Home Day Fridays! Salt, Sugar and Spice!

Hello to Home Day Fridays!

Today I want to talk exactly about what this post's topic says above: Salt, Sugar and Spice!

As someone who loves to cook, I can say that the one thing that drives me crazy is having everything on hand except a particular spice or type of sugar to make something.  I like to be prepared as much as possible.

So, I thought that I would share with you the intimate portrait of my spice drawer (not to be confused with my spicy drawers which I don't possess at all!).  It is the pride of my kitchen.  I have 48 jars (Yes!) in this drawer where I also keep my bouillon.

Here is a shot of the multitude of flavourings I keep on hand.
 

Yes.  You caught me.  They ARE in alphabetical order!
I actually have a second drawer for extra stuff, believe it or not!  My bay leaves, saffron and crushed chili peppers are there for example as is my salt collection (see below).

 

The thing about having a nice variety like this is that sometimes you can make your own blend of spice rub or specialty blend such as a curry if you have turmeric, cumin, garlic and ginger, for example.  Remember Dave’s guest blog for MoroccanChicken when he realized he didn’t have Za’atar?  He made his own facsimile with the spices we DID have.

Keep in mind that certain spice combos will give you the “flavour” of specific ethnic dishes you may want to prepare. I’ve seen these pre-packaged spice blends in little bubble packs that cost a fortune. I call these “lazy people products”.  I am lazy (see bouillon) but not so lazy that I can't throw a few spices into a dish or jar.  Just roll up your sleeves and make your own blends.  

 

Here are some suggestions to get you started:

 

      Italian Blend:

      

       1/4 cup Basil leaf

       1/4 cup Marjoram Leaf

       1/4 cup Oregano leaf

       2 T ground rosemary

       2 T thyme leaf

       1 T granulated garlic 

 

      Chili Seasoning Mix:

1/4 cup chili powder

2 T granulated garlic

1.5 T onion powder

2 T oregano

1 T paprika

2 T ground cumin

1/2 T thyme

 

        Herbs de Provence:

2 T thyme leaf

2 T marjoram leaf

1 T crushed rosemary leaf

1 T savory

1/2 t lavender flowers (optional)

1 t dried orange zest (optional)

1/2 t ground fennel

 

Asian 5 Spice Seasoning:

 

1 T anise powder

1/2 T ground black pepper

1/2 T ground fennel

1/2 T ground cinnamon

1/2 T ground cloves

1/2 T sea salt

 

Now I know that you've read repeatedly that you should throw away your spices after X number of months.  Who is really that diligent (or wasteful)?  Not me.  This is my spice management policy: keep in a tightly fitted jar, store in a dark place and finally, smell it.  If you can’t discern a distinct aroma – like there’s no actual garlic smell from the garlic powder jar - time to pitch and replace.  

Stock Talk:

I usually buy Knorr or Aurora brand bouillon cubes.  When I DO use bouillon in my recipes, I use the size of cube that is meant to be rehydrated with 2 cups of water.  I find keeping bouillon on hand is essential in any kitchen.  

Look, I would love to simmer over a pot for hours and make all my own variety bouillon.  Of course that would be better in so many ways, but I, like you, am a busy person who sometimes simply needs a shortcut.

These are my stock boullion flavours (no pun intended!):
 

                              Basil and Garlic       
                              Beef
                              Chicken

                              Fish

                              Mushroom

                              Vegetable

Sweet Talk:

Different sweeteners will give your dishes and baked products a whole different tone.

Imagine what you can do with a piece of salmon if you used a different agent to prepare it.  (Check out my Honey Dijon Salmon for example.)  What if you used orange juice and brown sugar?  How about Agave and dry mustard?  Sugars and sweeteners can change the whole tone of what you’re cooking.

 

In my sugar pantry, I have:

Regular granulated sugar

Brown sugar
Icing sugar

White corn syrup

Golden corn syrup

Splenda

Demerera

Honey

Agave

Maple Syrup
Pomagranate Syrup

I don’t have it on hand right now but palm sugar is also good to keep around, especially for Thai and other Asian dishes.

What are your additions to this list?

Salt Talk (NOT to be confused with Salty Talk!):

Like sugar, salt can permeate a whole different flavour into your dish.

Growing up, all we ever had was the finely grained free flowing table salt.  Who knew the Jewish culture had been keeping the joy of kosher salt all to themselves for so long!  The use of kosher salt has exploded over the years, especially having been promoted so readily on food shows by cooks who, from hovering hands, sexily sprinkle it over food.  It just LOOKS like it must taste better!

I love to use different salt when I can.  To be truthful, I only use my mother’s old fashioned table salt primarily when I bake things because it measures so well.  Otherwise, I load my salt grinder with chunky salt crystals for everyday use.

At the moment, here are the salts I have on hand:

Truffle (great on eggs, mushrooms)

 

This is an interior shot of the smoked jalapeno salt above.

I love this salt for everyday cooking use. 
It really has an outstanding taste!
The company, Just a Pinch, based in Toronto, Canada,
makes a variety of excellent salts for the serous cook.
Check out their website here. 
Their products can be found in better supermarkets or,
you can order on-line.
They also carry very cool sugar products:

Cinnamon Sugar

Coco Sugar

Espresso Sugar

Ginger Sugar

Green Chili Sugar

Habanero Sugar

Lime Sugar

Raspberry Sugar

Vanilla Sugar

 

Back to their salts...

Here are a few of their salts I have on hand.
Check out the close-ups below.

This is what I fill my table salt grinder with.

Here is a close on some exotic black Hawaiian salt!
It's a beautiful finishing salt because of its dramatic colour!

Who doesn't need a little extra spice in their life?
Check out your supplies, buy a few extra new pantry items,
create new blends & elevate your dishes to new heights!

Let me know how you expanded
your sugar, salt and spice repetoire!