Measurements and Substitutions

Herbs come in all shapes, sizes, and weights. If a recipe calls for ½ cup chopped basil, how many ounces should you buy? Here's a chart to help you gauge.

Woody: Thyme, Rosemary

Whole Leaves Per ½ Ounce: ½ cup

Finely Minced Leaves Per ½ Ounce: 2-2½ tablespoons

Leafy: Parsley, Cilantro, Dill, Tarragon, Mint, Basil

Whole Leaves Per ½ Ounce: ¾ cup

Finely Minced Leaves Per ½ Ounce: 3 tablespoons

Other: Chives

Whole Leaves Per ½ Ounce: no whole leaves

Finely Minced Leaves Per ½ Ounce: 4 tablespoons

Delicate (fluffy): Oregano, Marjoram, Sage

Whole Leaves Per ½ Ounce: ¾ cup

Finely Minced Leaves Per ½ Ounce: 5 tablespoons

The Experiment

We purchased fresh and dried versions of basil, chives, dill, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage (in coarsely crumbled and rubbed forms), tarragon, and thyme. Then we cooked our way through 24 recipes (including marinades, sauces, and braises), making each with fresh and dried herbs and comparing differences in flavor.

The Results

In all but one application, tasters preferred fresh herbs to dry. (Chili was the exception; in this dish, dried oregano was the favorite.) A common criticism of dried herbs was that they had lost many of the subtleties and nuances of fresh herbs, tasting “dusty” and “stale.” Meanwhile, fresh herbs tasted “clean” and “bright.” Still, there were a few instances in which some dried herbs, though not preferred, were a passable substitute. In addition to oregano, dried rosemary, sage, and thyme fared reasonably well in recipes involving fairly long cooking times (more than 20 minutes) and a good amount of liquid.

The Explanation

Some of the flavor compounds found in herbs are stable, which means they don’t change at high temperatures and thus are able to maintain their flavor through the drying process and cooking. Other compounds are volatile, meaning they are fragile and easily lost under those same conditions. The flavor compounds found in delicate herbs tend to be more volatile, hence the fresh form always performs better than the dried. In contrast, the dominant flavor compounds in the herbs that work acceptably well when dried are nonvolatile and better survive drying and cooking. Dried herbs are best used in recipes with ample liquid because moisture will hydrate their cells, which makes them porous and able to release more of their aroma compounds. But even in circumstances ideal for dried herbs, they will always have a slightly dusty, stale flavor because the drying process leads to oxidation.