Spice It Up

For years I was a bland cook, straight from the box or can.  Apparently I thought flavor was for eating out, not to be accessed by the home chef.  I decided I wanted to learn to cook one afternoon and started with a basic recipe.  Guess what?  I liked it.  And the spice world was ready to be explored. So how do you start?

1.  You can start easy by just getting a standard pre-filled spice rack.  They are typically inexpensive and have a good basic assortment of herbs and spices.  I started this way, but quickly realized it did not hold al that I needed for all styles of cooking.  But don't jump head first into a large herb and spice investment.

2.  Herbs and spices are expensive, especially the ones that are not typically included in a standard spice rack.  This is the slow step, but it is worth the slow planning to build a custom spice rack. I started building my spice rack one spice and one recipe at a time.  Planning your grocery list after you meal plan is key to being prepared.  You can just get the herbs and spices you need for just that week.  This helps spread the cost of building a luxurious spice rack.

3.  Find recipes that use the spices you have on hand.  Know what you have on hand and use sites that will allow you to pick ingredients.  Supercook.com is a great (FREE) website that you can enter what you have on hand and will it tell you everything you can make with what you already have.  This site will also produce a grocery list for recipes you like but are just missing a few ingredients.

4.  Make your own spice blends.  Spice blends are usually mixes of herbs and spices you already have on hand but with a higher price tag because they did the work for you.  Use an old glass bottle you have saved and make everything from taco seasoning to chili mix. Just google the blend you want to make, there are tons of options out there.  They will tell you exactly how much of each herb or spice you need. I have found mixes my family likes far better than the premixes for almost everything.  You can control what you like the best about each blend.

5.  SAVE YOUR BOTTLES.  Don't toss the bottles when you run out.  Save your bottles.  You can buy bulk herbs and spices much cheaper by the pound.  Only do this for herbs and spices you go through a lot.  I was really surprised at hot fast I started going through herbs and spices I had never used before when I started making my own spice blends.