Most people are familiar with tobacco as being a harmful substance that is smoked in cigarettes or cigars. While this is one use of tobacco, the tobacco leaf can actually be used as an herb when cooking. Adding tobacco to your dishes lends them a subtle smoky flavor that can be used to create some interesting flavor combinations.

Here are three ways that you can utilize tobacco in your sweet and savory dishes to make them more unique in the future:

1. Use tobacco leaves in your smoker.

Smoked meats take on the flavor of whatever wood is being used inside the smoker as they are prepared. If you want to add the smoky flavor of tobacco leaves to your meals, you can easily add these leaves to the smoker when preparing meats in the future.

Just line a large wok with aluminum foil and place some uncooked rice, torn tobacco leaves, and some rock sugar inside. Put the lid on the wok and place it over a high flame in your smoker. As the contents of the wok begin to heat, the smoke released from the wok will flavor any meats on the smoking racks above it.

2. Use tobacco leaves in your sauces.

Infusing a subtle tobacco flavor into your sauces can be a great way to give your savory dishes a smoky presence. The infusion process is a simple one and just requires you to soak some tobacco leaves in cream or milk overnight. The longer the tobacco sits, the stronger the flavor will become.

Use a sieve to sift the tobacco leaves free from the cream, then prepare your sauce base using the infused cream as you normally would. You can use a tobacco-infused sauce over pasta or meat dishes to create a unique and interesting flavor profile.

3. Add tobacco leaves to your cocktails.

For many people, a creative cocktail can serve as a signature dish. Tobacco leaves can easily be incorporated into cocktails. If you are making a drink that calls for a simple syrup, just soak the tobacco leaves in the syrup overnight to infuse the flavor of the tobacco into the liquid.

Use the syrup to prepare your cocktails as normal to give your signature drinks a subtle smoky taste. You can also use tobacco leaves as a garnish, just be sure your guests don't eat the raw leaf since the nicotine within the leaves can be poisonous if consumed in large amounts.

Finding ways to incorporate tobacco into your sweet and savory dishes allows you to become a more creative chef. Get started cooking with tobacco leaves by using them to smoke your meats, infusing their flavor into your sauces, and using them in your signature cocktails.

Contact a company like marleaf for more information and assistance.