Chef Shanna’s Kitchen Tips

Fresh garlic or garlic powder? Fresh herbs or dried? Fresh lemon juice or the bottle in the refrigerator?

If you spend enough time in the kitchen, you’ll eventually wonder whether using fresh ingredients really makes that much of a difference.

The answer is yes, but that doesn’t mean fresh is always the only choice. Knowing what each ingredient brings to a dish is what really matters.



Chef Shanna’s Kitchen Tips

Fresh ingredients can bring brightness:

Fresh garlic, onions, herbs, citrus, peppers, ginger, and other aromatics can bring flavors and aromas that are difficult to completely recreate with their dried or powdered versions. When you want something vibrant and noticeable in a dish, fresh can make a big difference.

Dried and powdered ingredients have their own purpose:

Garlic powder isn’t simply a substitute for fresh garlic. It gives you a different type of garlic flavor and distributes easily throughout a dish. The same goes for dried herbs and ground spices. They can be especially useful in marinades, rubs, sauces, and dishes that need seasoning throughout.

Sometimes, use both:

There’s no rule saying you have to choose one or the other. Fresh garlic can give a dish one layer of flavor while garlic powder adds another. Fresh herbs can finish a dish while dried herbs have been cooking into it from the beginning.

That’s how you start building flavor instead of relying on one ingredient to do all the work.

Pay Attention to What’s Fresh

Fresh cooking also means paying attention to the quality of the ingredients in front of you.

Look at your produce. Smell your herbs. Taste your ingredients. Choose items that are in good condition and think about what they can contribute to the meal.

And remember, fresh ingredients still need good technique. Fresh garlic can burn. Delicate herbs can lose their flavor when cooked too long. Citrus can overpower a dish if you use too much. Having a beautiful ingredient is only the beginning. Knowing when and how to use it is what brings the dish together.

Make Your Ingredients Work Together

At Jamrock Eatz, we believe good cooking isn’t about filling a dish with as many ingredients as possible. It’s about understanding what each ingredient is there to do.

Fresh, dried, powdered, or ground, they all have a place. The magic happens when you know how to make them work together.

A Friendly Reminder

Returning clients and referrals receive 10 percent off their next booking as a thank you for continuing to support Jamrock Eatz.

The next time you’re cooking, don’t automatically reach for what you always use. Take a look at what’s available and ask yourself, What will bring the best flavor to this dish?

Sometimes it’s fresh. Sometimes it’s dried. And sometimes, the best answer is both.

A Note from Chef Shanna: Fresh ingredients bring something special, but great cooking is knowing how to get the best out of every ingredient you use.

Always remember "you deserve delicious!"

Chef Shanna & the Jamrock Eatz Team 

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Shanna lee Millsap 

Owner/Chef 

Jamrock Eatz LLC 

4072798214 

info@jamrockeatz.com 

www.jamrockeatz.com