Spice & Herb Tips

Keeping Spices and Herbs Fresh

Whole spices and herbs maintain freshness longer than ground spices and herbs.  Spices and herbs do not spoil, but after time will lose strength, color and will not deliver taste.
 
Spices and herbs will keep their freshness longer in airtight bottles.  The shelf life for whole product is 3-4 years, ground product is 2-3 years, and leafy product is 1-3 years.
 
The three ways to verify freshness is look, smell and taste.  Check for color fading, smell for a fresh sharp odor, and taste for staleness.
 
Keep spices in a cool dry area away from direct sun light. Flavor is lost when spices are exposed to heat and even the slightest amount of moisture can cause caking.  Don't forget to close the container tightly after each use.  An open container promotes flavor loss.
 
 
 
Cooking with Spices and Herbs

Do not sprinkle spices directly from the bottle over the steaming pot.  Steam cakes the contents and hastens the loss of flavor and aroma.
 
Make sure your measuring spoon is completely dry when you dip into a spice bottle.  Any moisture will result in caking and flavor loss.
 
Ground spices release their flavor quicker than whole spices.  Use ground spices in recipes with short cooking time, or add near end of longer cooking recipes.  Whole spices need more than twice as long as ground spices to release their flavor.  Use whole product in soups and stews.
 
Robust herbs such as sage, thyme and bay leaves stand up well in long cooking recipes. Milder herbs such as basil, marjoram and parsley should be added at the last minute for best results.  Before adding to recipe, rub leafy herbs in the palm of your hand to release maximum flavor and aroma.
 
Essential oils are more concentrated in dried herbs.  To substitute dried for fresh, reduce tablespoons to teaspoons.  Example:  2 tbs. fresh basil = 2 tsp. dried basil  
 
Scaling Up Recipes

Restaurants and institutions often need to size up recipes for larger than normal  gatherings.  Listed below are some suggestions for increasing spice in formulas.
 
Spices
Double the recipe, double the spice for the following items: Allspice, Cinnamon, Cloves, Black and White Pepper, etc.  Nutmeg and Mace are the only exception.
 
Seasonings
Double the recipe, double the seasoning.
 
Herbs
For the first 100%, double the amount of herbs.  For each multiple thereafter, add only half the original amount of herbs.
 
Ground Red Pepper
This item deserves special attention as the intensity of the heat increases quickly.  Use the following formula:  For the first 100% increase in portions, double the amount of red pepper.  For each multiple of the original recipe, add 1/4 of the pepper originally called for.
 

General Terms
 
Spices - The bark, root, fruit, or berry of tropical perennial plants.
 
Herbs - The leaves of annual and perennial shrubs grown in the temperate zone.
 
Seeds - Derived from annual plants and include anise, caraway, cardamom, celery,
coriander, cumin, dill, fennel, mustard, poppy, and sesame.
 
Seasonings - Blends of spices, herbs, seeds and/or salt and other flavors.
 
Dehydrated Vegetables - Consist of garlic, onion, bell peppers, and parsley.
 

Glossary of Spice Terms

ASTA - American Spice Trade Association
 
ASTA Color - A rating based on the official ASTA method for determining extractable
color; generally applied to paprika
 
Aril - An accessory appendage of certain seeds (ex: mace around the nutmeg seed)
 
Bite - The heat factor in a spice.  Bite is experienced by the tongue, flavor through the nose.
 
Bulbiet - A small bulb of bulblike body usually borne on the stem (ex: garlic)
 
Bulk Index - Cubic centimeters occupied by 100 grams of spice or seasoning.
 
Capsule - A dry fruit that splits open at maturity (ex: sesame)
 
Custom Blend - A unique blend produced to a food manufacturer's formula or needs.
 
Decorticated - To remove the outer husk from (ex: cardamom)
 
Dehydrated - Process by which fresh produce is dried and converted to various forms for ease of handling and final use.
 
Encapsulated Seasonings - Extractives blended with a solubilized gum which is spray-dried.  As the spray dries, the gum forms a protective film around the flavor particles.
 
Essential Oils - The volatile oils of a spice, which produce most of its flavor.
 
Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act of 1938 - This act and its subsequent revisions set up the standards of identity and quality for edible spices in the United States. The Food and Drug Administration enforces these requlations.
 
Freeze Drying - A drying technique that produces an end product, which is dry, not frozen.  The term comes from the material to be dried being frozen and remaining that way during the complete drying process.
 
Hull - The outer covering, or husk, of certain fruits or seeds.
 
Oleoresins - Viscous, resinous materials extracted from spices, containing both volatile and non-volatile portions.
 
Scoville - A method of testing and rating the heat level of capsicums.
 
Volatile Oils - Naturally occurring oils which are found in various plants, especially in the flowers and leaves, which give spices their characteristic flavor and odor.