Spice Racks Blog

Suffering from the post-holiday blues? Need a new and exciting project to reinvigorate your outlook? Here’s a great idea that will only take an afternoon, but will enhance the quality of your cooking for the rest of the year: go through your spice rack, and toss all the old bottles.

Spices do indeed have a shelf life, and their quality can greatly decrease as they age (quite unlike us, gentle reader!). A good rule of thumb is to have a yearly purge, and toss out everything that’s about to celebrate its first birthday. And if you happen to have a lot of McCormick spices, their website has a really cool feature! You can actually enter the codes from your bottles to check the freshness! Although, they also say if you have any bottles that were manufactured in Baltimore, don’t bother entering the code – they’re at least 15 years old. The Charm City strikes again!

And after you’ve culled your spices, why not give them a new home? There’s a gorgeous steel, wall mounted Spice Rack at StacksAndStacks right now. This rack has three shelves, and I really like how spice bottles are neatly held in place by the curved metal accents.

So, don’t you think it’s the perfect time to get rid of your old spices?

When I was younger, I hated cumin. There was something about it that just made me, and let me quote my 10 year old self -”Oh my gawwwd – it makes me want to diiiiiiiieeee”. If I recall correctly, I assume I would have also dramatically flounced out of the kitchen at that point. And now, let’s have a moment of respect for parents – for they have to put up with their children having fits about spices.

Anyway, time has passed. I love cumin now! It’s definitely a staple in my spice rack. Cumin is a member of the parsley family. The seeds are often ground, or simply toasted and added to dishes. Cumin is a staple in many different cuisines, including Brazilian, Mexican and Cuban – as well as Moroccan, Indian, and even Thai.

Cumin also has some interesting history. In medieval times, it was thought that cumin would keep chickens and lovers from wandering. I’m not really sure how that would’ve worked – would you sprinkle it directly on your chicken or significant other, or feed it to them? In Germany and Italy, cumin seeds were baked onto loaves of bread – it was thought that the seeds would prevent wood spirits from stealing the bread.

Are you looking for a way to store cumin – the wonder spice that will save your relationship, keep your chickens near, and keep your bread away from the land of the fairies (Oh, and it’s delicious – there’s that too!)? How about these Spice Storage Cans? I found these at StacksAndStacks. These stainless steel storage cans will protect your spices, and well as providing a modern accent to your kitchen. Each Spice Storage Can measures 1 3/4″ H x 2.5″ Diameter, so they’re easy to stack in your cabinet or your spice rack.

What about you? Are there any spices that you used to hate, that you now have a taste for? Let me know!

Recently, the great site The Kitchn had a terrific post about spices! There’s nothing like a handy, quick reference to herbs and spices, am I right? It’s a wonderful way to find out about new spices, while reinforcing your beliefs about familiar ingredients. It helps keep you grounded, yet still curious, and that’s a good way to go through life.

Here are some of my favorite factoids!

• Cloves – Sweet and warming spice. Used most often in baking, but also good with braised meat.

• Coriander – Earthy, lemony flavor. Used in a lot of Mexican and Indian dishes.

• Cumin – Smoky and earthy. Used in a lot of Southwestern US and Mexican cuisine, as well as North African, Middle Eastern, and Indian.

• Fennel Seed – Lightly sweet and licorice flavored. It’s excellent with meat dishes, or even chewed on its own as a breath freshener and digestion aid!

• Fenugreek – Although this herb smells like maple syrup while cooking, it has a rather bitter, burnt sugar flavor. Found in a lot of Indian and Middle Eastern dishes.

• Mace – From the same plant as nutmeg, but tastes more subtle and delicate. Great in savory dishes, especially stews and homemade sausages.

• Garam Masala – Typcially includes cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, cumin, coriander, nutmeg, and pepper. Sweeter than curry powder. Also used to season curry sauces. (Indian)

• Herbes de Provence – Usually savory, rosemary, marjoram, thyme, and sometimes lavender. Use as a marinade or dry rub for roast chicken, fish, and vegetables.

• Pickling Spice – Most often, bay leaf, yellow mustard seeds, black peppercorns, allspice, coriander. Used for pickling vegetables in vinegar.

• Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix – Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. Used for seasoning pumpkin pie, but also great in other spiced baked goods.

• Ras el Hanout – Cardamom, clove, cinnamon, paprika, coriander, cumin, mace, nutmeg, peppercorn, and turmeric. Use as a spice rub on meat or a simple condiment. (North African/Moroccan)

• Za’atar Seasoning Blend – Thyme, sumac, and sesame seeds. All-purpose seasoning for many Middle Eastern dishes like grilled meats, grilled vegetables, flatbread and hummus. (Middle Eastern)

Have you tried any of these? Let me know what you think in the comments!