THE SPICE RACK

Happy Thursday Chefs....

Spices, which are different from herbs, when handled and added properly to food create aromatic and taste enhancing properties. Most of us are oblivious as to which ones to use for what dishes, how to get the most flavor out of spices and how to determine when spices are stale.

Let's begin with the difference between herbs and spices.

HERBS and SPICES...What's the difference?
Herbs are the leaves of plants grown in either indoors or out, preferably in a controlled climate. Spices are the seeds, fruit, root or bark of the plant.

WHICH ONE DO I USE..and for WHAT?

There is no short cut in familiarizing yourself with each spices' flavor or aroma, or how it will effect the food, unless you experiment with spices and taste for yourself. For the most part, we are basically familiar with the common spices, which can be found in your cabinets. Parsley, Basil, Oregano, Cumin, Cayenne, Rosemary, Thyme, Cinnamon, Sage, Paprika, etc. Yes, you can scour the internet and find pages among pages of lists of spices and their common uses, but that knowledge doesn't guarantee you're going to like the flavor.

QUALITY/FRESHNESS

It's best to choose fresh quality spices, when available, the cost difference is slight and well worth it in the long run. Now that doesn't mean you have to spend $20 for a jar of cloves. It's possible you know!? I refer to quality, in this case, as fresh. I purchase most of my spices at The Fresh Market. A type of gourmet supermarket that specializes in the best produce, breads, meats, herbs and spices available. They more or less live up to their name and their spices are packaged by weight in little plastic ziplock bags, dated to ensure freshness. Again, this doesn't mean you cannot purchase jarred spices and achieve the same result.

Also, keep this in mind. When purchasing or receiving a spice rack with pre-filled jars of spices, be sure to check for freshness. You have no idea how long those things were sitting in a warehouse, then at the store. It could be years. Open each jar and smell them. If they have no fragrance, even after grinding a bit of it, ditch it! I don't even bother with checking if they're stale. I just purchase the spices I want and refill the jars with product I know is fresh. No different with jars of spices that have been sitting in your cabinets, from time to time, test them too. And always keep your spices in a cool, dry, dark place.

WHY ARE THERE so MANY TYPES of the SAME SPICE?
Many spices are available in a variety of types of the same spice. Whole, Crushed, Rubbed, Ground.  Now, since it hasn't been confusing enough, which one do you choose? The easiest way to tackle this would be to only look at them in two categories..Whole and Ground. Anything other than whole can almost be considered a ground. And since spices are most often dried, this is pretty straightfoward.

Whole spices are great when creating little cheescloth spice sachets for flavoring liquids. They also take longer to release flavor during the cooking process. Ground spices cover the rest of our flavoring needs and usually pack a much bigger punch of the two types.

ENHANCING THE SPICE

This is almost funny! I'm using spices to enhance my food, but now I have to enhance the spice...who's kidding who here? Believe it or not, by taking a spice and grinding it with a mortar and pestle, brings out more of the aromatics of the spice and by far increases its flavor properties. Try this. Take a pinch of dried basil and smell it. Rub it between your fingers, then smell again. Much more aromatic after rubbing it. Mortar and Pestles are great to have and are available in different sizes. There's definitely one out there that will work for you and well worth the small investment.

OK, I'VE CHOSEN THE SPICES I WANT TO USE....WHEN do I ADD THEM?
There is no set period of time when you should add spices to your cooking, but, be sure to add them before the end of cooking time. I would suggest, no less than 40 minutes before the dish is done. I, personally add them when I begin the cooking process. Don't overdo it, you can always add more to taste, but you can't remove it once it's in the pot!

SUMMARY
This is definitely one of those topics that one could rant on and on about. I created this post hoping to show the lighter side of what could be a very complicated subject that doesn't really need that much over-thinking.

It's very true that the right spices can take something ordinary and make it extraordinary; And you already have what you need right in your cupboards to get started. If there is something you're not familiar with, test it out. I use this little trick that works for me everytime...toast a slice of white bread and lightly butter. Cut the bread into small cubes. Then take the spices you want to sample and sprinkle a bit of each on a bread cube and eat. The warmth of the bread will enhance the spice and the butter gives it something to stick to.  The blandness of toasted bread is the perfect backdrop for distinguishing a new flavor. When you find ones you like, add them to your food when you deem appropriate. If you like cinnamon on fish, then go for it! Guidelines are so overrated! Enjoy!

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