Rosemary has its distinctly fresh, piney aroma and taste that makes it staple in soups, stews, meat dishes, and more. Using fresh rosemary instead of dried is a step in the right direction to get more flavor out of this herb, but your dish will be even better if you enhance your rosemary using a simple technique that requires granulated sugar.

This technique, called maceration, requires you to rub fresh rosemary leaves with sugar, which helps to release more of the plant’s essential oils. The herb is then left to macerate, AKA sit with sugar for a long period, which draws out more moisture from the herb's leaves, breaking down their cell walls and releasing more aroma and flavor.

To try this, remove fresh rosemary leaves from their stems, then rub sugar into the leaves to start breaking them down. Continue rubbing until all the essential oils have been released and the mixture becomes very fragrant, then let the mixture rest to allow the sugar to draw out even more of the oils before using the herb in your cooking.