Chefs & Herbs – The Connection of Culinary Arts & Herbs

If you know anyone who loves to spend time in the kitchen, then you know that herbs are an essential aspect of the dishes that they put their heart and soul into creating. Herbs help to hone in on nuanced and refined flavors that you just cannot achieve in barebones cooking. 

This week, we wanted to take a step back and look at what we have learned from some of our favorite chefs and food influencers regarding what they love about herbs. Keep reading to learn more about why you should add herbs into your culinary repertoire, and how some of the greats in the culinary world have put fresh herbs to use. 

What We Love About Herbs

Herbs are truly the gift that keeps giving, and giving, and giving! When you grow an herb garden, you are giving yourself clean, pesticide-free herbs that grow in abundance. This also provides you with the opportunity to try new recipes and find new methods of creativity in the kitchen. 

Growing your own herbs is also phenomenal for your mental health; when you spend time in your garden, you are prioritizing the health of your body, as well as the wellness of your mind. Gardening helps to soothe the soul, and is a great way to mitigate stress and anxiety. On top of this, herbs are great for regulating blood pressure, inflammation, digestion and more!

To learn more about why herbs are so good for you, take a look at our article, 5 Reasons to Grow Herbs at Home. 

Our Favorite Chefs and Their Take on Herbs

It is always important to take some time to learn from those who do it best. In this instance, we wanted to refer to some of the great chefs of the world and learn about what herbs they love, and why they love them. Keep reading to find out. 

Ina Garten: Ina Garten is a household name here at Gardenuity. We admire the way she is dedicated to growing her own herbs to use in her recipes! Among her favorites are parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, chives, lavender, oregano, basil, and mint. Take a look at her Pork Souvlaki with Radish Tzatziki to see how she expertly puts rosemary and mint to the test.

Julia Child: One of the world’s original powerhouse female chefs, Julia Child continues to teach us all about the joys of cooking and creating beautiful meals. Child is renowned for her expertise in the kitchen, which involved using just the right herbs to make flavors pop in all of her meals. Observe how she uses parsley and thyme in her Favorite Roast Chicken recipe here. 

Kath Younger: Kath Younger is one of our favorite internet cooking sensations. In her article for her Every Herb Salmon Salad, she says, “It seems the older I get, the more and more I love fresh herbs!” In this recipe, Younger creates a tasty and unique blend of well… every herb she has in order to make a creative and out-of-the box style salad that will keep you coming back for more. 

Never Stop Learning

Something we love about learning from those who love to cook is that there is no one right or wrong way to incorporate herbs into your cooking; if you love cooking, your inspiration will lead you to create beautiful and delicious recipes. Remember, not every dish will be your best, but trying out something new is a practice that teaches you more than anything else ever will. 

Grow Your Own

If you feel excited about getting into the kitchen and following in the footsteps of some of your favorite chefs, now is the time to start your own herb garden. Take a look at our Culinary Herb Container Garden Kit to get started with all of the tools and resources you need today.