Seasoning is not the same as flavoring Did you know that when professional chefs speak of "seasoning" a dish, they're talking about using salt and pepper, and only salt and pepper, not other herbs and spices? Herbs and spices are "flavorings". Click here to learn what you need to know about the different types of salt.

Where to get great herbs & spices Let me make this simple: Penzeys. This quality-first spice merchant began as a single store in Wisconsin and, as people compared the taste of Penzeys spices with the grocery store brands, they grew to about 30 locations nationwide. I had the pleasure of meeting the founders when they only had one store and they blew me away with their knowledge and sincerity. Do an experiment. Order one of Penzey's cinnamons (last I checked they had eight different cinnamons) and compare it with what you have on your shelf. It's like you've never tasted cinnamon before! You'll never go back. Order their catalog. It's beautiful and the recipes are also great. Alas, their website is not very good.

The Zen of Herbs & Spices

Meats and veggies often taste great unadorned. A great ribeye steak or a filet of fresh Chilean Sea Bass need nothing more than a little salt and pepper. But chefs make their living by amping foods up with herbs, spices, and sauces with herbs and spices in them. Here are some things to know about these important flavor enhancers and a list of what well armed cooks will have in their tool kits.

What are spices? Spices are flavorings made from seeds, berries, fruits, bark, and roots.

What are herbs? Culinary herbs are flavorings for cooking usually made from green leaves (that's a sage leaf at the top of the page). Medicinal herbs include things cooks call spices.

Fresh vs. dried herbs. Herbs are wonderful and fresh herbs are more wonderful. Fresh herbs can add an element of complex and bright flavor to whatever you are cooking. A pinch of rosemary in grits can make them really pop. Fresh basil and tomato are made for each other like peanut butter and jelly. Fresh herbs are really worth the effort to grow. They take up little space, and many can be grown in pots and on window sills. WindowBox.com is a good source for supplies for growing herbs indoors. In cooking, they are usually added just before serving, cooking for only 30-60 seconds, in order to preserve their freshness.

Storing fresh herbs. It is important to keep fresh herbs cool and moist. The best method is to put their stems in a vase of water in the fridge, but that's not very efficient spacewise. Another technique is to wrap them in moist paper towels and pur that in a plastic bag that has some holes to allow it to breathe so they don't get moldy.

3 parts fresh herbs = 1 part dried. Approximately. Sometimes. It's a good rule of thumb, but not perfect. Fresh herbs taste very different than their dried counterparts. Drying herbs can concentrate some of their flavors, while other flavors evaporate. Swapping fresh for dried can have a major impact on the recipe. So you should always try to use what the recipe calls for. That said, here are some guidelines for substituting dried herbs if you can't get a fresh herb.

Since there are three teaspoons in a tablespoon, if a recipe calls for fresh herbs and all you have is dried, just change tablespoons to teaspoons. So if the recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme, use 1 teaspoon or dried thyme. Please note, this only works if the herb is a minor part of the dish. For something like pesto, which is a pasty sauce made with lots of basil, you cannot substitute dried for fresh.

We use fresh and dried herbs differently, too. The flavors in fresh herbs are delicate and ephemeral, so they are usually added with about 5 minutes or less left in the cooking process. Chopping them makes them give up their flavors more easily. Dried herbs should be crumbled and need to be added earlier to extract their flavors.

Blends. There are numerous handy blends of dried herbs and spices on the market. Did you know that chili powder and curry powder are actually blends of several different ingredients? Some other popular blends are poultry seasoning, herbes de Provence, garam masala, five spice powder, lemon pepper seasoning, pickling spices, pumpkin pie spice, ras el hanout, and gumbo filet. Other popular commercial spice blends are Lawry's Seasoned Salt, Old Bay Seasoning, and Emiril's Essence. My recipes for Memphis Magic Dust, Cow Crust, Big Bad Beef Rub, Simon & Garfunkel Rub, and Rendezvous Rub are easy mixes for you to make.

Seasoned salts. Don't use seasoned salts such as garlic salt or celery salt in cooking. Use garlic powder or celery seed powder. This way you can better control the salt content. Seasoned salts are sometimes nice to use on the dinner table. Make your own blend by blending 1/2 cup od sea salt with a tablespoon of mixed herbs and spices.

