What ground herbs and spices do you have in your pantry? Go take a look. Check the expiration dates on them... I bet you will surprised that you've had that plastic bottle of cinnamon since 2009. Oh and the Cream of Tartar? Didn't realize it was in a metal box did you? THROW IT AWAY! I prefer to use fresh spices whenever available but I do understand that most of us need the convenience of having dried spice on hand. Rule of thumb, be expected to use twice the amount of dry spice if your recipe called for fresh. The flavor concentration is considerably less in the bottled kind but still works in a pinch. One of the most famous Spice Hunters was Marco Polo. He set out to find a spice route to the far East and ended up getting a little lost. The "real" story is that he was messing around with the Queen of Spain and the King gave her a choice... either her spicy lover hangs until dead or, he can be banished. I guess the P/R for the...
Thoughts and reflection on food and other delicious things.