Basics: Spices Are Flavor Bombs

A good craftsman takes care of his tools, and a good cook dotes over their spices and herbs. These aromatic, tantalizing, and abundant additions to dishes are absolutely essential for any recipe, but there are some guidelines to follow.

Your style of cooking will determine what sits on your spice rack. Love Italian food? Oregano is going to be a staple. Enjoy Mexican food? Cayenne is likely your favorite.

That’s not to say you cannot mix and try a different flavor profile. Fusion dishes were born from such experimentation. (Check out my Chicken Fajita Pasta recipe)

The form of your spice is as important as the flavor. Whole spice seeds will last longer than ground spices and provide a more flavorful addition. They do require a little work to use. Electric grinders are the easiest way to break down a seed. Small coffee grinders will do, but be wary of trying to grind your morning beans after using it for nutmeg the night before.

I prefer a mortar and pestle. I can control the consistency of the grind better, plus it is kind of cool to have on your shelf. Mine is made of marble, and there are as many types and sizes as there are spices. Pick one that fits your needs and your kitchen décor.

Spices and herbs do not live forever, particularly the ground versions. They will lose their strength and effectiveness as the oils of the seeds begin to evaporate. Six months for ground spices is usually a good amount of time before they start to slide. Seeds can definitely last longer.

Does that mean toss them? Not necessarily.

You may find you need to add a little more to achieve the same level of flavor. That’s okay. But think about refreshing your supply after a year. The bottles and jars are not usually airtight, and time is not a friend to spices.

But I have spent a lot of money on this one spice!

Then find more recipes to use it. Fresh spices and herbs will make your recipes sing with flavor and brightness. Don’t let those great additions go to waste.

One important point if you are using fresh herbs instead of dried. Because of the drying factor, those dried herb leaves are going to have less strength in your dish than fresh ones. You will need about 3 times as many dried as fresh to get the same impact in your recipe. This does not apply to ground versus whole seeds.

Beyond the basics, some spice companies are combining flavors to create new spice sensations. McCormick Spices is releasing McCormick Flavor Inspirations, a melding of aromas and culinary experiences to add something different to your dishes.

I have tried three of them: Old Bay malt vinegar, ghost ranch, and sesame garlic gomasio. Individually, each has a flavor profile that is similar to something I have had in the past, but the combinations or additions make it very unique.

The malt vinegar and the ghost ranch are in powder form, while the gomasio contains larger bits. I find myself adding more of these flavor inspirations than I would expect. The impact on the taste buds is enjoyable, but I need more to gain the desired effect.

The combinations are intriguing, and I have used them on meat, vegetables, breads, pretty much anything that would require some element of the combination. There are others being offered by McCormick, and I’m sure more are coming.

Note: I am not being compensated by McCormick for this post. These are my personal thoughts.

Regardless if you are going for an original flavor or something more out of the box, spices are the difference between a flat dish and one that dances on the palate. Keep them fresh, and grind up whole seeds if you can.

Experiment with new combinations and change up your recipes to add a new flavor component. You control it all. Why not make it your own as well?

In a future post, I will talk about the best of flavors: capsaicin. Which can absolutely be an Icarus addition to any recipe (literary reference).