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The Spice Rack

The Spice Rack ~ An introductory article for The Spice Rack, a collection of articles delving into the wonderfully fragrant world of herbs and spices.The Spice Rack ~ An introductory article for The Spice Rack, a collection of articles delving into the wonderfully fragrant world of herbs and spices ~ The Complete Savorist If I was to pick one herb or spice from my spice cabinet that I couldn’t do without, it just might be oregano. My late Italian grandmother used it on everything, for everything; it was her herb of choice.

At my mom’s house, we didn’t use any herbs or spices outside salt and pepper because our cooking was done from boxes and packets. It wasn’t until I was taken under the tutelage my stepmom that the world of herbs and spices was to introduced to me.

But even then, it was limited. There was still much for me to learn. There is still much for me to learn.

Over the years as my love of cooking and my curiosity of the individual ingredients grew, my natural love of research kicked in and I began looking things up to learn more.

That’s where this new series The Spice Rack comes into play. Herbs and spices make our meals. Then can turn that drab ole chicken breast into succulent flavorful feast or the dull russet in a spicy morsel.The Spice Rack ~ An introductory article for The Spice Rack, a collection of articles delving into the wonderfully fragrant world of herbs and spices ~ The Complete Savorist I’m going to tackle herbs and spices one by one, but I promise I will not be boring and yammer on about all the things a botanist or wikipedia would share with you. I am simply curious at the origins, how it is grown, how we came to use it the way we use it, etc etc. And I will share recipes using that herb or spice in each new article.

Since beginning my research, I have learned with some herbs, we use the flowers, others the leaves, and some, the seeds when it goes to reproduce. Some of my more favorite tidbits was learning that one of our favorites is nothing but glorified tree bark (cinnamon) and one of the most expensive spices is the sexual reproductive part of a flower (saffron).

The first article in this series is about coriander, so look for that soon. In the comments below, tell me which herbs and spices you have hanging out in your kitchen you want to know more about and how to use.The Spice Rack ~ An introductory article for The Spice Rack, a collection of articles delving into the wonderfully fragrant world of herbs and spices ~ The Complete Savorist

The Spice Rack ~ An introductory article for The Spice Rack, a collection of articles delving into the wonderfully fragrant world of herbs and spices ~ The Complete Savorist

Thank you for sharing!

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26 Comments

  • Reply
    Christina Lakey
    May 3, 2017 at 12:51 am

    I have so many spices it’s ridiculous…..and I want more! GIVE ME ALL THE SPICES! My most recent find was juniper berries, and I’m super excited to make our favorite Polish dish, bigos, with that included.

    • Reply
      Michelle De La Cerda
      May 3, 2017 at 2:54 am

      I have a 3-shelf cabinet and that doesn’t contain them. I love them all. Excited about your bigos!

  • Reply
    Sandi
    May 3, 2017 at 7:33 am

    My spice cabinet is ridiculously full. I am still trying to figure out what I can do with tarragon.

  • Reply
    Paula - bell'alimento
    May 3, 2017 at 3:28 pm

    Spice is oh so nice! I have WAY too many too! Need to get in there an organize them.

  • Reply
    Dennis
    May 3, 2017 at 4:14 pm

    Oregano.

  • Reply
    Erin @ The Speckled Palate
    May 3, 2017 at 7:26 pm

    What a fun new feature! We adore spices, and oregano is one of my favorites, too!

  • Reply
    Dee
    May 3, 2017 at 8:16 pm

    I love experimenting with different spices, but since we eat so much Italian and Mexican food, oregano and coriander are definitely some of my favorites!

    • Reply
      Michelle De La Cerda
      May 6, 2017 at 9:45 pm

      Did you know that the oregano used in Italian food is different from the oregano used in Mexican food?

  • Reply
    Cathy @ Lemon Tree Dwelling
    May 3, 2017 at 9:48 pm

    What a great series! I can’t wait to read these posts!

  • Reply
    Des @ Life's Ambrosia
    May 3, 2017 at 9:58 pm

    My absolute FAVORITE herb is Summer Savory. I don’t think that it gets used as much as it should! One of my favorites! I would love more ways to use tarragon 🙂

    • Reply
      Michelle De La Cerda
      May 6, 2017 at 9:48 pm

      Summer Savory…that’s the herb of the cool kids club! Love you mentioned it, but then again, you’re totally part of that club.

  • Reply
    Sharon @ What The Fork
    May 4, 2017 at 12:54 pm

    Oregano is one of my most-used herbs too. I love it on roasted potatoes! I’d say my #1 though is probably cinnamon since I do more baking than cooking 🙂

    • Reply
      Michelle De La Cerda
      May 6, 2017 at 9:49 pm

      Cinnamon is one that I never cared much for as a kid because of the synthetic cinnamon candies, but when I discovered Saigon cinnamon, my world changed.

  • Reply
    Michelle Goth
    May 4, 2017 at 2:15 pm

    Turmeric is one that I could use more information on. I have some but never use it.

    • Reply
      Michelle De La Cerda
      May 6, 2017 at 9:51 pm

      I love this one and I can’t wait to research and learn more about it. I have slowly been using it more recipes, but I know little about it.

  • Reply
    Jean Stein
    May 4, 2017 at 6:52 pm

    Tarragon is delicious in egg dishes, on fish or used in a lemon sauce instead of dill. It is a necessity to make Béarnaise Sauce.

    • Reply
      Michelle De La Cerda
      May 6, 2017 at 9:51 pm

      I do enjoy subbing Tarragon for dill, as dill can be incredibly overwhelming very quickly.

  • Reply
    Jean Stein
    May 4, 2017 at 6:54 pm

    I adore sumac and za’atar on so many things but I would love more recipes using them.

    • Reply
      Michelle De La Cerda
      May 6, 2017 at 9:56 pm

      Ohhhh sumac, this one I must cover! Za’atar is a blend but I will be covering blends in this serious as well. I’m really excited you mentioned both of these.

  • Reply
    Sarah Hernandez
    May 11, 2017 at 5:49 am

    Hi there! I’m super excited for this new series. I’m very curious to know where things come from and how to pair the ingredients better, so I’m really looking forward to it. Thanks!

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