How to use spices to cook

Are you looking for a way to add flavor to your food without adding a lot of fat or salt? Add tasty spices to your recipes instead! They not only give a boost to your taste buds but also to your health and mealtimes excitement, using a little spice can make the most basic recipes taste new and interesting. 

 

Here are some tips to learn everything you need to know about spices and become a success in the kitchen: 

1. Make sure you're storing your spices in a dark, cool place and in airtight containers. To make sure your spices remain as fresh and flavorful as possible, you need to store them in the right place. Spices should be stored in a dark, cool environment away from direct heat. This means steering clear of areas around your stove, oven, or dishwasher that generate heat.

2. Check their expiration date before using them. Believe it or not, spices can expire, and quicker than you may think! Expired spices will have significantly less flavor and, in some cases, a dull color. Paprika may change from bright red to a dull brown, and that's when you know it has gone bad. As soon as you open your spices, they start to age, so mark the date you open them and always check to make sure they're still fragrant and fresh.

3. Learn how to use dried herbs properly. Unlike spices (which can be added during or after cooking), dried herbs need time to release their flavor, so they're almost always added during the cooking process. They're typically used in stews, sauces, and other long-cooking recipes where they can fully release their flavor.

4. Get to know your spices by type. Spices can be broadly divided into 2 types:

- Whole spices. They are the spices that are found in whole form such as seeds, buds, flowers, bark etc. They add aroma to the dish.

- Ground spices. They are the powdered form of whole spices such as ground cumin, ground cardamom. ground cinnamon etc. They add taste to the dish.

5. When cooking with spices, less is more . First you need to get yourself familiar with the spice, its form and work on the combination of mixing spices with other ingredients. The best way to do this is to follow recipes which call for simple and minimum spices. Start with small amounts like ½ to 1 tsp of spice and slowly work your way. Over spicing simply kills the taste of other ingredients and does more harm than good.