Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with cooking and spices

Light Metal Indian Dishware?

watercarrier — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 03:11:17 -0800

Indian Cooking - I want those authentic tin plates and bowls - where? I'm all for traveling light. I like those tin/aluminium bowls, plates and containers I've seen the cooks in India using. What are they called? What is the spice container (with all the small tin bowls fitting inside) called? Looking for an online supplier that's cool to work with and is reasonably priced. Nothing fancy - just what the locals use. Thanks.

Can I order prepared black recado online?

anazgnos — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 10:12:55 -0800

Is there someplace I can order prepared black recado (aka recado negro aka chilmole) online? Asking for my wife. I don't actually know anything about the spice blend in question.

I like sugar and spice, but which ones are nice?

filthy light thief — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 12:10:31 -0800

I like cooking, and I have a variety of spices, but I have never learned how to really use them. How should I learn to use them? What are some tips for trying things out? Do you have any any good recipes that highlight particular spice blends in traditional or unusual ways? There are some good dish-specific spice posts from the past, but it seems most folks have some understanding of what the spices will do to the dish. I am mostly clueless, relying on recipes without understanding what each ingredient adds to the end product, and as such, I am hesitant to toss in a pinch of this and that and see what happens. To date, I usually use salt, pepper, plus onion and garlic powder. I'd love to make my own spice blends instead of relying on store-bought mixes. Thanks!

I love you, fresh egg

chalbe — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 08:34:01 -0800

What cooking secrets take your food to the almost-pro level? I love food; making it, reading about it, eating it. I already do a few basics, like shopping the NYC Union Square farmers' market, using fresh leafy herbs and garlic, squeezing lemon juice, cooking meat the right temperature, adding enough salt + pepper, grating Parmigiano-Reggiano, etc. Even so, my cooking still tastes a little flat and two-dimensional.

What practices or ingredients do you use to elevate your cooking? Spice mixes? Marinades? I prefer answers that skew towards the complex-but-tasty and avoid processed goods. Bonus points if you are a professional cook or culinary school student.

To get us started, here are some ideas I've been wanting to try:
- Making brown veal stock and remoullage, for braising and sauces
- Making yogurt from scratch milk + starter
- Making herbed butter and herb-infused oils

Delicious date-based falafel seasoning

hattifattener — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 11:14:47 -0800

Help me find a date! Powdered dates, that is, in Seattle. Some falafel and gyros places season their food with a coarse, reddish powder which I find delicious. I've been told (by one falafel-counter guy) that it's made from toasted, ground dates. I'd like to use it in my own cooking. So my questions are: what names does this stuff go by? And where might I be likely to buy some in or near Seattle?

More abstract recipes please

bigmusic — Mon, 25 May 2009 20:44:35 -0800

I'm looking for more abstract recipes like this. Some people would call these base recipes: recipes that are created from what what is on hand with common spices and ingredients, a theory of a dish - not the specifics in every ingredient. What I really enjoy about the linked recipes is he gives reasons for each ingredient so that you can vary things based on judgement.

Chili When It's Chilly

netbros — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 21:19:44 -0800

I'm going to make a pot of chili tomorrow. Besides the usual kidney beans, tomato schtuff, burger and trinity, what do you like to put in yours to liven things up? I'm going to the grocery before I start, so please help me out with some favorite ingredients and recipes. Thanks in advance for your assistance.

What else can I grind in a pepper mill?

Lizc — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 12:21:38 -0800

What else can I grind in a pepper mill? I have an extra Olde Thompson Pepper mill with nothing to grind in it. The product description says "Carbon Steel grinding mechanism is fully adjustable from a coarse to a fine grind." - so I'm wondering what else I can use in this mill. I'm guessing seeds of some kind - what would YOU use this for?

Cancelling out spicy odors?

knave — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 01:36:18 -0800

Is it possible to make Indian food without smelling up the joint? Last time I cooked up a spicy chicken curry, my apartment smelled for 3 weeks. I've seen this thread, which seemed to be about a more permanent odor. In my case, I can't steam-clean the carpets and degrease the house every time I cook.

I'm sure this happens with other types of meals, but I specifically notice it with the curry spices the most. As much as I enjoy them, I don't enjoy the smell on a daily basis. Any chefs out there with tips on neutralizing odor after meal, or preventing the odor from occurring in the first place?

Help me find my daily grind

B-squared — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 14:43:23 -0800

I am looking for a new pepper mill, but an Amazon search produces an overwhelming 800 results and very few customer reviews. So I turn to you, my Metafilter test market. I use the mill often enough that Target's selection just isn't cutting it anymore, but I don't know which models and brands offer the most bang for my buck. And, aren't Peugeots cars? It should be manual (not electric), it should have a variable grind, a heft in the hand, and a steel or red finish (though I prefer function over form). Tell me if you've got a great grinder. Thanks in advance everybody!

