Discover Culinary Lavender: Cooking with the Lavender Man
Discover Culinary Lavender: Cooking with the Lavender Man
Keys to Successfully Cooking with Lavender
Lavender is a complementary herb which is best used in small doses so it will not overpower the other herbs and spices that it’s mixed with.
Not all lavender is meant to be used for culinary. If you use a variety known for its essential oil production you will be very disappointed in the lavender flavor. It will be bitter, too floral and tastes like you are eating soap.
Nearly all of the known varieties of culinary lavender are angustifolias, also known as English Lavender. Their essential oil is generally sweeter and more subtle than other types of lavender that produce more essential oil.
Fragrance of the lavender will generally equal its flavor. If you don’t like its scent then you most likely won’t enjoy its flavor in your cooking.
Not all culinary lavender varieties taste the same. Some are sweeter tasting, stronger tasting or more herbaceous in flavor. All will provide a lavender flavor to your cooking.
Sampling different lavender flavors
One of the easiest ways to sample the different flavors is in lavender lemonade - Lavonade
You don’t always need to have a lavender finish in your cooking. The sweet and subtle taste of lavender is often easily over powered by other herbs and spices that lavender is mixed in.
Lavender flavor will come through in the majority of sweet products and desserts such as ice cream, lemonade, cheesecake and cream cheese frosting.
When it is used in dressings, rubs and seasonings the other herbs and spices will dominate the lavender flavor. Examples being lavender garlic seasoning, ranch dressing, rosemary lavender rub and fajita seasoning. Even though you are not tasting the lavender it is still essential that you put it in your recipe as as it works behind the scenes to improve the taste profiles of the herbs and spices you are cooking with.
Measure precisely when adding your lavender, there is a difference between a teaspoon and a heaping teaspoon.
Always test your recipe prior to serving it to others. We don’t want people eating dishes with the wrong amount of lavender in them because it is too strong, off putting and gives culinary lavender a bad reputation.
Can I Use Lavender Essential Oil in my Cooking?
No! Don’t ever cook with Essential Oil! It is much safer to cook with culinary bud. A teaspoon is a teaspoon and easily measured precisely.
A drop of essential oil can easily be turned into two or three drops as the viscosity of the oil changes depending on the temperature of the room or how long you’ve been holding in your hand.
Conclusion
It is deliciously rewarding to cook with lavender and experiment with all of your favorite dishes. Follow along in subsequent articles to learn about specific varieties of lavender.
Culinary Types Loved By Lavender Boutique
Buena Vista (Buena Vista: Tasting Notes from the Desk of the Lavender Man)
Pacific Blue (Pacific Blue: Tasting Notes from the Desk of the Lavender Man)
Provence (Provence: Tasting Notes from the Desk of the Lavender Man)
Royal Velvet (Royal Velvet: Tasting Notes from the Desk of the Lavender Man)
Avice Hill (Avice Hill: Tasting Notes from the Desk of the Lavender Man)
French Fields (French Fields: Tasting Notes from the Desk of the Lavender Man)
Melissa (Melissa: Tasting Notes from the Desk of the Lavender Man)
Opal Rain (Opal Rain: Tasting Notes from the Desk of the Lavender Man)
Brabant Blue (Brabant Blue: Tasting Notes from the Desk of the Lavender Man)
Egerton Blue (Egerton Blue: Tasting Notes from the Desk of the Lavender Man)
Eunice (Eunice: Tasting Notes from the Desk of the Lavender Man)
Miss Katherine (Miss Katherine: Tasting Notes from the Desk of the Lavender Man)
New Zealand Blue (New Zealand Blue: Tasting Notes from the Desk of the Lavender Man)
Follow this link for culinary lavender sample kits
