Blooming Spices
Heat a small amount of oil or ghee on medium low heat, and gently fry the spices in a single layer for perhaps 60 seconds. The quick exposure to heat will deepen the flavor.
Whole vs Ground & The Storage of Spices
Spices store best whole. While buying ground spices is very convenient, it decreases their shelf-life considerably. Spices immediately begin to lose their potency and aroma after being ground. The best practice is to use a spice grinder right before using spices for cooking. That said, I totally buy ground spices for convenience, but I often keep…
Flavor Profiles of Spices
In Unit 1, we talked about the five different flavors: salty, sweet, sour, bitter, and umami. But when it comes to spices, there are a few more words we can use to describe their taste and aroma. Some spices like paprika vary depending on the harvest, so paprika can be sweet, bitter, and/or hot. The words…
Creating Your Spice Inventory
Well, friends! This is an exciting chapter! So many of you have followed the Revived Kitchen for years and asked me about how to use spices in your cooking (and herbs, but that’s chapter four). I’m going to start out by listing all the spices in my personal inventory, just so you can see what an…
