Cooking
Do you have an old-fashioned spice rack? You know the type I'm talking about. It looks so nice you probably put it on display. Lots of bottles, labeled and filled with herbs and spices. Sadly herbs and spices deteriorate rapidly when exposed to the sun. I know. I had spices lined up on a counter ledge. Every time I went to use them I was dismayed at how weak or faded they were.
There are a couple of things you can do to boost the flavor of spices that you cook with. One thing is to buy whole spices and to grind them when you use them. You know how much better fresh ground pepper is than pre-ground pepper, right? Well if you only grind one other spice, make it nutmeg. You will be amazed at how much better it is freshly ground. I use it in spinach, with cheese dishes, in baked goods. It's quite versatile actually. The one spice you should not grind yourself is cinnamon sticks. Turns out that the cinnamon we get in sticks is not as good quality as the ground stuff. Check out Penzeys for a whopping seven different kinds of cinnamon for purchase. Penzeys also has a terrific catalog of herbs and spices that includes lots of recipes, you can request it online. If you're the type of person who prefers spice mixes to the single spices, they also have a number of those, they make a great gift for someone just getting into cooking, maybe you?
The other things you can do to keep your herbs and spices fresh is to store them in the dark or conversely to put them in containers that protect them from the light. That's what I just did. After receiving several spices from Dean & Deluca in seamless tins, I noticed that they lasted much longer than the spices I had in jars. It was time to make a change. I found seamless tins of all sizes at reasonable prices at The Container Store. You can buy the containers online or in the stores. Labeled and lined up they look very chic and they stack so nicely you'll kiss your spice rack goodbye.
- Fresh From The Tree...
What was the photo in my last post? Donna of Wine Stained Cloth guessed it--it's a fresh nutmeg, covered in mace. The seed is found inside the fruit and the red veins are mace. When peeled, the mace dries in about a week then it can be ground and...
- Za'atar Spice Mix Recipe
When I find a new ingredient I am intrigued. So it's not unusual for me to buy something I have absolutely no idea what to do with. Lately I have have been drawn to the Middle Eastern ingredients I've discovered in a fresh produce market. Last...
- The Occasional Gourmet Spices
Cinnamon toast makes a wonderful comfort food. It's only bread, cinnamon, sugar and butter but it sure smells good. If there are just a couple of spices to always have on hand, cinnamon is one. Cinnamon is found in a variety of cuisines--Mexican,...
- 10 Minute Sesame Noodles Recipe
Condiments. I can't get enough of them. In our fridge we have no fewer than five mustards, six jams, seven Asian sauces, and various chutneys, Indian pickles, salsas, HP brown sauce, relish, horseradish sauce and ketchup. You name it, it's probably...
- Sugar High Friday #3: Spice Up Your Winter!
Yup, you got it! As I could ecstatically announce a couple of days ago, Jennifer let me host this months installment of the fabulous IMBB?-spin off, Sugar High Friday! Sugar High Friday is, as the name might imply, a day were the sweet-toothed...
Cooking
Spice Rack Redux
Do you have an old-fashioned spice rack? You know the type I'm talking about. It looks so nice you probably put it on display. Lots of bottles, labeled and filled with herbs and spices. Sadly herbs and spices deteriorate rapidly when exposed to the sun. I know. I had spices lined up on a counter ledge. Every time I went to use them I was dismayed at how weak or faded they were.
There are a couple of things you can do to boost the flavor of spices that you cook with. One thing is to buy whole spices and to grind them when you use them. You know how much better fresh ground pepper is than pre-ground pepper, right? Well if you only grind one other spice, make it nutmeg. You will be amazed at how much better it is freshly ground. I use it in spinach, with cheese dishes, in baked goods. It's quite versatile actually. The one spice you should not grind yourself is cinnamon sticks. Turns out that the cinnamon we get in sticks is not as good quality as the ground stuff. Check out Penzeys for a whopping seven different kinds of cinnamon for purchase. Penzeys also has a terrific catalog of herbs and spices that includes lots of recipes, you can request it online. If you're the type of person who prefers spice mixes to the single spices, they also have a number of those, they make a great gift for someone just getting into cooking, maybe you?
The other things you can do to keep your herbs and spices fresh is to store them in the dark or conversely to put them in containers that protect them from the light. That's what I just did. After receiving several spices from Dean & Deluca in seamless tins, I noticed that they lasted much longer than the spices I had in jars. It was time to make a change. I found seamless tins of all sizes at reasonable prices at The Container Store. You can buy the containers online or in the stores. Labeled and lined up they look very chic and they stack so nicely you'll kiss your spice rack goodbye.
- Fresh From The Tree...
What was the photo in my last post? Donna of Wine Stained Cloth guessed it--it's a fresh nutmeg, covered in mace. The seed is found inside the fruit and the red veins are mace. When peeled, the mace dries in about a week then it can be ground and...
- Za'atar Spice Mix Recipe
When I find a new ingredient I am intrigued. So it's not unusual for me to buy something I have absolutely no idea what to do with. Lately I have have been drawn to the Middle Eastern ingredients I've discovered in a fresh produce market. Last...
- The Occasional Gourmet Spices
Cinnamon toast makes a wonderful comfort food. It's only bread, cinnamon, sugar and butter but it sure smells good. If there are just a couple of spices to always have on hand, cinnamon is one. Cinnamon is found in a variety of cuisines--Mexican,...
- 10 Minute Sesame Noodles Recipe
Condiments. I can't get enough of them. In our fridge we have no fewer than five mustards, six jams, seven Asian sauces, and various chutneys, Indian pickles, salsas, HP brown sauce, relish, horseradish sauce and ketchup. You name it, it's probably...
- Sugar High Friday #3: Spice Up Your Winter!
Yup, you got it! As I could ecstatically announce a couple of days ago, Jennifer let me host this months installment of the fabulous IMBB?-spin off, Sugar High Friday! Sugar High Friday is, as the name might imply, a day were the sweet-toothed...