Questions tagged [spices]
Culinary use of spices, defined as the edible but non-leafy parts of certain plants.
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Adding spiciness to indian curry at the end of cooking
When making Indian curries, I usually lightly fry the spices (cumin, coriander, turmeric, and kashmiri chili powder), as most recipes state that this is needed to get rid of the "raw" taste. Sometimes ...
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What is the difference between kosher dill pickles and Polish dill pickles?
What is the difference in taste between kosher dill pickles and polish dill pickles? Do they have any visual distinctions that would make it possible to differentiate between them on sight?
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What is White Cumin and Green Cumin?
I'm learning about the spice cumin (Cuminum Cyminum) and I understand how it is naturally a golden brown color seed that tastes bitter with a hint of lemon and warmth.
I learned that black cumin (...
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How should I use Mole Amarillo Powder?
On a recent trip to Oaxaca, Mexico, I bought an unlabelled bag of mole amarillo (yellow mole) powder from a spice vendor. I neglected to ask them how it should be used in recipes. While I'm used to ...
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Spice blend replacement?
I have been using something called "Tandoori Blend" from spice hunter for years, but they don't seem to make it anymore. :(
I don't think it's a regular tandoori, since it's colored more ...
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Too much nutmeg?
Short version:
Is about 3 g nutmeg too much for a single meal?
Long version:
This evening, I prepared 2 big dishes of spinach lasagna. I like to eat rather spicy, but I overdid it a bit this time, ...
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Toasting dry rosemary
When I want to flavor my focaccias or bread loaves with spices or herbs, I add them dried to the dough instead of topping the final product before baking. In this way, I don't lose them when I slice ...
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What is ground red pepper?
I have the 75th anniversary edition of Joy of Cooking. I've now come across two recipes that call for "ground red pepper" (enchiladas and a dry rub). I've never heard of ground red pepper before and ...
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Do spices grown in higher altitude above 1500m for e.g. ( Himalayan foothills ) have any special feature or higher potency?
Do spices and herbs sourced from the foothills of the Himalayas such as Black Cardamom, Ginger, Pepper, etc have higher potency or flavor profile?
Compared to hills, they would lack nutrition, but how ...
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If you coat meat with spices how do you prevent them from burning when frying or grilling?
We are always warned when cooking with dry spices (e.g. chilli powder, cumin, coriander etc.) not to let the spices burn when cooking as they will turn bitter.
If one wishes to use a dry rub (e.g. ...
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Which spice gives brown colour to Indian curry?
Many of the premixed curry pastes and curry dishes I have eaten have a brownish / reddish colour to them.
I have a nice collection of spices that I cook with, but my curries seem to always look and ...
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Do I need to remove clove stems before grinding?
I have whole cloves and need to crush/grind them. Should I break the berry parts off the much-harder stem and just grind that, or is the whole thing meant to be used?
(I'm using a mortar and pestle, ...
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What is the name of the tool which involves a ball inside a sealed container that is shaken to grind up spices?
I have seen a tool which is in two parts. In either part, you place both the plastic ball that comes with the tool and spices. You then screw the two parts of the tool together (it's plastic, it's ...
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Balancing out saffron taste, chlorine/latex taste
I am cooking a chickpea stew and clearly used too much Saffron (high chlorine taste). Does anyone know what I can use to balance out or mask the flavour?
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Can I save my vinegar soaked caraway seeds?
I prepared some quick-pickled onions (the variety that you only keep in the fridge for a few days) and used a "boil the vinegar then pour it over" method. I accidentally dropped about 40g of ...
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What spices need to be cooked before use due to food safety concerns?
I recently purchased a home curry kit which comprised of various powdered spices (including chilli, cumin, coriander etc.) and a separate curry sauce. To use, the meat or veg is fried until browned, ...
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What is the approximate shelf life for herbal infused olive oil, coconut oil, glycerin, or vinegar?
What is the estimated shelf life (assuming you keep it in a dark place) for:
1)herbal infused olive oil? coconut oil?
2)herbal infused vinegar
3)herbal extract made from 50% glycerin in water (and ...
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Why does my curry taste flat
I made a curry using onions, garlic, tomato passata, coconut milk, coriander (leaf and ground), cumin, cardamom, star anise, ginger and chilli powder. I tasted it and it felt like it was missing ...
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First time and small batch biryani
I've dreamt of making biryani for some time, but have always felt intimidated by the layers and spices I'd need to buy.
Any ideas for a small pot version of biryani?
My friend's dad makes it ...
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Is sassafras root and licorice root the same thing?
I don’t want to make root beer I just want to know if licorice root and sassafras root are the same thing.
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Minimum time/temp for clove-flavor infusion?
I'm tweaking a recipe for cooked eggnog. The first step is to bring a combination of milk, light cream, and cloves to a scant boil. After that, the cloves are discarded.
I want to see if I can get ...
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What is this seed pod?
Every now and then I come across this seed pod when I order Baingan Bharta (aka Punjabi Eggplant) from my favorite Indian restaurant. They're roughly 2cm (3/4 inch) long and about as thick as a ...
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Is Moulin Rouge Ground Cinnamon the Cassia or Ceylon type?
I bought this big container of cinnamon a few months ago and I can't find any info as to the type of cinnamon it is: Cassia or Ceylon.
Can anyone identify the type of cinnamon here?
https://www.amazon....
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microplastics from plastic pepper grinders?
I have a regular (steel) pepper grinder but I have defaulted to buying and using the 'all-in-one" bottles of peppercorn with the grinder top' from Trader Joe's.
I am hearing more and more about ...
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How can I make a really gingery cookie?
