Monday, June 9, 2014

Spices 101: Ten Things You're Doing Wrong With Your Herbs and Spices

The more I cook, the more tips I learn on proper ways to store and prepare spices. I’m passing on some of these lessons, which have made my cooking (and eating) an even more enjoyable experience.

1) Not storing them in airtight containers
Some of the most beautiful sights I see when I go to open markets are the spices out on display, usually in loose mounds displaying their full array of color. These gorgeous looking spices are the ones you should stay away from. Spices should be kept in airtight containers, and not in the open air, plastic bags or the like. Air and changes in temperature cause the spices to lose some of their potency – loose spices are also not very sanitary if you think about it. Airtight glass or tin jars are ideal for storage.

2) Not storing them where you can see them
Have you ever decided to organize your kitchen cabinets and realize that you have not one, but three different bottles of dried rosemary?! I have! This is what happens when you can’t see the spices you have on hand. My advice is simple: keep them ALL in the same place, and make them all visible at a glance. No need to alphabetize them or anything.

Are you like many city dwellers and short on space? Buy a clear storage container where you can lay them out flat and view them at a glance when you start cooking.

3) Buying them already ground
Do yourself a favor and get a spice grinder. When you purchase spices whole, their fragrant oils remain intact and potent for much longer than if you buy them already ground. It’s also easier to toast spices to release those oils if they are whole. Try to grind the spices as close to when you’ll be using them as possible. If you have a sensitive nose for these things, you will notice a difference in the flavor of your foods – if you don’t, someone you cook for most likely will.

4) Paying premiums for lower quality brands
Stop buying your spices at places like Key Food, C-Town and other discount stores – just stop it! Even their gourmet sections aren't as high a quality as what you can get through a spice purveyor, and are usually more expensive.  Check out penzeys.com or thespicehouse.com for great quality spices at lower costs. Watch out for sales and specials and plan your spice shopping out in advance. To take advantage of free shipping promotions, note when you are running low on some spices and then do a bulk order for what you know you’ll need.

5) Buying too much when you know you only use a little
You’ll notice I have a large array of spices, but most of the bottles are in ¼ cup portions. This is because the spices that I don’t use as often can go stale if stored for too long. Buying them in smaller quantities saves me storage space and helps guarantee that the spice will not sit for very long. Sure, it’s .20 cents cheaper per ounce if you buy the 1 cup bottle, but are you really going to use that much fennel seed?

6) Not checking the expiration dates
This can be a little misleading because spices don’t actually spoil – they just go stale and lose their potency. You can use a teaspoon of thyme for a recipe and not have it taste how it’s supposed to if you’ve had that bottle of thyme for five years. If possible, check the expiration dates before you purchase them.

On the other hand, if you have whole spices, you can extend their potency by lightly toasting them just before grinding them.

7) Buying pre-mixed seasonings
I was shopping hungry (something you should never do) at the market the other day when I felt a hankering for some Cajun food. I saw this bottle of Creole seasoning and thought, this looks great (advertising does wonders). Then I saw that the bottle was pretty large (8 oz) and that it was $8.99 – wow! I checked the back and saw that the spices listed, I already had at home. So I put the bottle down, went back home, looked up a Creole seasoning recipe online and went to work. The Creole fish I made that night tasted extra special – the secret ingredient that gave it that extra bit of deliciousness was the fact that I saved $8.99… yummay!

Before you buy any pre-mixed seasonings, check to see if you have the ingredients at home already. When you make your own seasoning you can control the quality of the spices, the use of artificial preservatives, the amount of salt, and the use of MSG or monosodium glutamate as some companies have started writing out the entire name, hoping we won’t realize it’s MSG.

8) Using too much in your food
Yay, spices are great! Now simma’ down… you don’t need to drown your chicken in cayenne pepper to impart flavor, a ¼ teaspoon is fine. The same goes with other spices like garlic powder. You want to enhance the flavor of the food, not mask it.

9) Only using salt and pepper
Many fine restaurants and institutions mostly cook with sea salt, pepper, and butter. It’s nice that their ingredients are so fresh that they just need to add a pinch of salt, a dash of this and violá!  But homecooks aren't cooking up expensive ingredients like calamari, sea urchin, and pâté every night. It’s okay to add a little flavor – you’re missing out on a whole world of experiences if you’re afraid to use spices. And for the record, spices don’t always mean hot. Only some spices impart heat like pepper and ginger; others like cumin won’t make you down a jug of ice water to recover.


10) Contaminating the containers
Most of us use spices when seasoning raw meat. Make sure you wash your hands or use a clean hand when handling your spice containers. That chicken juice isn’t coming off that bottle unless you wash it off or wipe it with a disinfectant wipe. The best way to avoid cross-contamination in this scenario is to open your spice containers before handling the meat. Use one hand to shake the spice on and the other to massage the meat and never let them touch unless you’re washing them.
I really do love cooking with different spices, and I think you'd be surprised at how much variety they can add to even the simplest meals. These tips I've provided are a result of the trials, errors, and success I've had in the kitchen. I hope they're helpful to you as they were to me.

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