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Spices
Make Your Own Pumpkin Pie Spice
For years I thought pumpkin pie spice was a special spice — only recently did I realize it's actually a spice blend. And, like any spice blend, be it herbs de Provence or a rub for barbecue, pumpkin pie spice is easy to make. Why waste a couple of bucks buying it when you already have the ingredients in your pantry?!
The Kitchen Goddesses Can Teach You How to Cook
The Kitchen Goddess group in the YumSugar Community isn't just a place for browsing and sharing recipes. It's also your one-stop shop for any and every culinary question.
Reader RubyDreams was wondering how to make herbs de Provence.
Definition: Five-Spice Powder
A crucial component of Chinese cooking, five-spice powder (also known as Chinese five spice) is a mixture of ground spices that combine the five primary flavors of Chinese cuisine: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and pungent.
The five spices — cinnamon, cloves, star anise, Szechuan peppercorns, and either fennel seed or ginger — are employed based on the Chinese philosophy of balancing the yin and yang in food. The powder is used to flavor dishes from Cantonese roasted duck to beef stew.
Do You Own a Pepper Grinder?
Using a pepper grinder greatly improves one's seasoning skills. Plus it's fun to play server and ask guests if they'd like freshly ground pepper on their salads or pasta. Do you own this old-school gadget?
Do You Make Spice Rubs?
Do You Make Spice Rubs?
Yes! I enjoy making spice rubs.
Michael Symon Shares Tips on Flavor and Spice
"I like to do demos because they let me vent," Michael Symon admitted in Aspen. Which was fine by the crowd. It was only 10 a.m.
Yummy Links: From Poached Eggs to Merken
- Learn how to perfectly poach eggs. — Serious Eats
- Get your grill on with these healthy recipes. — Epicurious
- Check out Wendy Ding's Food Girl series, a fun depiction of females and food.
Do You Purchase Ingredients in Foreign Countries?
Every time I travel to Spain I make sure to stock up on Pimentón, spicy Spanish paprika. I also like to pick up saffron and canned tuna in olive oil. What items do you invest on while traveling?
Definition: Filé Powder
Filé Powder
A spice made from sassafras tree leaves that have been dried and ground. It serves as both a seasoning and a thickening agent when used sparingly. Also known as gumbo filé, this fruity spice plays an important role in Cajun and Creole cuisine, particularly in gumbo.
Do You Cook With Vanilla Beans?
At the Food Fête party this week after the Fancy Foods Show, a representative from Nielsen-Massey Vanillas handed me a kit sealed with a vanilla bean. She suggested that if I didn't want to cook with it, I could take advantage of its pleasant fragrance.
"Oh, don't worry — I'll cook with it," I reassured her.
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