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Fresh herbs, in simple terms, are leafy, flavorful, aromatic green plants used in small amounts to flavor and garnish food — rather than to add substance (which sets them apart from veggies).

Herbs are also chock-full of concentrated nutrients and health benefits, like rich vitamins, antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, and natural breath-freshening properties. They’re magical recipe enhancers for so many reasons!

With 75 to 100 different herbs existing in the world, we could all use a crib sheet on how to categorize, choose, cook with, and get the most mileage out of our fresh herbs.

Fresh herbs fall into two main categories: soft herbs (you can cook and eat the stems) and woody herbs (you’ll have to pluck ’em off the inedible stems before you eat ’em). Here are 10 widely used herbs that have made names for themselves as recipe staples:

Soft, leafy herbs

• Basil: Known for its big leaves, distinctly refreshing aroma, and sweet flavor. It’s used around the world to season Italian, Mediterranean, and Asian cuisines — from pasta sauces (like pesto) to caprese salad and Thai stir-fries.
• Parsley: There’s flat-leaf parsley and French curly-leaf parsley, both of which boast a mild, fresh flavor. Fresh parsley is a solid fridge staple because it’s inexpensive and can be added to almost any dish. Try stirring it into tomato sauce, sprinkling it on tilapia, or chopping the flavor-packed stems and adding them to chorizo for extra oomph.
• Cilantro: Cilantro is the Spanish name for coriander (which is the dry seeds of the plant). Its citrusy flavor profile makes it a popular addition to guacamole, salsa, and soups. Cilantro is a polarizing herb, since some people carry a gene that makes it taste like soap.
• Tarragon: Tarragon has skinny leaves that are quite pungent and flavorful (it has a licorice-like taste). French dishes rely heavily on this herb — chicken tarragon, specifically, is delicious and tastes fancy without too much effort.
• Mint: New gardeners, apply here: This highly aromatic herb grows easily and in bounty. Mint has a distinct and invigorating flavor that makes a welcome addition to both sweet and savory dishes and teas.

Woody, hardy herbs

• Rosemary: Rosemary is an evergreen herb that smells and tastes like Christmas. Its robust flavors make it a great addition to roast chicken and even cocktails like winter sangria (as long as you’re too not heavy-handed!).
• Thyme: Another fragrant herb with slight floral notes. Thyme is great for adding to recipes early on because it can handle long cooking times, which also helps mellow out its overpowering flavor. Use it in chicken stock or braised lamb.
• Oregano: Fresh oregano gives you the best of both worlds — its flavors are earthy yet bright, with slight peppery notes (when the leaves also hold their shape well). Chop some up and bake it into fresh dinner rolls, add it to your turkey burger mixture, or sprinkle it over a savory cantaloupe salad with balsamic reduction.
• Chives: A close cousin of scallions and onions, chives have long, green, hollow stems and a not-too-overwhelming oniony flavor. They’re great to add to dips, soups, and potato salad (for both taste and a pretty garnish).
• Sage: Sage has a very strong scent and an earthy flavor that softens when the herb is cooked or even fried. This herb is great for enhancing the flavors in Thanksgiving stuffing, roast pork, and butternut squash.

In an ideal world, you’d always have a stash of fresh herbs on hand to concoct your favorite recipes. But IRL, most of us don’t have a sprawling backyard garden and don’t always remember to grab fresh mint on our supermarket run.

In that case, you may be wondering: Can you replace a fresh herb with its dried version (and vice versa), and how do you do it without ruining dinner?

For starters, dried herbs are much more concentrated and stronger in flavor than fresh herbs. So if you’re swapping fresh for dried, you’ll need to use less. As a general rule, use one-third as much of a dried herb as you would of a fresh herb (e.g., 1 teaspoon dried for every 1 tablespoon fresh) to ensure you don’t accidentally turn your meal into an overly herbaceous blast to the mouth.

In a few cases, substituting won’t give you the same result — with herbs like tarragon and cilantro, the fresh and dried versions have two completely different flavors.

Another loose rule: Dried herbs can stand up to heat better than most fresh herbs, so it’s best to add them while you’re cooking. Fresh herbs should be added later on or as a dish finisher, to help maintain their flavors and textures.

Forgot to buy the tarragon for your recipe, but running back out to the store isn’t on the menu? Luckily, you may already have a perfect substitute on hand with a similar flavor profile.

When swapping herbs, start with less and make sure you like the taste (you can always add more to adjust, but you can’t remove!).