To have a longer shelf-life, I tend to buy my spices in seed form and not pre-ground. Then, when I grind the spice, I have a better sense of its freshness as I can smell the release of its oils and gauge how powerful the spice will be in my dish. When I buy pre-ground spice I often find it quickly degrades after I open the lid and often I have to put more in for the impact I want. So here is every spice I grind myself.
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Processing Your Spices
Buy Whole
From my point of view, buying spices in their whole form is better than buying pre-ground spices (except for turmeric and ginger where I will buy either fresh or ground). In general, whole spices have a longer shelf life, and the spice is often at its peak immediately after it is ground and releases its oils. The smell of newly grated nutmeg is so much deeper than pre-ground, plus it feeds the air in the kitchen with its aromas.
Toast Spices
To toast either whole or ground spices, it is as simple as putting the spice in a dry (no oil), medium to low heated skillet, and stirring frequently until they release aromas and are toasted (or pop like mustard seeds). Then, quickly remove them from the pan and into a cooler bowl or plate.
Tempering Whole or Ground Spices
To temper whole spices, you heat a skillet, add some high-smoke level oil (or ghee) to the pan, and after the oil is hot add spices to ”bloom”.
According to BonAppetit: blooming spices in fat is a South Asian cooking technique that brings the complex aromas to their fullest expression. This is because many of the flavor compounds found in spices are fat-soluble and because fat coats the tongue, bringing those aromatic compounds into contact with your taste buds for a longer period of time.
The spice opens itself to manifest all of its aromatic and flavor compounds, and infuses the oil or ghee as well. These then are poured over your dish to add some cooking magic.
As a side note, some herbs can be tempered too, and the spices and herbs bloomed in oil can have 10 times more flavor: thyme, rosemary, lavender, sage, savory, and bay leaves (1).
Making Your Own Ground Spice
Equipment
There are four types of equipment I use to make ground spice.
- Pestle and mortar
- Coffee grinder (or electric grinder, or just grinder) set aside just for spice
- Story time: I did once accidentally use my spice grinder for coffee beans and noticed only after I had started grinding the coffee beans. Instantly, I was hit with a spice smell. But, as it was too late, I continued to grind the coffee and made my drink. Luckily, I had recognized the smell and my coffee tasted great. The spice I had used, prior to the coffee, was cardamom.
- A planer (aka microplanning)
- A hand mill (aka peppermill)
Each of these have their own terms for what it does to the spice:
- Pestle and mortar smashes the spice
- A grinder grinds the spice
- A planer grates the spice
- The Peppermill also grinds the spice
Ground Side Effect
The side effect of converting whole spice to ground spice is that the oils are released at the time of conversion, exposure to oxygen can dissipate the strength of the spice oils rather quickly. So I try to not grind up more than I need for the dish I am working on at the moment. But my little glass spice jars in the kitchen are used for any overage and I will use them first on the next dish.
TIP: If you are using a spice that can be toasted, do so before grinding and all that released richness will wind up in your ground spice.
List of My Kitchen Spices
Anise: This is a star-shapped, dried fruit from a specific tree. For some Chinese dishes ground anise is one of the ingredients in spice blends, but usually I just add them whole (like in a Pho beef broth, or mulled wine) and have never had to grind them. Anise can be toasted.
Green Cardamom: There are 3 ways I use this spice, as smashed, ground up, or seeds only. Cardamom can also be toasted.
- Using seeds only: Use a mortar and pestle to break the outer fibrous shell and pick out the little black seeds to grind.
- Using shell + seeds: Smash the shelled seeds in mortar and pestle so the shell cracks, then add those to the dish and if in a broth or sauce pour through a colander to remove bits before serving.
- Using the Electric grinder chop up both the shell and seed finely.
Chilis: Caution when working with chilies, and I am speaking from experience here, the oil gets everywhere when grilling, grinding or smashing. So be very careful, and if you were to wear safety goggles, respirator, and gloves or your own personal hazmat suit, I would not shame you (but would take a picture).
Except for using smashed chilis, or dried ones, I buy the powders or chili sauces. I usually smash chilies in the mortar and pestle to add to my cooking, but I do have some whole Mexican dried red chilis that are used as-is in dishes, or I might grind them up the in electric grinder.
- Paprika is a generally mild chili and I buy Turkish sweet paprika, or from Spain for a smoky paprika. Normally used for adding some color and a bit of flavor, especially with the smoky style.
- Cayenne that I have seen in recipes is usually called for in 1/8 – 1/4t range, so not used as much.
- Dried red pepper flakes I just buy and use, and do not make my own. But these pepper flakes can be tempered in vegetable oil to release some its heat.
- Another story: From college I learned when my friends and I bought pizza I would grab a packet or two of the dried red pepper flakes and fill up a spice jar at home so I never had to buy any.
