Spice Capades - Recap

Alton explains that spices define the world’s great cuisines. Knowing how to select them, store them, and use them correctly is essential to eating well. So Alton sets out to teach us about spices and their contributions to... Good Eats.

Spices drove the early history of exploration. The great explorers of centuries ago weren’t out there for pure discovery. They were out there for commerce and one of the biggest trade items was spices. Where to obtain spices is as important to the modern cook as it was to the great trading houses of departed days.

A few spices - allspice, vanilla, chili peppers – are from the Americas. But most are from other parts of the world. A lot can happen to them on their way to the kitchen to ruin their flavors. So the first step is to find a reputable spice vendor. Internet and mail order vendors are fine candidates but the only way to really know is to test. Buy spices from a vendor and see if they’re fresh and flavorful. Spices contain volatile oils. If they’re mistreated, these oils can evaporate or denature (change into other chemicals). Either of these would be bad eats.

Alton’s discussion moves to the difference between herbs and spices. An herb contains its essential oils in its leaves. If the oils are in another part of the plant then it’s a spice. Alton moves from shelf to shelf in a spice store to explain: Coriander is a seed. Peppercorns are tiny berries. Cardamom is a tiny fruit that happens to look like a seed. Cinnamon and its stronger relative cassia come from tree bark. Tumeric is taken from a rhizome (a root-like structure that spreads across the ground). Vanilla, one of the most popular spices, comes from the fermented seed and pod of a South American orchid.

Herbs can usually be used fresh or dried but spices must normally be dried. Fresh vanilla beans look like thin string beans and have no flavor at all. Dry and ferment them and the flavor comes to life. (And they can be used to make a fine Salvador Dali mustachio – uh, oh, the spice vendor seems to have caught Alton playing with his food!).

Alton’s made his choices, and now faces the problem of storage. Spices must be stored them properly or they will lose their flavor. Remembering that their volatile oils are their flavor, Alton devises a storage approach that keeps his spices away from things that can drive off or denature those oils: light, air, moisture, and heat. Small metal tins with tight lids work well. Stored properly, whole spices keep for two years, ground spices for six months. Alton attaches his tins to the inside of cupboard doors with Velcro.

With these basics out of the way, Alton shares the first spice cooking technique – whole spices. Cooking with whole spices involves extracting their oils with heat and a solvent. Alton chooses a dried fruit compote to demonstrate. He puts dried figs and pears into a saucepan. They’re joined by honey, apple cider, white wine, lemon peel and lemon juice. Then he adds the spices: cloves, cinnamon, and a whole star anise. He simmers that until it thickens and then remove the whole spices and serves the compote over ice cream. It can also be eaten by itself.

Some spices are better ground, so Alton discusses how to grind them properly. Purists prefer a mortal and pestle. Most folks are familiar with this as the “symbol” of the pharmacy industry from the days when pharmacists actually mixed medicines on the premises. Alton chooses a ceramic mortar and pestle because it’s the fastest – its surface looks smooth but has tiny ridges and points that grab spices better than other materials. Even in a ceramic mortar it can take a long time to grind a significant quantity of spice, so Alton suggests a pepper grinder with a ceramic grinding stone. Finally, there’s the choice of many restaurants: a blade coffee grinder. The best choices have a metal cup (plastic absorbs flavor oils and can redistribute them to other foods.) However you grind your spices, start with clean equipment or you will mingle flavors.

A key to proper spice cooking is to use the right spices together. A single spice is like a single musical note: often not very interesting. Put the right spices together and you’ve got a nice culinary chord, while the wrong combinations create an unpleasant discord. This is why many recipes feature spices in combination.

The various forms of curry exploit the power of spice combinations. India has long been near the center of the spice trade. Perhaps that’s why the Indian people mastered spice cookery long ago. Curry (which comes from a word meaning “sauce”) means a lot of different things. Alton plans a vegetable curry.

He starts with a pound of frozen vegetables, thawed and warmed (but not cooked) in the microwave. Next he puts a big pan over medium heat. Into the pan go cumin, mustard, and fennel seed – cover the pan or the seeds will leap out when they start to pop. While that’s cooking Alton makes a sauce base from a mixture of cornstarch and yogurt. Then he adds coriander, onion powder, cinnamon, turmeric, crushed garlic and red chilis to the pan. The warmed vegetables follow in the spices and then a little salt and pepper. When that heats, Alton stirs in the yogurt mixture. Curried mixed vegetables with very little effort!

Alton’s final topic is spice rubs. Darn near everyone has one and... they’re all mostly salt because salt is cheap and takes up space. Alton prefers to salt and spice food as separate operations. To demonstrate, he prepares a salmon fillet with his own rub. He starts with a three pound salmon fillet, rubbing it with salt (more salt where the fish is thicker). Then Alton makes the “Grindmaster 2000” – a pepper mill combined with an electric drill for very fast grinding! If you make your own Grindmaster, Alton cautions, be very careful with the speed or you’ll ruin the mill!

Alton puts onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, cumin, fennel, coriander and star anise into a blender. As they blend he drizzles in a little canola oil. The oil will extract flavors from the spices creating a sort of culinary pomade. He brushes this onto the fish and lets it sit for half an hour. (The antibiotic properties of the spices will protect the fish from this brief exposure to room temperature.) Then he slides it into the broiler – not too long, just a few minutes. When cooking fish, it’s more important to know the signs of doneness than to watch a clock. Alton explains these signs: internal temperature (an instant probe thermometer works well), response to gentle pressure, and flakiness.

Want to make your own spice rub or blend? Take a tip from the experts: mix whole spices with ground spices. Alton follows this example to make a curry powder from cumin, cardamom, coriander, turmeric, mustard and cayenne pepper.

Use fresh spices properly and your dishes can be... Good Eats!

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