The outdoor cook's pantry There are lots of other great ways to bring flavor and complexcity to your dishes. You need hot stuff, tart stuff, oils, and dairy. Below is a list of what you need for a well-stocked pantry. If you buy a good spice grinder you can get a lot of herbs and spices whole and grind them as needed. Whole seeds keep longer, taste better when ground fresh, and free up a lot of space in your kitchen. Get a coffee grinder for reducing peppecorns to crushed pepper, or for powdering celery seeds, anise, caraway, bay leaves, etc. Get one with a blade not burrs, and make sure it is easy to clean if you plan to use it for both coffee and spices ("Honey, why does the coffee make me cry today?"). I like the Krups GX4100 Electric Coffee and Spice Grinder And while you're at it, get a garlic press. Makes quick work of smashing up garlic.
The essentials		Optional
Essential spices Allspice Celery seed Cinnamon powder Cinnamon sticks Clove, whole Coriander seed Cumin seed Garlic powder Ginger powder Nutmeg powder Onion powder Paprika, sweet Essential dried herbs Basil Bay (laurel) leaf Dill Oregano Rosemary Sage Tarragon Thyme Essential fresh herbs Most of these will grow well on a well-lit window sill Basil Chives Oregano Parsley Rosemary Sage Thai Basil Thyme Tarragon Essential hot stuff Chili powder Chipotle powder Curry powder Ginger, fresh Horseradish in vinegar Hot pepper sauces Jalapeño chiles, fresh Mustard, Dijon style Mustard, yellow Mustard powder Peppercorns, black Pepper, black ground Grain products Bread, fresh Bread crumbs, plain Couscous, instant Corn starch Cornmeal Fettuccini Flour, all-purpose Macaroni Mostaccioli Potatoes Rice, arborio Rice, brown Rice, white Rice, wild Spaghetti	Essential sweeteners Honey Hoisin sauce Jam Maple syrup Molasses Onions, caramelized Orange juice concentrate Sugar, white Sugar, brown Essential acids Lemon juice, fresh Lemon juice, bottled Lime juice, fresh Orange juice, bottled Vinegar, distilled Vinegar, cider Vinegar, cheap balsamic Wine, white Essential fats & oils Bacon fat Butter, unsalted Mayonnaise Olive oil, cheap Olive oil, good extra virgin Peanut oil Sesame oil Essential produce Ancho chiles Bell pepper, green Bell pepper, red Carrots Celery Garlic, whole fresh Onions, pearl Onions, medium Tomatoes, fresh Roma Essential dairy Butter, unsalted Cheddar, sharp yellow Chocolate, milk Chocolate, semisweet chips Cream Cheese Sour cream Swiss or Jarlsberg Milk, at least 2% fat Parmigiano-Reggiano Yogurt, plain Other essentials Bacon Beans, kidney, dried Beer, lager Beer, stout or porter Bourbon Broth, chicken Broth, beef Cranberries, dried Coffee, whole bean Commercial BBQ sauce Eggs Ketchup Pesto, frozen Pickles, dill Pickles, sweet gherkins Raisins Salt, kosher Salt, sea Soy sauce Tomatoes, canned whole Tomato paste Tomato salsa Vanilla extract Wine, medium dry sherry Wine, low tannin red Worcestershire sauce	Optional spices Anise seeds Caraway seeds Cardamom seeds Dill seeds Fennel seeds Five spice powder Paprika, hot smoked Peppercorns, Sichuan Saffron Star anise Optional dried herbs Chervil Marjoram Mint Epazote Lavender Lemon grass Savory Optional fresh herbs Cilantro/coriander Chives Dill Mint Parsley Other optional stuff Accent Apple butter Baking soda Baking powder Bell pepper, orange Amaretto Liqueur Chipotles in adobo Coffee, instant Cured ham Ghee (clarified butter) Grand Marnier Liqueur Grenadine Lemon zest Liquid smoke Orange zest Panko Pancake mix Peppercorns, white Raspberry Liqueur Tamarind paste Terriyaki sauce Splenda Sugar, turbinado Sugar Twin Wasabi powder Yeast, dry

Revised 4/29/2009

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MEMBER: International Association of Culinary Professionals MEMBER: Kansas City Barbeque Society MEMBER: National Barbecue Association

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