Inspiration / Spice Information

This is going to sound snobby, but it has been at least 10 years since I have had a bottle of commercial salad dressing in my fridge. I find them messy, expensive and odd tasting. Besides, with salad dressing being so easy to make, I prefer to make my own on the spot.  Of course, everyone knows that a bit of good olive oil and vinegar goes a long way, but truly, all salad dressings are almost as easy! My cheat is to buy the premixed salad dressing seasonings from a quality spice shop (The Spice House in Milwaukee has some...

When we first started creating the label list for the AllSpice Spice Rack two things struck me. First, how many spices start with the letter C (seriously, 1/3 of my spice rack is spices that start with the letter C-- still haven't figured that one out) and how many dried peppers were in my spice rack. Maybe it is my midwestern pallet, but I rarely thought about using peppers in anything other than chili until I saw the array of options. Peppers can add more than heat to your dishes. They can add color, smokiness, tartness and more. Peppers are...

Most of the time when I use spices, I simply shake or spoon a bit out of my AllSpice jar and am on my way. However, some dishes (especially those from India) call for a bit more special preparation of the spices you are using. Preparing spices is usually not hard and can add additional layers of flavor to your dish. Below are several ways spices can be prepared: Roasting Indian recipes often call for whole spices, such as cumin and cardamom, to be roasted before using. Roasting spices is quite simple. The most common method is to put them...

Many Americans are surprised to find out that curry isn't a spice, but rather a blend of spices, chilies and other aromatics. And, the specific blend of spices can vary widely from culture to culture and cook to cook. The word curry dates from the 18th century and probably comes from the Indian word 'kari' meaning sauce. The sauces we now classify as curries, come from all over South Asia and vary widely in their composition. In 1889, at the Universal Paris Exposition, a 'Curry Decree' set the composition of curry as having specific amounts of tamarind, onion, coriander, chilli pepper,...

What is Coriander? It surprises many Americans to learn that the somewhat obscure spice called coriander is simply the seed of the popular cilantro plant. More mild and less controversial than cilantro, coriander is popular in Middle Eastern and North African Cooking. What is the History of Coriander? Native to Southern Europe, Coriander has been used since ancient times. It was mentioned in Ancient Egypt, used for medicinal purposes in Ancient China and is even discussed in the bible. How is Coriander Grown? Easy to grow, coriander is cultivated throughout Europe, India and the Americas. Seeds produce a small green...