Category "spices"

How to deal with strong, sizable spices?

I've been making a lot of Indian food, and I've repeatedly had problems with certain spices being "overpowering" when you get a bite of them. I'm talking specif

What are those spices?

I was organizing and labeling my spices cabinet when I run into those two spices that I cannot recognize. I'm assuming one of them is fenugreek. I'm quite sure

Adding cayene early makes it less hot

I have a favorite jambalya recipe. I usually saute the trinity (celery, onions, green peppers) for a short while before adding garlic and then a longer while la

whole spices vs garam masala?

There are usually two ways of adding khada masala spices(cloves, cardamom etc) to a curry: Add the whole spices in the beginning in oil Add garam masala in the

How to clean/wash (Sichuan) peppercorns?

Tragically, I spilled over a bottle of Sichuan peppercorns on the kitchen floor, which is fairly dirty (we walk on it with outdoor shoes, and if you wipe at the

Toasting and blooming spices

From what I've read, to make some spices more "potent", you have to toast or bloom them. Take cinnamon stick for example, in most Indian recipes, they call for

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

Sweet = Sugar, Salty = Salt, Sour =?

I have thought of a funny concept on what makes things taste like this, taste like that, and it kinda looks like this: Sweet = Sugar (C6H12O6) Sour = ? Salty =

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 i

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 disc

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. I

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

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 reme

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 t

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 J

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 h

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 s

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

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

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