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10:35 am
July 26, 2010
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I love to cook now and luckily have improved over the years. :)
What I don't know is: How do you know what spices and herbs to add and how much to recipes you're cooking. I love to experiment with all the herbs and spices I've got, I'm just not sure which ones go where and which ones are best used.
How do you know or how do you learn.
11:07 am
May 10, 2010
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That is a great question Renee! I have asked myself that same question. I look forward to reading the replies.
11:13 am
December 14, 2010
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This web site sells bulk spices and give a short history and the uses for each of the seasonings and spices that they sell.
Example:
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), small perennial evergreen shrub of the mint family (Laminaceae, or Labiatae) whose leaves are used to flavour foods. Rosemary leaves have a tealike fragrance and a pungent, slightly bitter taste. They are generally used sparingly, dried or fresh, to season foods, particularly lamb, duck, chicken, sausages, seafood, stuffings, stews, soups, potatoes, tomatoes, turnips, other vegetables, and beverages. Whole sprigs are removed before food is served because of their powerful taste. In ancient times rosemary was believed to strengthen the memory; in literature and folklore it is an emblem of remembrance and fidelity. Rosemary is slightly stimulating; in traditional medicine it was a popular aromatic constituent of tonics and liniments. Today, its fragrant oil is an ingredient in numerous toiletry products and in vermouth. Native to the Mediterranean region, it has been naturalized throughout Europe and temperate America and is widely grown in gardens in the warmer parts of the U.S. and in Great Britain, where an old garden legend reads "where rosemary thrives the mistress is master."
12:26 pm
July 26, 2010
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Sonia it's always amazed me how people know what to use, how much and how to combine them.
Ross, I'm going to check out that web site, thank you so much for the addy to use. But the other thing I don't know is how to combine them for great savory taste. How do you know which ones to use?
1:07 pm
December 14, 2010
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Reading the labels on the bottles of herbs is a good place to start. These are sold by people tha have tried many combinations and they have learned what works and what doesn't.
For example you don't see recipes that call for sugar, vanilla, and garlic in the mix. One of them is wrong. But you can often find sugar, vinegar and garlic in the same recipe.
In the web site I posted there is a side bar of mixed spices and seasonings that is worth exploring.
1:12 pm
December 28, 2008
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Since so much of what we taste is really from our sense of smell, perhaps the easiest way to figure out what herb/spice goes with which foods is simply to crush a little bit in your hand, take a whiff and decide if that is an aroma you could associate with whatever you are cooking. Then remember that a little may go a long way, so don't get carried away adding it to your dish. (Many things you can just shake the bottle, then check the aroma.)
For instance – we have a LOT of lemon thyme growing around the garden. So, we add it to a lot of things just because it's there. Sprigs of it tucked inside a roasting chicken, sprigs of it added to stews, or beans, or whatever. Smells good and tastes good!
1:32 pm
May 5, 2010
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Taste, like favorite colors, is truly a subjective thing as well as cultural … what you ate as a child tends to steer adult taste preferences. I'm in my mid-50's and find that I'm much more generous with how much herb I shake into a sauce or casserole than when I was a crispy 20-something. Likely I was more tentative then, now I'm more confident and sure what flavor a particular herb is going to impart to a dish but that came with experience. Uh, and some interesting meal experiments …happily my DH states that I've never brought anything to the table "that was really bad". What a support!
Personally when it comes to savory, I love, love the Italian seasonings of oregano, basil and rosemary … with just a little heat of pepper flakes or cayenne. There is a Mexican oregano as well in those sauces so I buy my oregano in bulk (looking to dry my own from the garden this year!). My favorite veggie cannilini soup which could feed eight nets a handful each of the dried oregano and basil (tablespoon maybe?) with doses of coarse black pepper and pepper flakes depending on my mood. I rarely add salt particularly with tomato-based dishes which have natural sodium. Ditto with sauces … add herbs, let it simmer for maybe 15 minutes, taste and adjust.
I'd hazard that you'll learn quickly enough by trying recipes and adjusting them to your "yum" preference. Less is more to start as it's pretty hard to take back cayenne if you added one shake too many for some family members … and, yeah, I still do this once in while. <img class="sfsmiley" title="surprised" onclick="sfjLoadSmiley('icon_surprised.gif', 'surprised', 'http://chickensintheroad.com/w…..eys/', '
', '1');" src="../../../wp-content/forum-smileys/icon_surprised.gif" alt="surprised" />
1:50 pm
June 1, 2010
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Renee, another useful trick is to read cookbooks, or similar recipes on line. If you read 20 recipes for lamb/lamb stew/lamb kabobs and 16 call for mint, thyme, pepper, and garlic, take that as a hint and a starting point. As others have said, use a light hand 'till you find your comfort zone.
