Vanilla extract in an instant

December 10, 2017 by
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A couple of weeks ago we discussed vanilla in our Spice Support on baking spices. There was a blurb about a shortcut to homemade vanilla extract - and now we have details to go along with that blurb. The Kitchn recently posted a tutorial on how to make vanilla extract with an Instant Pot.  While traditional recipes require weeks or… read more

Spice support: holiday baking spices

November 28, 2017 by
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  As they enter the holiday baking season, bakers the world over are assessing their pantries to make sure they have enough of the requisite spices and flavorings to complete their baking agendas. Vanilla, cinnamon, anise, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, cardamom and ginger form the backbone of flavor for many baked goods. We have already discussed cinnamon and cardamom in previous… read more

Spice support: galangal

November 5, 2017 by
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Some spices so much resemble another spice that the more common of the two is usually substituted for the lesser known one. Such is the case for galangal, a tropical plant in the ginger family. There are two main types of galangal used in Southeast Asian, and to a lesser extent, Chinese cooking: greater galangal and lesser galangal. There is… read more

Spice support: pandan leaf

August 20, 2017 by
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  When Yvonne Ruperti moved to Singapore, she noticed that there were a lot of green foods - things that non-natives would not expect to be green, like cakes, buns, and bread. At first she assumed they were flavored and colored with green tea, but she soon learned that pandan leaf contributed the bright green hues and delicate floral flavor. … read more

Spice support: the differences between Mexican and Mediterranean oregano

August 6, 2017 by
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  The Latin name for Mediterranean oregano (on the right, above) provides a clue as to how ubiquitous it has become in kitchens all over the world. Origanum vulgare -vulgare coming from the Latin word vulgus, meaning 'the common people' or 'the masses' - is a pungent herb related to mint that is used extensively in Mediterranean cooking, particularly in Italian… read more

Spice support: lovage

July 29, 2017 by
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Nothing beats an easy-to-grow perennial herb. Not only do they add interest to your garden, they are useful in the kitchen as well. One of these herbs, lovage (levisticum officinale), has been all but forgotten by modern gardeners, who instead opt for more exotic fare. If you live in a temperate climate where it doesn't get bitterly cold, you should… read more

Spice support: asafoetida

July 11, 2017 by
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After reading the alternative names of asafoetida, you might be hesitant to use it: hing, stinking gum, and devil's dung do not do much to stimulate one's appetite. Although not technically a spice, asafoetida - the dried resin extracted from the roots of several species of giant fennel - is treated as one in Indian cooking.  Before it is cooked,… read more

Spice support: cardamom

June 25, 2017 by
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  Do you remember the first time you tasted cardamom? Perhaps it occurred when you nibbled on Swedish meatballs or drank masala chai. Cardamom's enchanting flavor has made a home for itself in cuisines across the globe.  One of the world's most expensive spices, cardamom ranks just behind saffron and vanilla in cost, sharing their persnickety growing conditions and laborious hand-harvesting requirements. The… read more

Spice support: mustard seed

June 6, 2017 by
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In previous editions of Spice Support, we have focused on ingredients unfamiliar to many Western palates, like mahleb and fenugreek. Today we are looking at a common spice that you may overlook because of its ubiquitous appearance in less than its best form: mustard. Most households have some form of mustard, although frequently you'll find it in a yellow squirt… read more

Spice support: mahleb

May 27, 2017 by
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  You have to wonder how people discovered some foods that take quite a bit of processing or manipulation to render the final, delicious product. That is certainly the case for mahleb (aka mahlab or mahlepi), a spice with roots in the Eastern Mediterranean. The spice is made from the seed kernel of the rock-hard pit of an extremely sour… read more

Spice support: cinnamon and cassia

May 20, 2017 by
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Cinnamon is one of the most recognized and widely used spices in the world, flavoring everything from drinks to meats to breads and desserts. You might be surprised to learn that much of what you think is cinnamon is in fact a different spice. In the US, nearly all of the spice jars labeled as cinnamon actually contain cassia, which… read more

Spice support: nigella sativa

May 14, 2017 by
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If spices were classified by Alton Brown as 'unitaskers' or multi-taskers', nigella sativa would definitely fall into the latter camp. Also known as black caraway, nigella seed, onion seed, kalonji, and charnuska, nigella sativa hails from the Indian subcontinent. The most common name in the EYB Library is nigella seed, so that is how we will refer to the spice in this… read more

Spice support: fenugreek

May 6, 2017 by
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Many plants perform culinary double-duty: their leaves and their seeds are both used for various culinary purposes. That is the case with today's selection, fenugreek. The Latin name for the herb is quite a mouthful - Trigonella foenum-graecum - and comes from the Latin "Greek hay", according to Harold McGee in On Food and Cooking. It is also known as… read more

Spice support: loomi (black lime/dried lime)

April 29, 2017 by
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Today's installment of our weekly series on spices and herbs arrives via a Member request. After purchasing loomi (aka black limes or dried limes) for a recipe, she was curious as to other uses for this spice, so we hit the books to see what we could find out about this Persian flavoring agent.  As the alternate names for loomi… read more

Spice support: kaffir lime leaves

April 22, 2017 by
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Due to the positive responses from last week's post on sumac, we have decided to offer a weekly post that explains an herb, spice, or spice blend. If there is a particular spice, herb, or blend that you are interested in learning more about, send an email to Darcie and she will try to include it in the series. This… read more

What is sumac?

April 15, 2017 by
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  It seems like Middle Eastern food is becoming more popular by the minute. As people focus on the cuisine of the region, they will undoubtedly encounter a few spices and herbs that are unfamiliar to them. One of the newer (to Western palates) spices to emerge recently is sumac. Let's take a quick look at this versatile spice.  Sumac… read more
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