Category: Spices Demystified

It is quality more than quantity that matters in a spice cupboard. You should be able to consolidate your needed spices to no more than twenty. At least once a year, take the money that you might spend on a nice meal and replenish your spices. Pass on your old spices to a friend who really doesn’t know any better.

Keep in mind, whole keeps fresh longer. Grind it when you need it.

CRITICAL SPICES Alspice Basil Bay Leaves Black Pepper (Whole) Cayenne Pepper Celery Seed Chili Powder Cinnamon (whole) Cloves (whole) Coriander (Whole Cilantro seed) Dill seed Garlic powder (not salt) Mustard (Ground) Nutmeg Oregano Paprika Parsley Red pepper flakes Rosemary Salt (Kosher Sea Salt) Tarragon White Pepper NICE TO HAVES Chives Cumin Lemon pepper Mace Marjoram Mustard seed Onion flakes (Dried) Oregano (Dried) Poppy seeds Saffron Sage Sesame seed Thyme (Dried) Turmeric IN THE FRIDGE Capers Carrots Celery Cilantro Dijon mustard Eggs Flat-leaf parsley Ginger root (Whole) Ketchup Mayonnaise Milk Parmegiano-Reggiano Soy sauce Tomato (whole)

COMPLEX PRE-MIXED SPICES Buy if you need them Chinese 5 Spice Powder Garam Marsala Curry Powder Chili Powder IN THE FREEZER Frozen Carrots Frozen Peas Frozen Spinach PANTRY STAPLES Baking potatoes Beef stock Bisquick Chicken stock Cream of mushroom soup Deli brown mustard Diced tomatoes (canned) EVOO (Extra-Virgin olive oil) Garlic cloves – lots! Lemons Limes Louisiana hot sauce/Tabasco Nuts (almonds, peanuts, pecans, walnuts) Olive oil Pasta Peanut butter Pure maple syrup Roasted red peppers (12-16 oz. jar) Sesame seeds (Toasted) Soy sauce Spanish or yellow onions Teriyaki sauce Tomato paste Tomato sauce Vanilla extract (Pure) Worchestershire sauce DON’T BOTHER WITH THESE Barbecue sauce and Bullion cubes Anise Cardamom Carraway seed Chicken, Beef or Vegetable stock Cajun seasoning Chipotle powder Curry Powder Fennel Seed Greek seasoning Herbs de Provence Italian seasoning Poultry seasoning Taco seasoning.

OK, in a perfect world, we would use spices that are no more than 6 months old. Here in the real world, use this as your “get by” rule of thumb:

• Keep the Critical Spices up to date, that is; refresh every 6 months – especially if they are ground spices. It will cost you about what one good meal might cost you.
• Replace the Nice to Haves every 12 months. Replace all other spices at least every 24 months. They may taste closer to cardboard than the spice for which they were named, but there will at least be a slight resemblance after two years.
• Whole spices, such as nutmeg, will be good for two years.
• If you have spices older than two years, you should not be cooking.

spice shelf life – spice information – spices info – spice supply list

 

Good advice on spices

1. Use fewer ingredients. If you want more acidity use vinegar or lemon juice but not both. To create a briny taste use anchovies or capers but not both.
2. As ingredients cook, they become “tamed.” If you want (for example) a strong garlic taste, add the garlic at the end.
3. Chopping herbs roughly will keep more of their taste than if you mince them.
4. Don’t be afraid for foods to start toward room temperature. It’s better than too cold or too hot.
5. Don’t buy large quantities of oil or spices to save money. They will go bad or lose their potency before you can use them up.

Serve with sweet chutney along side to work with the spiciness.

Use these spices instead of salt

• For Fish or Chicken
  • Basil
  • Cumin
  • Dry Mustard
  • Paprika
  • Thyme
  • Paprika
  • Fresh Lemon
  • Poultry Seasoning
• For Beef or Pork
  • Basil
  • Horseradish
  • Onion
  • Sage
  • Rosemary
  • Garlic
  • Applesauce
  • Pepper
• Starchy and Non-Starchy Vegetables
  • Curry
  • Dill
  • Marjoram
  • Garlic
  • Basil
  • Oregano

• Baking soda is Calcium Bicarbonate, and is alkaline.  It requires an acid such as buttermilk, lemon or vinegar to produce Carbon Dioxide.  This is a stable chemical compound, so there is no need to replace it except every couple of years, and that is only because baking soda tends to absorb odors and flavors from its surroundings.
• Baking powder is made up of baking soda, plus corn starch plus cream of tartar.  Once the baking powder is dissolved, it acts as baking soda does.  Water speeds up the release of Carbon Dioxide.  The problem with this is that on the shelf, the reaction occurs more slowly, but it still occurs.  Replace your baking powder every six months.

Accompaniments can be as simple as bread and butter, or as complex as Cacik (a Turkish cucumber/yogurt side served cold)

An accompaniment should be selected so that it either enhances the flavor of the main course (like applesauce with pork chops) or provides a welcome relief (like crisp chips with a hot salsa). Textural compliments are also important (like scramble eggs with an English muffin.) The good thing is that there are only a few rules, and within that, you should experiment.

Salt and Pepper

1. SALT – Always use Sea Salt, not “the stuff in the round blue box.”  Whether you use fine or coarse sea salt is determined by the results you are looking for.

Another option is Maldon Salt, which is actually shaved flakes of salt.

2. PEPPER – Avoid ground or crushed black pepper because it gets stale. Buy peppercorns and (Peugeot) pepper mill. Replace peppercorns about every 6 months.

Sauces like ketchup and A-1 Sauce are great for the rest of the people but if you want a sauce that they will remember, take a base such as ketchup, and add some garlic powder to it, for example. Other fun spices to add are chili powder, onion powder, cumin, and similar things.

Salad dressings are equally fun to explore. The base is 1/2 vinegar and 1/2 oil. Mix the vinegar with a whisk as you drizzle VERY SLOWLY the olive oil into the vinegar. Some people say this is not necessary, but what you are doing is breaking the oil into tiny droplets that will NOT separate completely from the vinegar. Once that is done, add something fun like powdered ginger.

Even things like pickles can be improved upon. Sure; Vlasic makes a hell-uv-a pickle, but once you’ve made my bread and butter pickles, you’ll never go back to the dark side.