Spice Up Your Life…Part 1
How many of us can’t remember the last time we bought spices?
Go to your spice cabinet, open up a few jars and do a blind sniff test. Chances are, more than a few people out there won’t be able to tell the oregano from the ground nutmeg. (If you can avoid it, never ever use ground nutmeg. It loses flavor the instant it’s ground. Get yourself a nice whole nutmeg and grate just what you need each time. It should last a good long time and the last serving will have as much flavor as the first serving!)When you use fresh dried herbs and spices, you get far more flavor using less. (You might actually be able to use just what the recipe calls for) It’s also easier to add good flavor with less salt when your spices do their job.
The best advise on purchasing spices is to purchase only what you plan on using in a year. Then label it with the date of purchase. When you notice a year has passed, give it a good sniff. If it still has a good aroma, continue using it. If it smells more like sawdust than what the label says, pitch and replace it. The exceptions to this rule are spices that are in their whole form. Peppercorns, star anise, salt, cloves and nutmeg to name a few.
Choose your spices carefully. There are many good brands out there. My favorite is Penzeys. They aren’t available in grocery stores though. My husband and I received a gift box a number of years ago and the spices were so fresh and bold that when we took a trip which brought us in the vicinity of one of their stores, we had to make a detour. The place smells amazing! Everything they sell is available for sniffing. They have three stores that are driving distance for us, but since we try not to drive too far, we usually opt for mail order. If you want to check them out, the next time you take the train to NYC, check out their shop in Grand Central Terminal. It’s much smaller than most of their stores, but you’ll get a good idea of what they have. Also, check out their web site www.penzeys.com