Why buy ground cinnamon instead of cinnamon sticks?
Ground cinnamon is less expensive then cinnamon sticks. I've read that it is also more flavorful. However, cinnamon sticks last a lot longer. Also, ground cinnamon is likely to have mystery ingredients. Will I (a cinnamon nut) be disappointed if I stock up on cinnamon sticks instead of ground cinnamon?
Best Answer
Different applications, sticks are mainly used when you wish to infuse a cinnamon flavour in a dish, where the spices are removed at the end, a biryani is a good example. Ground cinnamon is used when the spice is to be left in, or be present throughout a substance, like in cakes for instance.
Ground cinnamon will leave a stronger flavour partly because it is left in and possibly due to the flavour extracting easier due to higher surface area and broken structure.
Cinnamon is notoriously hard to grind smoothly, so people tend to buy both for their respective uses.
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Quick Answer about "Why buy ground cinnamon instead of cinnamon sticks?"
Ground cinnamon will leave a stronger flavour partly because it is left in and possibly due to the flavour extracting easier due to higher surface area and broken structure. Cinnamon is notoriously hard to grind smoothly, so people tend to buy both for their respective uses.Can ground cinnamon be substituted for cinnamon sticks?
If your recipe calls for whole cinnamon sticks, you may use ground cinnamon if you have it on hand. Whether it's a good idea depends on the recipe! A rule of thumb is to use \xbd teaspoon ground cinnamon to replace 1 cinnamon stick.Is cinnamon powder as good as the stick?
Sticks are more expensive and gives great flavor if you want to infuse in a liquid leading to a strong cinnamon flavor. Powder is great if you're adding a pinch of this a pinch of that and for solids like cakes etc.Is ground cinnamon the same as sticks?
You can substitute ground cinnamon for the stick where appropriate (1 -3" stick = 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon).Why is ground cinnamon cheaper than cinnamon sticks?
The cinnamon stick has to be extracted in one piece, making it a little more fragile and harder to harvest. Also, there is less demand for cinnamon sticks than there is for ground cinnamon. (Perhaps part of the decreased demand comes from the fact that they are outrageously expensive.How to Make Ground Cinnamon from Cinnamon Sticks
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Answer 2
Orbling brings up an excellent point about the difficulty of grinding cinnamon to a smooth powder. There are two main different types of cinnamon sticks: Ceylon and cassia. Cassia sticks are thicker and more stiff. Ceylon or "true" cinnamon resembles more of a rolled up parchment and has more delicate, sweet taste to it.
One reason to purchase sticks would be to roast cinnamon (easy to do in a cast iron pan)then grind it. Ceylon is easier to grind because it's a thinner stick.
I purchase both because each serves different purposes.
Answer 3
I highly doubt that ground cinnamon is "likely to have mystery ingredients". Ground spices are just the whole spices, ground up.
In fact there's nothing particularly unique about cinnamon in this respect. The reason to buy ground spices is the same reason to buy ground meat: Because you don't have a reliable spice grinder, or just for general convenience.
Cinnamon sticks don't last forever, though. I would still try to use them up within a year or two.
Answer 4
There is a distinct difference between Ceylon (true cinnamon) and Cassia cinnamon which is what is primarily sold in North America. Cassia cinnamon has large amounts of coumarin.
This and other things are mentioned in this blog post.
Also, Ceylon will grind up quite nicely in a spice grinder, the Cassia does not.
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Images: Patrícia Paixao, Ruby Sengar, Mareefe, Pixabay