Later, when you read two dozen chili recipes and only three call for cocoa, you'll be willing to have a culinary adventure.
2:04 pm
October 18, 2010
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I have a lot of lemon balm (started with just a little sprig!) Does anyone here use it? Any ideas? It will be coming up soon.
3:35 pm
April 1, 2009
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I am glad to see this question, I too have tons of lemon balm, it starts everywhere, I have even found it in the yard, several years ago I gave a start to my neighbor–she still hasn't forgiven me 
I have used it in my iced tea and if I get an offensive cooking odor on my hands, such as onions or garlic, I crush some leaves and rub it between my hands. I think it can be used to brew tea as well as in soaps, the smell is wonderful, someone on this blog will know–these gals know everything about herbs. 
8:16 pm
August 15, 2008
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Lemon balm is a great medicinal herb with many anti-viral qualities. You should really incorporate in here in there. I have tons and use it in a hot tea with grated fresh or dried ginger and a little honey. Hubby also makes a biblical herbal ale with it. It is also pretty good in chinese or asian dishes.
Renee, as far as knowing which spices to put where? I agree with the cookbook ideas and researching some on line to get ideas. Experience and many failures along the way have taught me. Great advice to start less and use your "yum" factor. How ever you use…find a choice that you like and use it….its GOOD for you!!!
8:28 pm
July 26, 2010
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Thanks for all the helpful information you guys have. From what I gather, you read your recipes, study the ingredients, and then it's mostly trial and error on your part. What you like or not like.
I know I tried a chicken dish awhile back with some ginger. We had had a chicken dish with ginger, liked it and I wanted to try to make it. Well I know that ginger goes a long way so I didn't use much. Tasted it and thought well I'd add some more. Well let's just say that we drank a lot of water that night and didn't keep any leftovers like we normally do!
I'm going to read that link that Ross gave and see what I can come up with. Nothing ventured, nothing gained!
10:07 pm
December 14, 2010
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The internet is such a wonderful wide rangeing source of information that I am bewildered by people that don't consider it a first place to look for answers to any question that they may have. More than half of the inquiries that are made to this forum are covered in great detail and depth on the internet.
10:23 pm
August 15, 2008
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I agree, Ross. I have spent hours and hours researching and studying in the winter of course. I have to say though that these forums can help learn first hand of someone else's disasters. That to me is a necessary part of learning as well. I love to share my failures with others…it may help them bypass that particular error. The internet has definitly opened many doors for me…a giant encyclopedia of knowledge. I love the human aspect of this forum.
9:25 am
October 17, 2008
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Here's another link to using herbs & spices 
http://chickensintheroad.com/f…..bs-spices/
12:08 pm
March 4, 2011
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I group my herbs and spices by country/region. So I have mediterranean herbs which always go together such as thyme, rosemary, oregano. These always go well with lemon and garlic. Then there are my indian spices which again all seem good together such as corriander, cumin, turmeric, fenugreek and chillies. My new found faves however are the spices I use for my "American rubs": paprika, garlic, cayenne, etc. Its sort of groupings by association and all based around garlic!
6:02 pm
January 10, 2010
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Birdi said:
Lemon balm is a great medicinal herb with many anti-viral qualities. You should really incorporate in here in there. I have tons and use it in a hot tea with grated fresh or dried ginger and a little honey. Hubby also makes a biblical herbal ale with it. It is also pretty good in chinese or asian dishes.
Renee, as far as knowing which spices to put where? I agree with the cookbook ideas and researching some on line to get ideas. Experience and many failures along the way have taught me. Great advice to start less and use your "yum" factor. How ever you use…find a choice that you like and use it….its GOOD for you!!!
Hey Birdi, how does you Hubby make the biblical ale? Sounds interesting.
8:25 pm
December 14, 2010
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This has been a long running thread and with good reason. I am going to link some sausage sites because they so often use spice and herb combinations that i have never before considered.
Click on recipes from A to Z. http://www.wedlinydomowe.com/s…..ed-sausage.
And also this one: http://lpoli.50webs.com/Sausag…..ecipes.htm
6:26 pm
December 14, 2010
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Two things to say. I was at the grocery today and sage herb was 6 dollars for a very small jar. Last week I picked sage leaves from my garden and put them in a mesh bag to dry. Tonight I rubbed them into powder and weighed the result. I got about four grams and the volume is greater than the jar at the store.
the other thing is this web site: http://www.a1spiceworld.com/ Prints a details use paragraph for each spice and herb.
10:21 pm
February 22, 2010
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I miss my sage. I had my son clean out the flower bed last year…I said leave the herbs…the last thing he told me as he was leaving that night "I got rid of all those old woody weeds out there." 
I thought sure there would be some stragglers left but… not a sprig.
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