I understand that my blog is meant to be able comparing food stuffs and currently I haven't really done that yet. Don't worry I have several things planned for coming posts, but firstly I should probably talk about what helps make food taste amazing. Herbs and spices. Those little pots and jars will be your gateway to flavour and food enjoyment. Not to mention the oils and padding foods such as rice and pasta. Invest in those cupboard buddies and you could find yourself saving money in the long run. Investing does involve spending a bit of money each time you go shopping but believe me it will make all the difference when you have no money but have rice, oil, and a few herbs... This post is the first of three and I will go through each one with you.
I am not going to dictate to you what you should have, but show you what I have. Yep I have taken pictures of my cupboards to show you what I have lurking in there. Any inspiration I give will be truly unintended ;)
So today is my spice cupboard, I will go through some of the items that me and b/f use all the time.
Ta-dah!
Bit messy no? And the cupboards themselves were put in by people who clearly thought only those over 6f 5" would live in this flat. Not those of us who just about make 5f 6"..
Lots of over stretching and using the chairs to get to the stuff at the back.
Lets take a closer look: On the bottom shelf all the green lids are herbs and all the orange lids are spices. What's the difference? Herbs are leaves spices are seeds. We have been lucky enough that the b/f's parents went to Sri Lanka a few years a go a came back with a bag of spices for him and we still use them. It is very important that all herbs, spices and oils are kept out of the sunlight - direct or indirect. They will live longer and be better value for you. Of course the older the spice the weaker the flavour but it is expensive to continually buy new jars. Look after them and they will look after you and your food. On the middle shelf is a odd bits and pieces that could be life savers. Well all except the Marmite - YUCK YUCK YUCK! It maybe a good use of brewers yeast, but it is a love it or hate it product and I hate it. But it can be a cooking ingredient, there is a recipe for Marmite on spaghetti... o_Ó
Anyway lets get on with it, what do I have? Without list EVERYthing...
But are they all needed right now? If you were to start to build your herb and spice collection would you go for all of them? Hell no! I have Chinese five spice that I bought over six years ago and it has barely been touched. Yet we go through so much cumin that I went to my local Indian shop to buy 400gs worth!
Now this is just my personal opinion, but this is where I would suggest you start:
Think about what type of world cuisine you like to eat the most and start from there. Ok bit of a cop-out! Not sure what you like to cook?
I am very Mediterranean/UK centric and if I were to give a list of starter herbs it would be rosemary, thyme, mint, sage, dried chilies/flakes and basil. I would also have turmeric (adds great colour and subtle flavour to roast chicken), cumin and smoked hot paprika. With this would will be a great start to any spice cupboard. Of course the more you cook the more you will need, the more your cupboard will be a tangled mess of glass jars, filled with herbs and spices, and mixes of your own making (that is the most fun of all). There is nothing wrong with buying premixed herb/spice mixes, in fact they are a very good starting point. Get used to the flavours, find out what you like and don't like then pluck up the courage to make your own.
Glass jars are much better for storing the herbs and spices, but buying cardboard boxes are cheaper with more in them. I personally prefer storing them in glass as they go absorb the oils as quickly, but it is your choice. But if you end up buying larger bags you could store them in clean jam jars or something similar. To try and get rid of the smell of the previous contents, you could try using milk and leave it in there for a little while. Or bicarbonate of soda and water. Either or give the glass jar a good wash out and leave to dry fully. I don't think cumin with a hint of strawberry jam would be a winning taste combination. But the most important thing is to keep them out of sunlight.
So get out there and discover the world of herbs and spices. There is also an argument between ground and whole spices - I'll go into that in a later post :)
Enjoy
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I am not going to dictate to you what you should have, but show you what I have. Yep I have taken pictures of my cupboards to show you what I have lurking in there. Any inspiration I give will be truly unintended ;)
So today is my spice cupboard, I will go through some of the items that me and b/f use all the time.
Ta-dah!
Bit messy no? And the cupboards themselves were put in by people who clearly thought only those over 6f 5" would live in this flat. Not those of us who just about make 5f 6"..
Lots of over stretching and using the chairs to get to the stuff at the back.
Lets take a closer look: On the bottom shelf all the green lids are herbs and all the orange lids are spices. What's the difference? Herbs are leaves spices are seeds. We have been lucky enough that the b/f's parents went to Sri Lanka a few years a go a came back with a bag of spices for him and we still use them. It is very important that all herbs, spices and oils are kept out of the sunlight - direct or indirect. They will live longer and be better value for you. Of course the older the spice the weaker the flavour but it is expensive to continually buy new jars. Look after them and they will look after you and your food. On the middle shelf is a odd bits and pieces that could be life savers. Well all except the Marmite - YUCK YUCK YUCK! It maybe a good use of brewers yeast, but it is a love it or hate it product and I hate it. But it can be a cooking ingredient, there is a recipe for Marmite on spaghetti... o_Ó
Anyway lets get on with it, what do I have? Without list EVERYthing...
- Six different types of salt, salt for grinding and putting in water once it comes to the boil, to sprinkling over food. There are four small pots of flavoured salt, they are a nice to have and can add instant flavour to eggs or rice, stuck for present ideas - this could be a good choice.
- Four different types of mustard, wholegrain, dejon, English mustard powder and mustard seeds. We do love a bit of mustard, goes great on sandwiches, mash potato or in salad dressings.
- Two different types of peppercorns, black and pink. Black is always good in so many things, the pink ones are very floral and pretty to look at. We got those on a holiday to Crete a couple of years ago, again that would make a nice present.
- There is crushed chilies, ground Sri Lankan chilies, and hot chili powder.
- Smoked hot parika and smoked sweet paprika.
- There is palm sugar (both solid and wet), Greek spice mixes, Harissa spice mix, Bajan hot sauce and a spice grinder.
- Enough spices to make any number of Indian curry mixes and herbs that can have you in Italy one minute and France the next.
But are they all needed right now? If you were to start to build your herb and spice collection would you go for all of them? Hell no! I have Chinese five spice that I bought over six years ago and it has barely been touched. Yet we go through so much cumin that I went to my local Indian shop to buy 400gs worth!
Now this is just my personal opinion, but this is where I would suggest you start:
Think about what type of world cuisine you like to eat the most and start from there. Ok bit of a cop-out! Not sure what you like to cook?
I am very Mediterranean/UK centric and if I were to give a list of starter herbs it would be rosemary, thyme, mint, sage, dried chilies/flakes and basil. I would also have turmeric (adds great colour and subtle flavour to roast chicken), cumin and smoked hot paprika. With this would will be a great start to any spice cupboard. Of course the more you cook the more you will need, the more your cupboard will be a tangled mess of glass jars, filled with herbs and spices, and mixes of your own making (that is the most fun of all). There is nothing wrong with buying premixed herb/spice mixes, in fact they are a very good starting point. Get used to the flavours, find out what you like and don't like then pluck up the courage to make your own.
Glass jars are much better for storing the herbs and spices, but buying cardboard boxes are cheaper with more in them. I personally prefer storing them in glass as they go absorb the oils as quickly, but it is your choice. But if you end up buying larger bags you could store them in clean jam jars or something similar. To try and get rid of the smell of the previous contents, you could try using milk and leave it in there for a little while. Or bicarbonate of soda and water. Either or give the glass jar a good wash out and leave to dry fully. I don't think cumin with a hint of strawberry jam would be a winning taste combination. But the most important thing is to keep them out of sunlight.
So get out there and discover the world of herbs and spices. There is also an argument between ground and whole spices - I'll go into that in a later post :)
Enjoy
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