How to Choose Spices

Spices are one of the most intimidating ingredients you will ever use in cooking. How many times have you found a recipe and wondered what a certain spice tastes like? Some people are so intimidated by spices they’ve never tried that they just leave them out of the recipe. This means that their spice rack is always filled with the same spices. Some racks are even filled with bottles that have never been opened. How can you choose spices that work for your style of cooking? Better yet, how do you choose spices that have the best flavor? It’s easy, once you learn a few tips.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Consider the types of cooking you do most often. There are certain spices that are needed for different types of cooking. For example, if you love to do Cajun-style cooking, you would choose hot spices, such as cayenne pepper. If you prefer French cuisine, you want to choose Herbs de Provence.

2. Research different types of spices. Anytime a recipe mentions a spice you’ve never used, look it up. There are hundreds of resources online and you can even find spice dictionaries and encyclopedias. These resources will give you a better idea of what flavors to expect. Knowing what the spice tastes like will help you better decide if it’s something you want to add to a recipe (see Resources below).

3. Buy whole spices rather than ground. Whole spices retain the most amount of flavor. Ground spices on the other hand, start losing their flavor as soon as their ground. This means that even if you don’t cook very often, you can get the most out of the spices you choose. Simply grind what you need and store the rest for later.

4. Visit a gourmet food stores. It’s true that grocery stores have a larger selection than they once did. Still, grocery stores offer mostly ground spices. A gourmet food store not only offers a large selection, but you can purchase both ground and whole spices. The staff will even be able to tell you more about each spice and what dishes they work best in.

5. Shop online for hard to find spices. There are some spices that may be hard to find. Thankfully, there are online shops that specialize in spices. With a few simple clicks of the mouse, you’ll be ready to enjoy new flavors (see Resources below).

Tips & Warnings

• Researching your favorite cuisine will help you better choose the exact spices you need.
• A coffee grinder works great for spices.
• Many online spice shops require you to buy in bulk.

Resources

• Encyclopedia of Spices
• Savory Spice Shop
• The Spice House

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[seebra]

on 9/10/2009 As a mom, I have developed a passion for cooking natural, healthy foods for my family. Spices have always intimidated me, and choosing spices has always been a struggle, due to MSG and other preservatives that always seem to be packed into the spices. I did find a source for natural spices that also offers the added bonus of free samples with my orders - so I am less afraid to try something new. http://www.myspicesage.com is a great place to get started, as they give new cooks guidance to the most popular and necessary spices for your pantry!