I have tried various ginger cookie recipes over the years, for gingersnaps, gingerbread cookies, pfeffernusse, and most recently pepparkakor. I never find the cookies to be spicy enough—I assume, not ...
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Is there a guide for the purpose of each spice?
I'm wondering if there is a guide image or website that just lists most spices and what their purpose is, sometimes I don't know what spices to add to my food and it would help
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Is there some "trick" to be able to eat jalapeños without getting an "upset stomach"?
As a young teenager, I used to eat pizzas full of jalapeños and Tabasco on them, and very much enjoyed the spicy taste. In my mid-to-late 20s, I started feeling really sick when I ate these, even ...
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How much Saffron to use?
I'm a bit confused with how much saffron to use in a paella recipe. I've seen numerous recipes that state to use 1gram. However I have a 1gram jar and that seems like a lot of saffron to me. I've ...
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Spice with no Flavor or Aroma?
I lost the label on a bag of some sort of spice, and trying to figure out what it is got me really curious of what it possibly could be and what use it could ever serve.
It is light brown, even ...
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Grinding toasted spices without cooling
It is recommended when roasting whole spices in Indian cooking to cool them before grinding into a powder. Why do you need to wait for the spices to cool and what happens if you don’t?
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Shelf life of spices
The common wisdom I've heard is that dried herbs and spices:
have a shelf-life of about a year or 2
keep best in a cool dark place
will release more flavor when crushed
That's fine but some spices ...
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Can I substitute ketchup with tomato puree in marinades?
I want to experiment with various marinades the first time, and I've found great recipes but some of them require the use of ketchup.
While it sounds awesome, I find it unhealthy and prefer not to buy ...
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Are cardamom husks edible?
I have a recipe for a South Indian "allspice" mixture that includes cardamom among other spices. One begins with whole spices, toasted, and in the end they are ground in a coffee or spice ...
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Aleppo Pepper + Heat
I'm testing out a meatball recipe with aleppo pepper flakes, and although it's good, I want a little more heat. Do you think adding a touch of cayenne would do the trick? Would it pair well with the ...
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How much salt should I add to a dish?
I find it hard to figure out how much salt to add to dishes. I'm always afraid I'll make it too salty. Recipes always call for salt to taste, but what does that mean? Is there a good rule of thumb?
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Do I need to grind Ceylon Cinnamon sticks for coffee/tea, or can I add them whole?
I got some Ceylon Cinnamon sticks, but I haven't purchased the coffee grinder yet. I was wondering if I could add the sticks whole when I brew coffee or tea.
If so, how much per cup?
Do I need to ...
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How to neutralize spicy vapors if inhaled during cooking to stop nostril burning sensation and coughing?
Yesterday I did something wrong when adding some pepper flakes into an extremely hot pan with oil. The air around me instantly got spicy, and everyone standing in my kitchen or within its vicinity ...
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Do certain spices really go bad? or will people without refined palates usually not tell the difference, specifically chili powder?
All my seasonings/spices are at least a year old (most several years). I recently threw out nearly a full bottle of paprika because it was so strong (thought it went bad). I realized I was just ...
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Do different "regions" really have a "general common taste"?
I have now numerous times heard things such as:
In the final step, the factory adds custom spices for the specific region for which this batch of hotdogs are supposed to be sold.
It is strongly ...
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What determines spice level in Indian cuisine?
When I dine out for Indian cuisine, I prefer to order my food hot on the mild/medium/hot/spicy scale. This question is two-fold.
For cooking Indian cuisine at home, what ingredient do I adjust
(from ...
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If you boil cumin or other seeds, do the volatile oils get released into the sauce?
As above, if you use fennel, cumin or other seeds whole, will the oils get released into the pot liquid or must one ground the seed then add for the oils to come out?
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In what order should I put various "masalas" in chicken curry?
In what order, should I put the various masalas (en:spices) in my general Indian-style spicy chicken curry?
I have the following:
Chicken masala
Garam masala
Jeera masala
Chilli powder
Dhaniya masala
...
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What was Country Herb Chicken Sauce Blend?
An old hand-written recipe calls for one package of "Country Herb Chicken Sauce Blend", a presumably retired McCormick product. The recipe is quite similar to this one:
https://www....
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How can I determine how powerful certain herbs and spices are? Is there a list?
I am trying to determine the relative strength or potency of flavour that comes from different spices and herbs. I often find myself lost when trying to blend recipes since certain spices can be quite ...
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Substituting cayenne for red pepper flakes
My wife does not like alternating textures, or "surprises" in sauces. Thus I need to make certain concessions when cooking for her.
She does not like crushed red pepper flakes, but will readily take ...
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Name of an herb or spice that is small, dark spines [closed]
My question is about an herb that my mother used in her spaghetti sauce, and that I did as well using her recipe... And neither of us can remember what it actually was.
I remember the flavor, but ...
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How to preserve ground spices? [duplicate]
As soon as you grind a spice, it gets exposed to air and starts to lose its potency. I'm trying to figure out how I can grind them and reduce/prevent this from happening.
I guess you could put them ...
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Is there such a thing as a dish being bland from too many flavors?
My girlfriend has asked for my opinion on a few dishes that she has been experimenting with, and not being particularly well-versed in the language used to discuss food, I have been having trouble ...
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How do I age ginger?
For the past few months all I can find is young ginger from the grocers. I am in need of old ginger which I can't quite purchase.
I have tried to leave it out in the kitchen in an open basket (no ...
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Other 'hot' spices
The restaurant assured me that there was no chilli in the food but it was still too hot for me. What other spices, etc. can cause the heat effect in the mouth?
it was a Sri Lankan restaurant, very ...
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