Spice Racks Blog

It’s a vegetable, an herb and a spice. It’s a food and a medicine.  It can ward off vampires, as well as your date if you ate too much at dinner. Garlic is truly one of nature’s multitaskers.

Garlic is believed to have originated in Southeast Asia. Today China produces 77% of the worlds garlic supply. In the United States, garlic production is centered in Gilroy, Ca. Gilroy takes a lot of pride in their crop, and calls itself the “Garlic Capital of the World” . They have an annual festival with all sorts of garlic treats - even garlic ice cream!

Over the years, garlic has been part of the diet of the laborers of ancient Egypt, used to treat the sunburns of field workers in the Middle Ages, and used to combat tuberculosis and infections during the 19th century. Today, garlic is used to lower cholesterol, as well as promote better blood sugar levels. And of course, it’s delicious!

When you’re cooking, keep in mind that 1/4 of a teaspoon of dried garlic is the equivalent of one clove. Garlic is used in many different cuisines, and cooked many different ways. Roasting garlic brings out its sweetness, and you can spread the roasted cloves on bread - it’s like a luxurious, rich garlic flavored butter. You can slice it thinly and quickly fry it in some olive oil. That produces tiny garlic ‘chips’ that you can use on a salad instead of croutons. You can even pickle cloves of garlic in a mix of spices and vinegar - pickled garlic is a great way to garnish cocktails like Martinis and Bloody Marys.

Often time, recipes ask for grated garlic. Have you tried grating a clove of garlic on a traditional box grater? What a pain - literally! You could lose a finger! I picked up the Garlic Card a few months ago, and I’m loving it! This is a plastic card, that’s very rough - rougher than the toughest sandpaper. All I have to do is rub the clove on the card, and in less than a minute I have a pile of freshly grated garlic. This thing is so much easier to clean than my old garlic press - all I have to do is wash it in hot water - no fiddling around with the holes of a press!

What are you going to use garlic for today? Let me know!

I have a serious addiction to cookbooks. Not only do I use them as reference materials in the kitchen, but I tend to plunk down on the sofa and read them cover to cover - like a novel. Cookbooks are a window to endless possibilities.

I just found a new one at the thrift store, the Herbs & Spices - The Cook’s Reference Book. This book is put out by DK Publishing. I love DK books, they have the best pictures and clear, concise writing (as a side note, their travel books are great,too!).

If you’re wanting to learn more about herbs and spices - this book is amazing! It has photos of the herb or spice, the history of it, uses for it, recipes, food and wine pairings. Even gardening tips! Flipping through it, I’m getting some ideas for some new spice combinations.

When you collect cookbooks, there’s a vital kitchen gadget that you need. You’ll need a cookbook holder. I’ve got this one, I picked it up at StacksAndStacks. It has an acrylic flap that presses down on your cookbook pages, which holds the book open and protects it from splashes and stains.

Of course, you may need something else! After you start getting into new herbs and spices, you’ll definitely need a new spice rack!

Have you ever picked up a new cookbook, started looking through the recipes and then realized “Wait. Where am I supposed to get Fennel Pollen?”. Even though most supermarkets are getting better at providing well-stocked spice sections, it’s a cold, hard culinary fact that you can’t always find everything you need locally.

So, let’s give thanks to the Interwebs – because you can find excellent spice purveyors online! One of my favorites is Whole Spice.  Not only do they have an awesome range of global spices, but they grind the spices before shipping your order – so you get amazingly fresh, fragrant spices and herbs (They also ship tea and coffee!).  So whether you need Amjur Powder, or a teaspoon of Zhug – check out Whole Spice! And where are you gonna put your new spices? How about these Stackable Spice Tins?

image from Whole Spice (of course!)