The spice must flow

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This is the catch-all spice thread.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Sunday, 31 July 2005 04:01 (twenty years ago)

Because I thought I had already asked this, and maybe it was on ILE, but: How do you store your spices? In little jars like they sell, or in little bags from the bulk spice thing, or what?

― Casuistry (Chris P), Sunday, 31 July 2005 04:02 (twenty years ago)

Also: List spices you have and never use, or spices that you always want to use but never seem to have. Or tell spicy stories.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Sunday, 31 July 2005 04:03 (twenty years ago)

Here's the thing: After much debate, I finally found little containers for my spices. I didn't really care for most of the jars I saw, and most of them were too expensive anyways. But I found these little plastic containers that are square and just perfect. I like square containers much more than round ones.

Anyway, I finally got little labels and today I finished organizing my spice collection!

http://www.flim.com/artisan/spices.jpg

I have them organized by genre (baking spices, herbs, Indian spices, etc.), but a friend suggests I should alphabetize them instead. I am usually all for alphabetized spices, but with spices they seem cluttered. Also, how many recipes as for cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and allspice? Why should I hunt them down alphabetically when I can have them right next to each other?

― Casuistry (Chris P), Sunday, 31 July 2005 04:06 (twenty years ago)

Plus they look like a little periodic table!

― Casuistry (Chris P), Sunday, 31 July 2005 04:07 (twenty years ago)

I was hoping this thread was about Dune.

― Remy (x Jeremy), Sunday, 31 July 2005 04:12 (twenty years ago)

(I buy mine in really small quantities and keep them in plastic bags by theme... Cilantro, Parsley, Basil, Thyme ... etc. It's sorta the Dewey decimal system of flavor agents.)

― Remy (x Jeremy), Sunday, 31 July 2005 04:15 (twenty years ago)

This thread is about Dune! What do you mean, you don't think this thread is about Dune?

Yeah, that's what I meant by "genre", of course. It seems like the only sane way to do it. But my friend says "oh there's overlap though". I'm like, so what? You have a primary association with each one, surely?

― Casuistry (Chris P), Sunday, 31 July 2005 06:53 (twenty years ago)

My spices are currently in the jars they came in, sort of segregated into baking and other. Meaning the nutmeg, allspice, powdered ginger are on the shelf with the baking powder and Vanilla King and cream of tartar and everything else is crammed into a different shelf and you have to knock around to find the 5 spice powder or the chervil or whatnot.

When RJM and I first met, we made a point of searching for a wonderful spice rack, and actually found one in Vancouver BC (at the shop where I bought my contraband Kitchenaid). It needed to be affixed with screws to something though and so didn't work with our nomadic lifestyle. Also, the glass jars came with really crappy chrome-plated plastic lids that didn't seal well.

I like the periodic table idea. I have this one printed out for the fridge door.

― Jaq (Jaq), Sunday, 31 July 2005 17:54 (twenty years ago)

You don't buy your spices from bulk jars?

That periodic table is cute but is the information remotely accurate?

― Casuistry (Chris P), Sunday, 31 July 2005 18:22 (twenty years ago)

There isn't any place out here that does bulk spices, so we are stuck with McCormicks and Spice Trader and whatever at the Safeway. I'm growing basil and parsley, mint and lavendar, lemon grass and Thai basil, but my thyme and rosemary are infested with something spider-like. We harvested a great big jar of bay leaves from a bush in Seattle three years ago and they are almost gone now. I want to buy stuff from Penzey's, but haven't yet.

What we do have out here are excellent chili peppers and mexican spices at the hispanic grocers and carnecerias in Pasco. And the Fiery Foods festival, where all the local chili pepper farmers show off, is in September.

― Jaq (Jaq), Sunday, 31 July 2005 20:04 (twenty years ago)

I just read Vanilla: A Cultural History by Patricia Rain, and I'm happy to say that, thanks to that piece, I find nothing objectionable about McCormicks and even like them a little bit.

