wmartin@brl-tgr.ARPA (Will Martin ) (07/26/84)
I am looking for a reference that will give general hints and advice on the use of spices in all forms of cookery. I am not looking for recipes per se`, but for suggestions and principles. I am especially interested in combining spices, and substituting one for another. A lot of us probably have a spice shelf like mine -- fifty or so different spices, but we really only use 10 or so of these; the others were bought for a specific recipe, or just because they looked interesting, or they came in a set, and now they just sit and wither with age. I want to get some use out of all of these, not by making exotic recipes, but by learning how to use them in my everyday cooking. Many cookbooks list a number of spices (never all of them), with a chart or table of what to use them in. What they fail to discuss is which spices to use (and, more importantly, which NOT to use) in combinations with each other. Some spices will overpower others, so it would be a waste to use the ones you never taste. Others might combine to produce unpleasant effects, or, conversely, synergize together to form fine new taste sensations. Which do what? I don't know where to find this data. Also, they don't go into detail as to what to substitute if you are out of something. If you are out of thyme, will using tarragon do you any good? (I am making this up as I go along, so these examples are meaningless -- please don't flame about their inappropriateness.) I'd like to find something that gives a level of detail like, "Thyme may be substituted for tarragon in fish and vegetable dishes, using half the called-for amount, but not in beef and poultry, where you should use an equivalent amount of rosemary instead." (Yes, that's nonsense, of course, so substitute the true replacements if you know such a situation.) I've developed my own spicing techniques over the years, but still need guidance on using many less-comon seasonings, especially the varieties of dried herbs. The prepared mixtures are particularily troublesome -- without looking it up, can anyone tell the difference in composition and use between "fines herbes" and "bouquet garni"? Should they ever be used together? Why or why not? Which spices should be used out of the bottle, or ground first, or roasted and then ground before use? When do you do this differently? As to quantities used, I suspect that many recipes call for far too small amounts for many seasonings, especially the dried herbs. After all, if you use handfulls of fresh basil leaves to make a pesto sauce, it seems that a teaspoon or less of dried basil in a big pot of something isn't going to really contribute much. For some spices, like cayenne, a little does go a long way, of course. So which can you safely experiment with by increasing called-for quantities? (Maybe you can finally use up some of the old stuff and get new, fresh varieties!) If you don't know of a reference that answers these questions, but you have input on the subject from your own experience, please post your comments and suggestions. Pointers to books or magazine articles are welcomed, too. Will Martin