Cooking Spices and Herbs

Have you ever wondered how you can improve the taste of your recipes? Cooking with spices and herbs can really help you achieve great cooking results. The following are some tips to improve your use of herbs and spices.

Webster's defines herbs and spices as:

An herb (pronounced ûrb in American English and hûrb in British English) is a plant grown for culinary or medicinal value. Typically, the green, leafy part of the plant is used. Herbs are distinguished from vegetables in that they are used in small quantities and provide flavor rather than substance to food. By contrast, spices are the seeds, berries, bark, or other parts of the plant. Spices are strongly flavoured or aromatic parts of plants used in small quantities in food as a preservative, or flavouring in cooking.
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Storage

In general, whole spices can be stored longer than ground spices which last about the same as leafy herbs. To know if they are good crush them, if no aroma is detected, the seasoning needs to be replaced. In general, whole spices can last two years and crushed spices 6 months but remember fresher is better. Whole herbs and spices last more than crushed or ground spices. However, many consumers prefer to buy the whole form and crush or grind as needed for greater freshness. You should be one of them. The mortar and pestle is my favorite tool for crushing herbs and spices.
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Cooking Tips

A quarter teaspoon (a pinch) of spice per pound of meat or pint of liquid is sufficient when creating recipes. For stronger seasonings such as red pepper and garlic use 1/8 teaspoon. Ground spices release their flavor faster than whole. Use strong spices in long cooking and mild herbs at the end of the cooking process. Always remember adding more is easier than trying to fix the recipe when you have added too much. If you double a recipe increase spices and herbs only by one and a half, then add more to taste. Most of the time 1 and a half will be enough. Cooking spices and herbs will raise the volume on your recipes.
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Finally

Experiment cooking with herbs and spices and you will have better tasting dishes that are healthier to boot. Use these guidelines, vary your use according to your family's taste and remember to accept the accolades graciously.

Hugo Felix is a cooking and time specialist specializing in making great cooking easy. To learn more about him visit The Minute Gourmet. For some lively discussion on making great cooking easy also visit Hugo's blog.