Substituting Dry Basil for Fresh Basil?

Question

I have a recipe that calls for 1 cup of fresh basil. Unfortunately I have moved and my plant didn't survive and I can't find it in any grocery stores in my area. I have heard that you can rehydrate dried basil and use it, just not as much. Does anyone know how much I should rehydrate and how you do that exactly?

Thank you!

Answer 1

Not gonna happen- basil loses its volatile oils (that give its taste and smell) very easily, thats why its added only at the end of cooking. Dried basil is never going to be a substitute. The stores might not have fresh basil but do they have the stuff in a tube? Garden gourmet its called, mashed up herbs in a bit of oil, that would work. If not, cook something else- dried basil won't work at all.

oh, unless you could substitute something else, eg for an italian dish could use oregano instead.

Answer 2

Substituting with dried Basil is very unwise. Though many herbs, eg. thyme, intensify their aromatics as the result of the drying process, many of Basil's volatile oils disappear entirely or denature into other compounds as a result of the process. As a consequence, dried Basil applied to a dish in any meaningful quantities gives off an unsettling mint-like taint which can completely change the nature of the dish or, worse, render it distinctly unpleasant to the palate.

There are chopped 'fresh' Basil suspensions preserved in oil that may take you some of the way towards the flavours your dish needs -- they may certainly be worth the trying once, at least -- but the application of dried Basil in a meaningful quantity will only lead to disappointment: it's a chemical change inherent in the drying of this particular herb.

Dried Basil at best can be dusted on a dish as a minor garnish or late-addition ingredient, and even then its application can only be called 'tolerable' compared with what the fresh herb delivers. Some things, like 'dried chives' too, are just not meant to be. :-/

Hope this helps you some of the way at least.

Answer 3

As a general rule for substituting dried for fresh it's 1 tsp dried to 3 tsp fresh, so it's one third for dried. However, substituting that much basil with dried, I don't think the results would be good. Try adding a tbsp of dried basil and using baby spinach, arugula or some other type of green to get the effect of the whole leaf basil, like texture or visual appeal. Good luck.

Answer 4

1/4 to 1/3 cup. depends on how recently you purchased the dry basil. The longer the dried herb has been exposed to air the weaker the flavor. DO NOT REHYDRATE IT - just add it to the recipe. If you try to rehydrate it - it will just be a mess.

Answer 5

How Do You Dry Basil

Answer 6

Use 1/3 cup dry basil instead.

Answer 7

I love basil but can also not find it all the time ...but yet when a recipe calls for Basil i usually use Pesto you can buy it in a glass it taste fresher then dry basil ...

Answer 8

They have a basil paste (sounds gross but it is good) it is sold in the vegetable case next to the packaged herbs. It will tell you the equivalents.