- Fresh Poblanos are processed by me usually by blistering over the gas stove fire, or roasting in the oven, then chopping or smashing in mortar and pestle. I have a post on poblanos here: [Poblanos].
Cinnamon: Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus Cinnamomum. Cinnamomum verum is sometimes considered to be “true cinnamon”, but most cinnamon in international commerce is derived from the related species Cinnamomum cassia (1).
If I were going to make my own cinnamon powder I would use the thinner barked Verum variety over the cassia version, and would break it up as much as I could. This is not the version we are all familiar with, but does add a subtle depth to any dish. The Cinnamon Cassia version I would just buy ground, this version is the spice version we are most familiar with in the USA, and by the way ground Cinnamon can be toasted.
Cloves: The clove we use in cooking is the dried immature flower bud that grows on a tree. I use a grinder for this due to the spice being so dang hard and short. You could hurt yourself trying to use a planer.
Coriander: These are the soft, dried seeds from the cilantro plant, although the use of coriander and cilantro is not global, I do use it fairly often. Some use the coriander seed, and others the coriander leaf, while I use both.
I use the mortar and pestle to smash these seeds into a powder. When lightly smashed, this spice is great for blooming on the stovetop. Coriander can be toasted.
Cumin: I use a grinder for this as the seeds need to be in a good fine powder form, but if I just need a bit, I will crush them in a mortar and pestle for ease. This spice is great for blooming or toasting on the stovetop.
Fennel: I use the mortar and pestle to smash this seed but do not usually grind it all the way to a powder, depends upon the recipe. Fennel can be toasted.
Garlic: I use one of two methods for grinding garlic, either I smash fresh garlic cloves in a pestle and mortar, or grate them on a planer. But you could make a garlic powder by slicing the garlic, putting it out to dry in the sun, then grind up the dried bits.
When I do buy dried garlic, I go not for the garlic powder but for granules.
Ginger: This spice grows underground and is considered a rhizome, essentially an underground modified stem. I generally use fresh ginger, and a planer grates the ginger easily, or I use a knife to slice it. When grating fresh ginger you can see how fibrous this rhizome actually is. To make your own powder, slice the ginger into very thin coins, then sun dry, and place them in a grinder; then it is a matter of using a sieve to separate the powder from the fibers. Buying powdered ginger is okay, for they seem to retain their essential flavor and aroma nicely.
Mustard Seeds: These come in a few colors, the sweeter yellow and pungent brown ones come to mind, while I use black seeds generally whole and toast them in a dry skillet. This spice is great for blooming on the stovetop, although the whole seed tended to pop, and pop right out of the skillet so I have a lid nearby. The darker the color, the stronger the mustard.
Nutmeg: The nutmeg we buy in stores has had a few layers of covering removed, the outer shell, the reddish lace-looking covering (which is Mace) then a shell that gets cracked to get to the inner nutmeg seed. Now the seed has no aroma and nothing shows of what magic this spice has, until you use a planer to grind the seed, release its oils, and it makes a very fluffy type of grated spice.
Peppercorns: This small, dark (green, black, purple or red, depending on the level of ripeness) fruit releases its oil quickly (within minutes) after being ground, which is why I grind it into my food directly using a Peppermill. I never buy the pre-ground pepper as I have found all it does is introduce black and white flecks into my food but nothing else since the oils are aged and the aroma is gone.
Saffron: I use the saffron whole, and generally in a rice dish for its coloring, as well as for its very subtle hints of fruit. I have written a post on this spice, as I visited a saffron farm in California: [Saffron Delights].
Sumac: These berries can be reddish to brownish depending upon source. I generally grind the berries in the electric grinder and sieve the contents so that the chunkier parts are not used, or are ground again to get to a more powder consistency. I use this spice to marinate meats, like chicken, especially if cooking Arab or Persian cuisine; then I would follow up with a spice mix like baharat before cooking.
Turmeric: This spice grows underground and is considered a rhizome, essentially an underground modified stem. I generally do not use fresh turmeric, but have a planer that could grate it easily, or I could use a knife to slice. To make your own powder, slice the turmeric into very thin coins, then sun dry, and place them in a grinder; then it is a matter of using a sieve to separate the powder from the fibers. I think buying pre-powdered turmeric is okay, for they seem to retain their essential flavor, coloring capability, and aroma nicely.
Vanilla: Most food markets sell fake vanilla flavoring and not an actual vanilla bean product. Unless you make your own, which I do: [Extracts]. Most people just add the whole vanilla bean to the liquid, but I prefer to split the vanilla beans in half before pouring the liquid over them. To me the flavor from the seeds enhances the vanilla.
Notes
I do not normally buy spice blends, as I prefer to make my own. The only exception is that if I like a particular curry I will buy that blend; or I will buy some other Middle Eastern and South East Asian blends if I really like them.
— Patty
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