The Grilling Gourmet

Throwing away that antique jar of ground pepper is only the first step in creating a good spice rack in your pantry. Here’s our guide to getting the most flavor from your spice rack, and remember these are just the essential spices that you should start with and we will go into more in another article later.

Cardamom
What You Need to Know:
Whole cardamom consists of a green seed pod that holds about 20 small black seeds. While cardamom is available ground, the whole pods have a superior flavor and aroma.


How to Use It: Since the flavor resides in the small seeds, it is necessary to crush the whole pods before using them.

Cayenne Pepper
What You Need to Know: Originally made from cayenne peppers, this spice is now made from a variety of ground dried chiles. Cayenne pepper is rich with volatile oils, making it susceptible to flavor loss within a few months.


How to Use It: Intensity varies from brand to brand, so add a small amount, taste, and adjust seasoning.

Chili Powder
What You Need to Know: Most rands are a blend of 80 percent ground dried chiles with garlic powder, oregano, and cumin. Chili powders made solely from chiles can be found in ethnic markets and are usually labeled by type of chile (such as ancho chile
powder or chipotle chile powder).
 

How to Use It:Because chili powder is a blend of spices, it should be bloomed” in hot oil to bring out its complex flavors.

Cinnamon
What You Need to Know:
True cinnamon, or Ceylon cinnamon, is made from the dried bark of a tropical evergreen tree and can be difficult to
find in American markets. What most cooks think of as cinnamon is actually cassia, made from the bark of a similar evergreen. Cassia has a darker color and a more pungent flavor than true cinnamon, which we find too mild and not worth seeking out.

How to Use It: Cinnamon is one of the few spices that we prefer to buy ground. Save whole cinnamon sticks for infusing flavor into hot liquids.

Cloves
What You Need to Know: Cloves are the dried unopened flower buds of a species of evergreen tree and boast a sweet, peppery flavor.

How to Use It: Cloves are potent and should be used sparingly. Because whole cloves are difficult to grind, we buy them ground. Reserve whole cloves for infusing flavor into hot liquids or for inserting into ham.

Coriander
What You Need to Know: Coriander is the seed of the plant that produces the herb cilantro. Coriander is sold whole and ground, but whole seeds provide a more vibrant, complex flavor.
 

How to Use It:
Toasting whole coriander helps to release its flavor and aroma.

Cumin
What You Need to Know: Cumin is a highly aromatic spice that comes from a plant in the parsley family.
 

How to Use It:
If time allows, we like to toast and grind whole cumin seeds; this gives the spice a more complex peppery flavor than when purchased ground.

Curry Powder
What You Need To Know: Curry powder is a blend of spices. Because there is no standard formula, flavors vary from brand to brand. Most formulas include cardamom, chiles, cumin, fennel, fenugreek, nutmeg, and turmeric, which gives
curry its characteristically yellow color.
 

How to Use It: For general cooking, we prefer a mild curry powder; hot curry powder, which contains more
chiles, can be overpowering. Curry powder should be sautéed in hot oil to “bloom” its flavor.

Nutmeg
What You Need To Know: Nutmeg is the dried seed-like kernel of an evergreen tree. Its warm, spicy flavor accentuates sweetness in recipes. The lacy membrane that covers nutmeg, when dried and ground, becomes the spice mace.
 

How to Use It: Nutmeg loses its aroma when ground, so it’s best to buy whole nutmeg and grate it when needed. Just keep in mind that a little goes a long way.

Paprika
What You Need To Know:
Paprika is a fine powder made by grinding dried red peppers. Its flavor and pungency can range from mild to hot, depending on what type of pepper is used and how much of the placenta (the white veins) is ground with the pepper.
How to Use It: We prefer the complexity of sweet paprika, especially brands from Hungary and Spain, which have a slightly fuller flavor than domestic varieties.

Saffron
What You Need to Know: Saffron, the world’s most expensive spice, is the hand-harvested stigma of a variety of crocus. Buy red saffron threads that are devoid of yellow and orange. Saffron can also be purchased powdered, but because ground saffron is often mixed with other ngredients, it should be bought from a reputable source. While Spanish saffron is often considered superior, we prefer the flavor of domestic saffron produced in Pennsylvania.
 

How to Use It: To release flavor, crush saffron threads with your fingers before adding them to a dish. Use sparingly; too much will impart a metallic taste.