Organic Cooking with Spices

Cooking with spices adds great flavor to your food. Use bulk organic spices and wholesale organic spices to buy at lower cost (and divide amongst friends). Organic spice blends provide unique flavor.

When you first begin to tackle recipes, cooking with organic spices (spices are dried fresh herbs) is one of the keynotes to making successful menus. The ability to gather good organic spices and mix and mingle them with other ingredients for just the right flavor takes a little time and practice, but it's well worth it. After all, what would spaghetti sauce be without organic basil and organic garlic? And how could we ever eat an organic apple pie without organic ginger, allspice and cinnamon?

Truthfully, there are so many applications for spices in your pantry (including medicinal) that it's nearly impossible to name them all. Hungry yet? Just thinking of cooking with spices creates that response. Smelling fresh organic herbs and dried organic spices - doubly so!

By definition, organic spices are the dried flowers, bark, roots, seeds, etc. of a plant that are used for food. Ginger root would be one example. By comparison herbs are the leaves and stems of a plant. Organic herbs are often used fresh, spices show up dried. Be it organic herbs or spices, however, the history of these flavorful aromatics span thousands of years.

Initially organic spices were a common part of healer's kits. As they made their way into the kitchen, organic herbs and spices grew in value (helped with a boost of folklore from clever merchants). Some organic spices even became currency, which is how we come by the phrase "a man worth his salt".

When you're cooking with spices it's vital that you choose them well and keep them in a cool, dark area. Dried herbs do not maintain their flavor or aroma very well when left where it's hot or in direct sunlight. And if you buy bulk organic spices, wholesale organic spices, or organic spice blends make sure that you store them well; and the best way to buy and use bulk organic spices is to buy with friends and/or family and then divide the quantities.

Fresh herbs should be kept in the refrigerator and used as soon as possible (if you can't use them, dehydrate them or freeze so there's no waste).

While an organic cookbook can give you some great tips on getting started with your adventure in spices, your taste buds are important too. What is "classic" (like using dill on salmon, ginger with carrots, poultry with sage, and thyme with lamb) may not suit you at all! So, one way to explore herbs and spices is to try them in fresh and dry form on a variety of foods.

NOTE: keep aside one small helping from a meal that's unflavored and use that for your testing and trials. That way you won't ruin a whole meal with your experiments!

This list will give you a fast reference on how some spices are commonly paired:

• Allspice: apple, pumpkin, nuts (often desserts)
• Caraway: bread, mushrooms, sausage, potatoes
• Chile peppers: tomato, beef, rice, seafood, pineapple
• Cinnamon: breads, apples, dates, figs, squash
• Clove: Ham, pineapple, sausage, apples
• Fennel: Cabbage, eggplant, artichokes, seafood, tomato
• Ginger: poultry, asparagus, carrots, stir fry, fish
• Horseradish: mustard, sausage, roast beef, chives, some root vegetables
• Mustard: ham, beef, cabbage, cured meat, honey, seafood
• Nutmeg: orange, cabbage, cranberries, coffee, pumpkin
• Saffron: rice, cumin, sausage, poultry, fish, tomatoes
• Sesame: meat, poultry, seafood, coconut, breads, beans
• Vanilla: banana, coconut, coffee, nuts, shrimp, tropical fruit

There you have it! Cooking with spices is incredibly fun and fulfilling especially when you get the blend just right to please everyone at your table.

Additional Reading

• Organic Food Recipes

• Organic Food Recipe for Desserts

• Organic Chicken Recipes

• Organic Eggplant Recipes

• Organic Food Recipes Main Courses

• Organic Food Recipes Starters

• Organic Cooking Schools

• Cooking with Fresh Herbs, Organically

• Organic Quince Jelly Recipe

• Organic Chickens; Dinner Recipes

• Return from Cooking with Spices (Organically) to Organic Food for Everyone Home Page