― Remy (x Jeremy), Sunday, 31 July 2005 20:58 (twenty years ago)

I think my only complaint about grocery store spices and herbs is you can't tell how old they are. In the glass jars, it probably doesn't matter too much; I'm sure they top them with inert gas. But the little plastic shakers don't seem airtight.

Evidence of my disorderliness:

http://www.theilliterate.com/archives/illiterati/pantry.jpg

― Jaq (Jaq), Monday, 1 August 2005 01:59 (twenty years ago)

Oh woot! Got the photo to work! (it helps to specify it as a .jpg, not .htm...)

― Jaq (Jaq), Monday, 1 August 2005 02:01 (twenty years ago)

Is that the Trader Joe's vanilla goop? I sorta like that, but I had a lot evaporate on me last time I bought it.

― Remy (x Jeremy), Monday, 1 August 2005 23:26 (twenty years ago)

I have little square plastic spice jars like that too, Chris :) Decor make a cute set that has a tray 12 jars can sit in, with labels. They seal very airtight (like tupperware I guess), although I discovered one of the tubs had a pinhole in it somehow, and the damn weevils that plague my pantry got into my jar of chilli powder, grr.

The problem I always get is I buy a small bag of say, cumin, and right out of the fresh bag is smells, well, dusty, as if it's stale. I suppose its silly of me to buy spices from the supermarket.

I know I'm in aus, but - suggestions on that? Markets maybe? Asian grocers?

― Trayce (trayce), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 02:27 (twenty years ago)

Well, don't buy pre-ground cumin, certainly.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 03:39 (twenty years ago)

So buy the... what is it, seeds? And grind them fresh?

― Trayce (trayce), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 05:33 (twenty years ago)

Yep, it's the only way I think. Same with coriander seeds and probably a fair few other spices, if you can be bothered. We got a mighty pestle and mortar for a wedding present - so big that the force of gravity practically does the grinding for you...

Your spices look very neat Chris! We tend to buy them in large bags (obv cheaper) and save old jars from other things to keep them in. Matt tries to stick labels on them but frequently we just have to tell by looking.

― Archel (Archel), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 07:40 (twenty years ago)

Too small, but here's a picture of our spice/herb shelves:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/slightlyfoxed/RachelDec2004.jpg

― Archel (Archel), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 07:42 (twenty years ago)

We used dried mango powder for the first time on Sunday! Well, Matt did. I wasn't convinced as it was with butternut squash which already has a nice sweetness/tang of its own really. And fennel, which I don't like. Or any of those aniseedy flavours really.

But most other spices - classic! (Cumin is my favourite.)

― Archel (Archel), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 08:48 (twenty years ago)

I love the anise/fennel flavors, and don't understand all the hate. Actually I'm not sure if there are any spices I don't like. Coriander isn't my favorite but it's all right. Cumin is indeed great. Garam masala is my latest obsession.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 16:26 (twenty years ago)

I love Garam Masala, and cumin also.

I don't get particularly foody about spices. I certainly can't be arsed grinding them from fresh. Ready ground allspice and cinnamon are just fine for dressing salads.

Herbs, however, need to be fresh. The basil plants on the windowsill are the flow of life itself. The coriander and oregano should be up before too much longer.

At the risk of a derail, if anyone has tips re helping flat leaf parsely grow without going manky after ten minutes, I'm all ears.

― Matt (Matt), Tuesday, 2 August 2005 22:40 (twenty years ago)

Is that the Trader Joe's vanilla goop?
xpost, way up there.

Yep. It's not bad. I was used to buying the bourbon vanilla extract from them and they were out once, so I bought the goop without reading the label. I've been using it in my waffle batter. It didn't do so well in ice cream.

― Jaq (Jaq), Friday, 5 August 2005 22:14 (twenty years ago)

Matt, about flat leaf parsley - I've got some growing in a pot along with my sweet basil and curly parsley. They are all getting beat up by the heat here (104 F today) and so yellowing, but soldiering on. I don't let them get too much direct sun (esp. afternoon), soak them every other night in normal (under 90 F) temps, every night otherwise, and trim or harvest some at least once a week. What does it mean to go manky?

