Cooking with rosemary....does it taste better cooked? (grilling, tuna, bread)

[Luvvarkansas]

I have lots of rosemary in my yard just because I like the plants and the smell, but I've never cooked with rosemary.

To me, it smells like Vicks VapoRub (which is the smell of childhood to someone my age, LOL). I've seen lots of recipes that use rosemary and I thought I should start using some of mine to cook with. So, I gave it a taste the other day, and it TASTES just like Vicks. (Well, I never ate Vicks, but it tastes like I would imagine Vicks would taste.)

I don't think I could eat chicken or anything else coated in Vicks VapoRub. Does rosemary lose any of its sharpness when cooked?

[charlygal]

Well...rosemary is an aromatic. So you would use it sparingly so as to not overpower the food.

[greatblueheron]

Better cooked....can't remember if I ever used it fresh. Very strong.

Try this:

Slice several potatoes, toss with olive oil, s&p and chopped rosemary, about 3 tsp
Roast at 425 or so, turning every 5-6 min until desired softness of potatoes.
I like mine browned and a bit crunchy.


Then eat and see if you like it.

Or make potatoes like hash browns on stove and add rosemary to that, either one is good.

[Jkgourmet]

And remember not to use the stems, and stick with the newer growth.

another thing to try would be to take a large handful (no need to remove the stalks in this case) and stuff it into the cavity of a whole chicken. Roast the chicken. The smell is wonderful, and the taste of the rosemary adds just a hint of flavor to the chicken.

[freepelican]

Originally Posted by Jkgourmet

And remember not to use the stems, and stick with the newer growth.

another thing to try would be to take a large handful (no need to remove the stalks in this case) and stuff it into the cavity of a whole chicken. Roast the chicken. The smell is wonderful, and the taste of the rosemary adds just a hint of flavor to the chicken.

I concur that this tastes great, although it's even better if you can combine rosemary and thyme this way.

I'd also suggest laying down stalks along the bottom of the pan and setting the chicken right on top of the stalks. I eat the leaves (needles) off the stalks after the chicken is done it is so good with the chicken flavor.

I'd also suggest adding rosemary to your scrambled eggs. To me, it tastes a little like sausage and eggs. Since the leaves are so tough you'll need to chop them, or better yet, grind them in a mortar and pestle.

[weezycom]

You can also tamp down the strength of it by quickly dipping in boiling water (10 seconds or so) and then shocking in an ice water bath before chopping. Mellows it out quite a bit.

[freepelican]

In Medieval times, they would bring branches of aromatic herbs like rosemary as natural air fresheners. I do this sometimes. Some cats go as wild for it as they do for catnip, both in the mint family. Might be good to freshen up a kitchen after you've cooked something smelly like fish.

[Debsi]

I have huge rosemary bushes as it grows really well in my part of the country. I like to cut some aromatic sprigs for my kitchen herb vase, but I can't say I cook with it very much. It ruins any potato dish for me, it's just overwhelming.

Where fresh rosemary really shines is in a garlic, lemon, and olive oil marinade for chicken or lamb that you are going to grill or roast.

Also, (although this is too fussy for me), you can use mature rosemary sprigs as skewers for grilling vegetables. You strip off most of the leaves and soak the skewers before loading them up.

[MissingAll4Seasons]

Originally Posted by charlygal

Well...rosemary is an aromatic. So you would use it sparingly so as to not overpower the food.

Definitely second this! Rosemary is an aromatic, but it's also a natural antiseptic... and it tastes like it, so err on the side of "too little" in cooking.

Rosemary tends to pair well with "P" foods -- pork, poultry, and potatoes. If you're using it IN something, just use the leaf/needles. You don't have to actually eat the rosemary, you can actually bundle whole sprigs up and use to cook (esp. roasting or grilling) food on to get a bit of flavor and then discard it.

It can work with beef or lamb/mutton in a dish that you would normally use mint or cilantro, which are similarly antiseptic/aromatic.

It doesn't work very well with eggs or white fishes, although it can work as a grilling platform for some of the meatier dark fishes (swordfish, tuna steak, etc).

It can work to flavor the water for boiled/steamed artichokes or to roast root veggies on, but I haven't found it pairs very well with most other veggies.

Rosemary works really well as a natural insect repellant, so there's a use for it kitchen that isn't culinary

[Ottawa2011]

Rosemary can be added to bread before baking. There are lots of rosemary bread recipes online.