A friend of mine told me she uses sumac (I am not sure she was teasing me, or what). Is sumac used in cuisine? If it is used, what is it used for?
I'm making a dish that calls for six cardamom pods added while cooking. After the dish cooks, should I make the effort to locate and remove the pods? I'm assumi
Besides the noticeable cost difference between these two, what is the difference between pimenton ahumado and pimenton de la vera? Both are purported to be Span
We have a large granite (I think) mortar and pestle, and while keeping it clean generally doesn't seem too difficult, I have absolutely no idea how to avoid it
What exactly is the chemical reaction that occurs when you cook Star Anise with Onions? According to Heston Blumenthal doing this intensifies the flavour of me
I'm having trouble converting the chili recipes I find to use something other than of-the-shelf chili-powder. Thanks to a simply wonderful local spice shop, we
I'm trying to recreate a dish I had at Alinea a while ago. Their forum actually had a good start for this dish: The garnishes on the surface are Hawaiian
Some recipes call for whole peppercorns. Why not crack them and use a lot less? In a cooking show I watched recently the host specifically said "Do not crack or
Is coriander dried cilantro seed? Has anyone used dried cilantro, and if so how does it compare to fresh cilantro. I assume fresh is better but please describ
I have accidentally brought a load of fenugreek seeds, as apposed to leaves, and wonder if I can use them as a substitute. if not, what any ideas for what I ca
I've always been interested in trying to make some type of dahl or other Indian cuisine but I'm severely allergic to Cumin. This typically strikes me out for re
I have a recipe that calls for garlic powder, but I only have fresh garlic on hand. What ratio should I use to substitute?
I received several different pepper (spice) for christmas. One of them is a white pepper. Whenever I use (very) little of this white pepper in my dishes, the od
My recipe calls for Black Pepper. I have Cayenne Pepper. What ratio should I use to substitute to get approximatively the same "heat"? I realize that the res
Lately I've gotten into baking Red Potatoes with butter and spices and I've found I enjoy them when they are nice and tender. What's the best temperature for b
[I'm an amateur that experiments.] I recently realized I like chicken wrapped in tin foil after using salt, pepper and oregano on it, in 250C for up to 2 hours
I just bought a lovely bag of Garam Masala, and was all ready to grind some when I got home! But when I opened it, I found something I didn’t recognise &
Tonight, the main course is: Red Baron's Chicken Alfredo. The problem is that it's a little bland so I'm trying to figure out what the best s
I just tried to fry a salmon fillet and eat it as a I would a hamburger patty: with bread, cucumber and tomato. No matter my seasoning, I keep
I've taken a liking to the simple potato wedge as an alternate to mash potato when preparing meat and three vege. However, I'm trying to get a recipe that consi