Why Fresh Herbs Don't Belong In The Slow Cooker

Whether it's a cold-curing chicken noodle soup, spicy beef chili, hearty pot roast, or creamy risotto, there are dozens of recipes that taste better in a slow cooker. This handy kitchen appliance yields dishes that are perfected over the course of many hours, gradually developing rich, nuanced flavors and creamy, tender textures with minimal elbow grease. But like frying, roasting, grilling, and searing, slow-cooked meals benefit from spices and herbs to elevate the final product. Although your options are anything but limited when it comes to spicing up your slow-cooked masterpieces with flavoring agents, fresh herbs are one of the few ingredients that don't belong in your trusty Crock-Pot.

The aromatic elegance and distinctive taste of fresh herbs can be attributed to their volatile compounds – tiny molecules that are highly sensitive to heat, water, and prolonged cooking. When cooked, these powerful but delicate compounds evaporate, leaving behind no traces of their former self. Fresh herbs also contain water-soluble compounds, which means they can dissolve in the broth, wine, or water you simmer your dish in. If you were to introduce fresh herbs like basil, dill, or cilantro into a slow cooker, you'd be left with a pot of flavorless, wilted sludge that serves no purpose other than to disrupt what should be an easy, hassle-free recipe.

Instead use dried herbs over fresh ones in the slow cooker. Because they are less delicate and release their concentrated oils over time, they hold up better to prolonged heat exposure. However, you can always use fresh herbs as a garnish for your slow-cooked meals.

Although fresh herbs aren't ideal when slow-cooking dishes, there are plenty of applications for them. Unsurprisingly, fresh herbs work best in recipes that don't require heat. For example, use fresh herbs to fashion a salad dressing. Their bright, aromatic flavor and invigorating scent can zhuzh up warm and cold salads alike. Green goddess dressing, anyone? Fresh herbs are also great packed into a salad, making each forkful more dynamic and delicious. Or, turn that herb-studded salad into a sandwich to impart a layer of bold, garden-fresh goodness to your favorite lunch provision. Add fresh herbs to fruit tarts or use them to garnish roasted meats, creamy pasta dishes, or hearty stews. Dare we suggest blending them into a homemade batch of lush ice cream?

To use your slow cooker like a pro, the ingredients that go into it matter. Save fresh herbs for recipes where their exquisite flavors can truly shine, and use their dried counterparts when cooking in the Crock-Pot instead.