whole vs ground spices
I'm new to cooking and I just find some trouble understanding these two terms (probably because english is my second language ?).
I have tried google but I couldn't find something that would give a clear and concise definition.
Best Answer
Spices are vegetable products which add flavor to food. These are mostly fruits/seeds (mustard, cumin, poppy, coriander, fennel, pepper), roots (turmeric, ginger), tree bark (cinnamon) or flower buds (cloves). If it is used to flavor food and it is leafy and green it is a herb, otherwise it's a spice.
Spices are often dried to preserve them and concentrate their flavor. They can be used whole or ground. Ground spices are simply the whole spice turned into a powder. Whole spices keep their flavor longer than ground, but ground spices are easier to cook with as they take less time for the flavor to go into the food.
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Quick Answer about "whole vs ground spices"
Ground spices—at least when they're fresh and high-quality—have a more concentrated and immediate taste than whole because all of their flavor compounds have been brought to the surface, ready to hit your taste buds. This means that they're often more potent, and so you'll want to compensate by holding a little back.Are whole spices better than ground?
Whole spices are great. They usually keep for longer than their ground counterparts, since they lose less oil to the air than ground spices. This is because ground spices have more surface area exposed to the air, so their oils evaporate more rapidly.How do you substitute ground spices for whole spices?
How much do you need? The general rule of thumb is use half the amount of ground spice to whole spice. So 2 teaspoons of whole cumin seeds becomes 1 teaspoon of ground cumin. Do be aware though that whole spices which have been crushed, can colour a dish differently to pre ground ones.What spices are better whole?
5 spices to buy whole and grind at home for maximum flavor- Peppercorns. Given that pepper goes into almost every savory recipe, it's a no-brainer that it's included in this list. ...
- Nutmeg. ...
- Cumin. ...
- Coriander. ...
- Cardamom. ...
- More from Voraciously:
What are whole spices?
It's a great starting point for anyone looking to buy whole spices:- Anise seed.
- Cardamom pods (green and black)
- Celery seed.
- Cinnamon sticks.
- Cloves.
- Coriander seed.
- Cumin seed.
- Fennel seed.
Whole VS Ground Spices?
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Answer 2
There are so many spices few of which being cinnamon, cloves, fennel, star anise, fennel, etc. Now whole spices mean you incorporate the spices in their entire form. Alternatively you can use the spices in their powdered form , which can either be the sole spoce or a blend of different spices to make a spice powder. You can simply prepare a spice powder using a mortar and pestle. The taste is strikingly different between the different usages. You need to understand the recipe , and decide which suits it the most, the whole or the powdered form. Your taste buds can also help. You can always choose one over the other. No harm. But only by trying out many dishes using both whole spices and spice powder, you can understand it much more. And it will be easier for you to decide . Happy cooking!
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