A pinch of this, a dash of that

roundrock — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 08:34:47 -0800

I'm about to restock my spice cabinet, and I'm hoping to get some advice on what herbs/spices/extracts I should invest in. What dried herbs/spices vary most in quality? I can detect a substantial difference in the taste of recipes that use high quality vanilla or cinnamon, so those are two that I am willing to spend a little more money on. It's also been my experience that no dried dill, basil, or cilantro can come close to the taste of fresh, so I don't keep dry versions of these (though if anyone has found such dried herbs that can even nearly replicate fresh, I'd love to hear about it). Can I get a dried rosemary or ginger as tasty as fresh? Is there a real difference between cheap and costlier cumin, nutmeg, thyme, onion powder, etc? What dried herbs/spices do you think are worth spending extra money on for a higher quality product?

I know that there are ways of releasing/retaining better flavor from various herbs/spices (as by toasting, grinding with a mortar/pestle, adding earlier or later during the cooking process), and while I won't overlook any tips, my question is really about the selection of high quality spices themselves. I'm a pretty adventurous cook, so nothing is really off limits in terms of spices/herbs/etc I'd consider stocking my cabinet with. I'll be ordering from Penzey's in a day or two (but if you have strong opinions on other online spice retailers, let me know). If there are any particularly amazing spice blends (Penzey's pizza seasoning is OUTSTANDING), I'd love to hear about those as well.

Your cumin is in my peanut oil.

bingo — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 11:47:32 -0800

What are the rules of thumb for mixing various spices and cooking oils for optimum flavor? I sautee a lot of vegetables. Sometimes I use peanut oil, sometimes almond oil, sometimes sesame, sometimes canola. I tend to throw in a few spices at random: cumin, cayenne, parsley, coriander, whatever. Usually there are multiple vegetables involved. So, I end up with something that tastes good, but the randomness of it bothers me. I think: was the oil good enough on its own? Is there something about the combination of cumin and sesame that would have worked out better if I hadn't involved mushrooms? Is coriander typically used with sesame oil rather than canola?

Yes, of course I realize that I can experiment endlessly, trying every possible combination. But I don't want to do that. I want someone who knows more than I do to explain some general principles that will guide me.

Grinding mondo peppercorns

wryly — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 11:15:13 -0800

I love Tellicherry pepper, but I need to find a pepper mill that can handle these extra-large peppercorns. Tellicherry pepper tastes great, but a lot of the peppercorns are too large for normal pepper-grinding mechanisms. Do you know of a peppermill that's up to the job -- a mill that's not battery-powered?

I do know about the (IMO) ugly Zassenhaus -- any others?

Sugar and spice and everything nice

oissubke — Tue, 02 Aug 2005 10:20:45 -0800

I'm looking for some premium, gourmet, fancy-pants spices (e.g., saffron, really good vanilla beans, etc.) as a gift for a food-savvy friend. I'm clueless about where to look, and Google turns up all kinds of shady e-commerce sites. Where do I go for the really nice, high-quality stuff?

Cardamom

CunningLinguist — Tue, 28 Sep 2004 18:48:34 -0800

MoreCookingfilter. Calling all cardomom experts. So I became enamored of cardomom recently after having a pseudo-Indian rice dish in a bizarro restaurant in Rome. It was white rice with a bunch of stuff in it, more like Chinese fried rice than anything, but it was enfused with the heady scent of cardomom and had whole, seemingly fresh, pods mixed in. I've been trying to duplicate it with no success. I soaked dried pods, and they turned the same soft "fresh" texture, but no matter how many I throw into the rice (while cooking or after cooking), that overpowering cardomom flavor eludes me. I've tried soaking them, then frying them. I've tried steeping them in oil and using the oil. I've tried adding lots of ground cardomom. Nothing seems to work. Online recipes for cardomom rice all appear to be sweet, and I don't want sweet. Any suggestions?

Unsalting food

carter — Sat, 27 Dec 2003 10:41:56 -0800

Despite years of cooking, I still occasionally over-salt dishes, particularly sauces. Does anyone have any good tips for how to make an over-salted sauce taste less salty the next day? At the moment I have a curry sauce that is good for several applications; but at the moment it is *salty*!

What do you know about saffron?

riffola — Fri, 19 Dec 2003 13:54:40 -0800

What does saffron taste like? Also what are the differences between Greek, Indian, Iranian and Spanish saffron? Also which is the best? I've grown up in Mumbai, my mum's a great cook, so I've had saffron in my meals and Indian sweets and even the mandatory saffron and almond milk during winters. I know we usually use Spanish Mancha Saffron. I am very familiar with saffron, I just don't know to describe the taste.