Spice Advice
I have talked about spices before, but now I'm serious! You can ruin an entire meal by using the wrong spices or ones that expired. Didn't you know spices could expire? Yes!
I only work on projects for The Frugal Experience that come out of real life. I think it is more genuine to bring everything you do out of personal experience. Here are my tips for upgrading your spice cabinet.
Spice Audit
The very first thing that has to happen before you can begin cooking great meals again is to audit your cabinet. Take all of your spices, herbs, etc. out and identify how long each spice has been around. Spices do expire! To be more accurate, spices lose their potency over time. A year old jar of chili powder won't kill you, but it will reduce your classic style chili to a muted mess of tomato sauce and beans. Gross!
You have to store every spice and herb properly to maintain its freshness. Caps and tops should be firmly shut before placing anything back onto the shelf. So, I make it a point to purchase the repeat offenders like salt & pepper, but leave off the Allspice and saffron until it is absolutely necessary. Even if it is on sale that week.... Saffron is never on sale by the way.
Quick Tips
1. Clean-up and reorganize your cabinet.
2. Get rid of old and expired spices.
3. Store your spices properly.
4. Make a plan to purchase frequently used spices when deals arise.
Check out EatByDate.com for more information on spice longevity.
Save and Reuse
Before you recycle all your now empty containers make sure you don't have a need for the good ones. Give them all a good wash with soapy water before putting them in the recycle bin. I suggest keeping a few for future use. Always keep glass containers. Glass containers provide better visibility when using old containers for new spices.
The secret to keeping spices fresh is knowing what is in your cabinet at all times. Next, always keep a variety of sizes when deciding on what empty containers to throw out. It is a rule of thumb to keep a couple very tiny containers for those special spices, a couple of the ones I call regular sizes for repeated use, a couple large everyday ones (about the size of a standard Morton salt container) and a huge one for mixing special blends.
Quick Tips
1. Clean, recycle and reuse.
2. Always keep the glass containers.
3. Always keep a variety of sizes.
How to Buy
Buying spices is the halfway point for a good meal. You cannot just arbitrarily buy spices of the specific kind without a plan. Salt and pepper are a given, but beyond those two put some effort into stocking your cabinet. When buying any spice remember that not all spices are created equal. Brand names are a good indicator of spice quality but only 50% of the time. The simpler the spice combination the better. If you pick up any one spice that has any added ingredient throw it back. Garlic powder should only have garlic powder as the contents.
Try shopping at stores with dedicated spice sections where buying in bulk is encouraged and worth the money. Often times the farmer's market is the best option for whole spices and herbs. You can be proactive by grinding and drying them yourself to know that the quality is up to your standards. Lastly, spend a little money on ones you need most and a little less on the ones that have no real distinction. Salt, in my opinion, will still be salty even if you only spent cents on it. However, a good turmeric may be hard to find if you're looking in the $1 section.
Quick Tips
1. Know your intended use.
2. Quality is in the eye of the buyer.
3. A simpler mix is always the best to buy.
4. Buy in bulk.
5. Spend a little extra for the good stuff.
Flavor in a Pinch
The number one rule to remember is that less is more. You can always add more seasonings to a dish to bring it up to your standards, but you cannot remove the excess oregano from your pasta sauce. I prefer to season in stages for all my dishes. Use salt in the beginning and at the halfway point of completion for any meal. If you over season in the beginning then you have time to balance out the flavors with other ingredients. If it needs more do it at the halfway point and go easy.
If you can mix up a blend beforehand then do so. Your house seasoning will always be perfectly proportioned when quickly adding it to dishes. When flavoring familiar dishes get creative by using new spice combinations. It never hurts to test out new blends to propel your taste buds.
Quick Tips
1. Less is more when seasoning any dish.
2. Season in stages by sticking to the beginning and middle of the dish preparation.
3. Mix up your own special blend.
4. Try something new
If you have some unique spice combinations that create awesome flavors feel free to leave a comment or message me on social media. I love learning about new ways to try different things flavors. Now, go forth and get seasoning!
Cook.Discuss.Reflect
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