13 May 2018 - Spice Rack

Your Guide to Spices and Herbs

"Spices and herbs include a great variety of vegetable products that are used to enhance the flavor of foods."

What is the difference between Herbs and Spices anyway?

HERBS

These are the parts of the plant that come from the leaves.

This includes basil, mint, rosemary, bay leaves, etc.

SPICES

Spices come from roots, stems, or seeds.

This includes cinnamon, cumin, ginger, etc.

So what do you need to know about herbs and spices when it comes to cooking?

A good recipe will tell you if you need fresh or dry herbs.

Dry herbs from will need to be added earlier in the cooking process so the flavor will have time to steep out into your dish.

Fresh herbs can be added towards the end of cooking. This is because the flavorful oils are released when prepping and cutting the herb.

Fresh is always best but not always cost effective.

Don't feel bad about keeping bottles of dry herbs around. Just keep these tips in mind and you might end up having more flavorful dishes.

For spices it isn't always expected that you will have ground your spices before using them.

Although, it is preferred but not expected.

If you ever want to prep your own spices you can use a coffee grinder or special spice grinder.

You can also test your strength by using a mortar and pestle.

Root spices like ginger and cinnamon can be grounded down by using a basic cheese grater.

...

Let's not forget today is also Mother's Day in 2018.

You better have gotten your mom something she will love.

You can always make her a nice homemade spice rack to put all her special herbs and spices.

Here is an idea from my favorite T.V. mom Linda Belcher!

I think I found my Halloween costume this year.

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Almanac for Homemakers

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