― Jaq (Jaq), Saturday, 6 August 2005 02:39 (twenty years ago)

if it's the same as ours it means going all yellow and kind of sludgy at the bottom. Ours is bought as a plant from the upermarket though (I'm presuming Matt's is the same) and they're known for not using the hardiest of stock

― Porkpie (porkpie), Saturday, 6 August 2005 08:17 (twenty years ago)

I got a box of spices delivered yesterday from Penzey's. Juniper berries, caraway seeds, epazote, blue poppy seeds, some other stuff. Bay leaves. So many bay leaves. 4 ounces didn't sound like much, but it is an enormous amount - 2 4 cup jars packed full.

We are trying to home-cure some bacon over the weekend.

― Jaq (Jaq), Wednesday, 10 August 2005 21:51 (twenty years ago)

I asked a friend's wife who's a horticulture type about the manky parsley - she thought it sounded like bad drainage and too much water. Mine are now crispy from the heat, even though they are shaded much of the day.

― Jaq (Jaq), Wednesday, 10 August 2005 22:04 (twenty years ago)

4oz of bay leaves in a shocking amount!

― Casuistry (Chris P), Wednesday, 10 August 2005 22:27 (twenty years ago)

We have that 151 rum from the flambe attempt - how many leaves does it take to make bay rum, and can you use it for anything other than aftershave?

― Jaq (Jaq), Wednesday, 10 August 2005 23:07 (twenty years ago)

Hmm. Bay rum is not from the same sort of bay, apparently.

― Jaq (Jaq), Wednesday, 10 August 2005 23:12 (twenty years ago)

Does anyone make their own garam masala?
I'd be interested to hear any ideas

Mine currently is made up of
Cumin
Coriander
Black Cardomom (just the seeds)
Green Cardomom (in the pods)
Yellow Mustard seeds
Cloves
Nutmeg
Fennel seeds
Cassia bark
Feugreek seeds
...all roasted for a little bit and ground up then with a bit of ground ginger, turmeric and cayenne pepper added.

Just basically throwing a bit of everything in really.
Anyone else want to share their 'formula'?

― art vandelay (what?), Wednesday, 17 August 2005 22:29 (twenty years ago)

feugreek=fenugreek, natch

― art vandelay (what?), Wednesday, 17 August 2005 23:25 (twenty years ago)

I just read Vanilla: A Cultural History by Patricia Rain

I just found this in the new books at the library!

― Jaq (who is not a balding Frenchman) (Jaq), Thursday, 18 August 2005 21:43 (twenty years ago)

two months pass...

If you need to store your spices for longer than a few weeks, put them in individual plastic bags, remove as much air from the bag as you can and then store them in the freezer. They are in the dark away from the light and will stay fresher longer. Hope this helps.

― John Ashley, Saturday, 29 October 2005 21:10 (twenty years ago)

seven months pass...

Hello. Those plastic square containers you find at Trader Joe's are from www.ppck.com. Even though they are the wholesellers, they sell as little as one case of square tubs. One case of them holds 600 tubs. You can also but a separate case of matching lids too. Pretty good experience dealing with their customer service. Just my 2 cents...

― Jose Canseco, Thursday, 15 June 2006 08:01 (nineteen years ago)

Have I mentioned how my little spice containers up above were discontinued? There were so many at the store, and I bought them all, and they never replenished their supply. The whole point was to have them be consistent! Bah.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Thursday, 15 June 2006 09:17 (nineteen years ago)

of all the spices i have, i find that black pepper and cumin are best improved by grinding fresh each time.

as for garam masala, i havent made an official batch of it yet to store and use on multipe dishes, but here's my dish-at-a-time general formulation, in order of decreasing concentrations:

Coriander
Cumin
brown mustard seed
green cardamom seed
black pepper
fenugreek seed
cloves
cinnamon
cayenne pepper/ground chilli, etc

― AaronK (AaronK), Thursday, 15 June 2006 10:58 (nineteen years ago)

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