, resiny mintyness I like in all these dishes wouldn't be the same with fresh.

Edited March 13, 2011 by rarerollingobject (log)

[weinoo]

Quite a few herbs...fresh coriander (cilantro to most people here it seems!), curry leaves and fenugreek greens are probably the most important to me. Dried mint actually has a purpose to my mind, as it has a different flavour from the fresh kind and is absolutely necessary for some dishes e.g. cannot be replaced by fresh.

What dishes need dried mint?

As Paula Wolfert states in The Cooking of the Eastern Mediterranean,

Even when fresh mint is available, the dried leaves are preferred for certain dishes. They impart a special flavor to salads, stews, soups, and stuffings. In some of the Turkish recipes, dried mint is heated along with black pepper in a little oil or butter, then swirled in at the last minute. An exuberant and pungent aroma is released.

I'd venture a guess that many Middle Eastern recipes call for the dried product.

Agree about dried roesmary's usefulness too.

[Jenni]

Chris, as weinoo says, I have found dried mint adds a certain flavour in several middle eastern dishes, especially those with yoghurt. Don't get me wrong, I love fresh mint and use it quite a bit, but I do also keep a little dried mint in the cupboard.

[nolnacs]

Shellfish. Most particularly raw bar items. Uni for sure. The first time I ever had uni it was definitely past its short window of opportunity and it was like waking up face down on the beach at low tide. It was a revelation when I had the good stuff.

Dried seafood (oysters, scallops etc) are an integral part of Chinese cooking, but I certainly understand your point about eating seafood past its prime.

[Peter the eater]

Quite a few herbs...fresh coriander (cilantro to most people here it seems!), curry leaves and fenugreek greens are probably the most important to me. Dried mint actually has a purpose to my mind, as it has a different flavour from the fresh kind and is absolutely necessary for some dishes e.g. cannot be replaced by fresh.

What dishes need dried mint?

Tea.

[DanM]

Quite a few herbs...fresh coriander (cilantro to most people here it seems!), curry leaves and fenugreek greens are probably the most important to me. Dried mint actually has a purpose to my mind, as it has a different flavour from the fresh kind and is absolutely necessary for some dishes e.g. cannot be replaced by fresh.

What dishes need dried mint?

Tea.

Good call. One of my favorite teas is Rishi's Green Tea with Mint.

I would add winter tomatoes. I think a chunk of cardboard would be tastier than a slice of winter tomato on my sandwhich.

Dan

[BarbaraY]

Dried rosemary tastes like soap! Also must use fresh basil, thyme, cilantro, (dried has no flavor). Oddly dried oregano is better in some Mexican dishes. It just doesn't taste right with fresh.

Winter tomatoes are a crime against nature! We simply do without until ours get ripe. Then a person really appreciates how wonderful they are.

[Gregg]

Sushi?

dcarch

LOL...I was thinking "meat".

[cbread]

Durian?

[bwv544]

lychees?

i hate the canned ones.

addicted to the fresh ones.

it was my favorite part about going back to taiwan as a child. grandmother? meh. lychees, awesome.

[patrickamory]

All fish - not just shellfish. Freshness if paramount. (Dried, salted etc. fishes obviously excluded.)

Agreed that dried mint has special uses in Middle Eastern food - for example stuffed grape leave, and ghormeh sabzi.

[Raoul Duke]

Olive oil... but then I'm a grower/producer.