Fresh herbs add intense flavor and color.

Herbs and spices are important for successful crock pot recipes. Here are some tips to get the most out these essential ingredients.

Fresh herbs add wonderful flavor and color to a crock pot recipe, but must be added at the end of the cooking cycle. If added at the beginning, the desired flavor from many fresh herbs will dissipate over the long cooking time.

For dishes with short cooking times, hearty fresh herbs such as rosemary and thyme do hold up well.

Ground and dried herbs and spices work very well in slow cooker recipes and may be added at the beginning of the cooking cycle. Be careful of the shelf life of dried herbs and spices as the flavor tend to lose strength over long storage times.

Use chili powders and garlic powder sparingly as the flavor of these spices can intensify over long cooking times.

Always taste the dish at the end of the cooking cycle and correct seasonings as necessary.