Herbs and Spices!

[Dr. kitteny berk]

Bit of a request more than anything really, I've got around to the Herb Tasting Notes on the wiki, but I'm retarded in the area mostly, so can't add much.

So, Herb and Spice tasting notes if you would, Either here or in the wiki.

Cheers!

[Dr. kitteny berk]

I'm sure people will have stuff to add to this, but it's what came to mind for me.

Dried stuff (keeps for ages)

Basil: Tastes italian, goes well in tomato sauces and perking up shitty pizzas
Bay leaves: See thyme, tastes different, does the same job.
Cayenne: Spicy thing, makes stuff have heat, not overpowering, quite distinct taste.
Cumin: Pretty much curry flavour, also good in chilli and on potato wedges
Five spice: Makes stuff taste a bit chinesey, often containts Onion, Star Anise, Garlic, Black Pepper, Fennel, Ginger, Cassia (tastes like cinnamon) and Cloves
Oregano: Another one for tomato sauces, classic in italian and mexican, so good in chillis etc. also, parasites don't like it, which is handy.
Thyme: Makes stuff taste rich and awesome, great in stews/pies/chilli, also awesome in sauces, good with sheep based products.

Stuff worth buying fresh:

Garlic: Wards off vampires, attracts the french. the finer your chop it, the garlicier it is, if you just smash it or slice it, it's nice and sweet.

[Dr. kitteny berk]

Juniper berries and a clove spice up veg soups and stocks if you grind them up well.

Caraway seeds and cumin seeds in a pepper mill make a sort of instant curry powder.

Those all keep their flavour better than than the powdered dried herbs/spices, which is also why I freeze the tubes of herbs you can buy, especially lemongrass, which is a pain in the arse to deal with dried.

I do have dried basil and oregano though as with a tin of tomatoes they make an instant Italian sauce for bolognese or lasagne and I tend to use them up before they lose their flavour.

Some things I just always have in my kitchen almost above all else are soy sauces and chili sauces - I have about six varieties of each, but if I had to pick one it would be Kikkoman soy sauce and either Dave's Insanity or Cholula chili sauce, depending how hot you like stuff.

Other things I always keep around are miso (either brown rice miso, or the liquidy pouches of miso soup base), cock soup powder, ume plum seasoning, sushi rice flavouring (mirin and rice wine vinegar), chinese wine vinegar, plus temperature-graded oils (EV Olive, Sesame, Rice bran - low to high smoke point), salted capers, lime juice, a jar of anchovies (or Gentleman's relish will do), black olives in brine, a jar of harissa, a tube of tomato puree, a bottle of mushroom ketchup and a jar of sun-dried tomatoes.

Most of those are flavour-enhancers and can be added to loads of things to make them more interesting, even the most boring ingredients like plain white rice or pasta can be made tasty in seconds and since they are cheap you can eat them a lot.


That mirepoix thing berk mentioned sounds basically like the recipe I used last time I made veg stock, so it's perhaps what's in the veg stock you can buy. It was a bit of a pain to make the stock, given it was only an ingredient for a soup I was making the next day, it was almost nice enough to be a soup on it's own, particularly roasting the veg a bit first.
I can't imagine myself ever bothering to boil up chicken bones etc, though so I usually buy stock in. The liquid stuff you buy seems to be closer to the consistency and taste I want but can't seem to achieve with stock cubes.

[Dr. kitteny berk]

Okay, possible overkill. Thought instead of just saying stuff I liked I'd try and proffer tasting notes and uses too!

Coriander - every cuisine in the world with the possible exception of inuit types use this stuff. Leaves - gentle citrus lift, seeds - stronger citrus flavours with nutty overtones too, roots - kick to the face strength compared to the other two, used in thai stuff for the potency. All bits lose flavour quickly when picked/ground/chopped.

Lemongrass - lemony, bitter bright flavour for thai/oriental stuff. Pretty much essential when paired with chilli and galangal/ginger to make thai dishes. Goes very woody when dried, needs soaking. Don't let it get damp or it will go the same was as normal grass silage would, stink from all the unstable esters and whatnot.

Borage - bit like cucumber in taste, can decorate with the blue flowers and use it in a leaf salad too. More of a chef wankery herb than anything.

Marjoram - tastes a bit like oregano but sweeter, very strong. Good in a herb crust on chicken.

Tarragon - sublime taste in rich fish sauces like veloute, quite strong aniseed flavour. Only needs a few wispy strands to get the flavour lacing through the sauce. Soggy bits taste fucking terrible, trim harshly.

Rosemary - lamb gravy needs this stuff in. You can also chop it up weeny and bash it into butter for a wonderful herby butter. Strong, slightly astringent flavours, slightly cough medicine in large amounts. Adds depth and richness unless you use too much, then it adds toilet duck flavours. Possibly stops shaky old person mental diseases.

Dill - good for tea apparently, I wouldn't know, I'm not often away from red tea or earl grey. You've probably all seen it in pickle jars, it's good for fish sauces and with white meats. A bit in an oil/wine vinegar dressing is nice on greenery too. Gentle flowery flavour, bit grassy and lifting.

Chives - weak onion flavour. Not really anything it can't work with unless the flavours get too rich. Salads, light sauces, chopped up and sprinkled as chef wank.

Mint - pepper/spear/pennyroyal - good in thick spicy Mediterranean/near east cuisine. I'm a fan of this in a five bean/apricot/chick pea stew, handfuls of the stuff along with loads of coriander make a wonderful aroma, just drop it all in at the very last second.

[buzzmong]

That is a very handy guide.

[Dr. kitteny berk]

Huzzah! go here and suggest things that you might also find handy in a guide form.