Tips and Tricks of The Trade #2 - Dried Spices

After the first Tips and Tricks of the Trade rant I thought I'd keep this one a bit more simple... I've just had a peanut butter sandwich and I'm not so hangry so I can actually think straight and tell you some awesome sneaky tricks to keep your life in the kitchen a bit more efficient.

So we already know we've gotta have our Mise En Place sorted out with all your equipment and ingredients ready to rock and roll... But now we need to know a little-known trick of how to use one of the most important ingredients in many recipes- DRIED SPICES.

When spices are dried and put into a container for a while (several years in some cases!), the flavours sometimes can become a bit weak, but don't fret- they're just having a snooze. All you need to do to wake up that flavour is pop your spice in a clean, dry pan and heat it up a bit before using it.

For example; if you're making a curry and have a whole heap of wonderful spices, put them all in the pan together and give them a bit of a toss and instantly your house will be filled with wonderful exotic aromas. You only need to just warm them briefly to release the flavour, don't try to cook them because they will burn and taste horrible.

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