Want to use your old herbs and spices? Just. Don’t.
EDIT: Entries to this giveaway are now closed, though you are still welcome to comment if you’d like. Congratulations to Nikki from Hamilton Hill, WA, our lucky winner. Your prize is on its way to you.
McCormick have asked me to chat about their new range of Recipe Creations flavour pouches. I loved them so much, we’re offering a giveaway worth $150 to a lucky reader. Oh and there’s a recipe of mine included. Oh yes there is.
There’s a person I know who, without mincing words, is a food hoarder.
I’m not talking about those people who store away bulk amounts of food for an upcoming end-of-days food shortage. I’m not referring to those who like to buy in bulk twice a year and eke it out over the next six months with the help of very well thought out menu plans (Seriously, WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE? and can you please share your ideas with us?) I’m certainly not talking about the majority of us who have full pantries because we don’t use shopping lists enough and so end up with extra bottles of sauces we don’t need. Or six half-used packets of cereal.
No, I’m talking about the people who have masses and masses of all types of food in their cupboards because a) they like to fill their cupboards (including food they will never use or eat) and b) they can’t bear to throw anything out.
In this person’s kitchen, in which I have cooked on more than one occasion, there are not one but two fully laden spice racks, each holding about thirty jars and bottles of various powders and seeds. In addition, there are rows and rows of jam jars filled with yet more spices, all carefully labelled, all neatly arranged on top of the tall food cupboard because there is no room on the shelves inside. Just about all of it is completely inedible and unusable. The waste of it appalls me.
Spices and herbs may look pretty all lined up on a rack next to your stove, but they lose their intense flavour and colour within weeks. At best spices last about six to twelve months, before they turn musty and stale. Beyond that, they are a waste of space. Add stale spices to your food and you risk spoiling the entire meal with a wretched taste of dust.
- Do not store your spices on a rack in full daylight or near a heat source like your stove. Store them away from direct sunlight, in a cool dark cupboard if possible to minimise colour and flavour deterioration. Keep them in airtight containers at all times.
- Do not store your spices for more than about twelve months – do everything you can to use them up in the meantime. The more airtight the container the longer they are likely to last.
- When using spices or dried herbs, roast them, whole, in a dry frypan over low to medium heat for about three minutes. Shake the pan or stir them with a wooden spoon to keep them moving and to prevent burning. The oils in the herbs and spices will warm up and release and the flavours of the spices will intensify. It brings them back to life and is invaluable when your spices have been stored for a while.
- Use a mortar and pestle or a small coffee grinder (use a separate coffee grinder to the one you use for coffee beans!) to crush the spices after you roast them, then add them back to your cooking. You’ll be amazed at the difference a few minutes can make.
The problem most home cooks have with herbs and spices is they use them for one or two recipes and then run out of ideas to use up the rest of the jar. While some strongly flavoured spices can withstand being used only a few times a year – like cloves or star anise – most do not. For this reason I have always advocated buying small quantities of herbs and spices at any one time and limit yourself to those spices you know will get a good outing in your kitchen.
Which is where McCormick have very cleverly come up with an answer. Small, meal-sized pots of herbs, ready to add to your favourite meal. Oh and did I mention the recipe ideas that come with them?
From chicken and potatoes, Beef scallopine and mushrooms to a hearty beef stew with dumplings and a lemony chicken casserole, McCormick have come up with a range of ideas, called Recipe Creations and combined them with all the herbs and spices you will need to create a brilliant family meal guaranteed to earn you brownie points at home. They come in nifty pouches, ready to be added, with recipe instructions included. Fantastic. It solves all the problems of storage and gives you an idea for a meal right in the middle of that mid-week I-can’t-be-bothered slump.
McCormick sent me a wonderful range of Recipe Creations for you as a giveaway, but one of them, for Herbed baked chicken and potatoes, ended up a little worse for wear during postage and I couldn’t really send it on, so I decided to use it. Then I realised I didn’t have any chicken in the house either, but I did have a piece of bolar blade beef waiting for a dinner with friends later in the week. My solution? I added the spice mixture to create a beautiful Pot Roast. No, really. It was so sensational, I photographed it and the recipe is below. You’re welcome.
McCormick has a wonderful package for you as a giveaway, including 10 packets of Recipe Creations herb and spice meal ideas, a handy guide to popular herbs and their use, a lovely linen tea towel and a wonderful and very well made Peugeot salt and pepper mill set in this year’s fashionable Tahitian green, all valued at $150.oo
To be in the running, please comment below on your favourite or your go-to herb or spice based meal. You can comment as often as you like but your name will only go once into the draw.
The winner will be selected at random as in previous giveaways and due to postage is open to Australian residents only.
The competition closes at 7pm Friday AEST, 27th July 2012.
I love cooking with herbs and spices – always find a creole rub great way to spruce up any piece of roasting meat – my favourite is roast chicken!
I love black peppercorns! Crush them and coat steaks, and suddenly the steaks are special. Then I make a pepper sauce to go with. Yes, we love our pepper here.
My current favourite is Thai satay chicken it is super yummy and uses lots of herbs and spices.
Hi Sandra, I would love to enter! Thanks for your advice; will definitely be rearranging my spice cabinet this weekend.
I love using a Moroccan spice mix. I use it on parboiled potatoes, which are finished off on the BBQ, and I also use it in a chickpea/spinach/tomato dish.
Rosemary is my go-to herb with lamb. Any lamb.
Oregano and rosemary get the biggest workout in our house!!
Rosmary and Garlic Roast Lamb. Using a pestle and mortar to mash the garlic and rosemary together and rubbing all over the leg of lamb…mmmmmmmm and if im feeling like i need more… i press whole cloves of garlic into the lamb and also sprigs of rosemary. (mmmm mouth is watering)
My children’s favourite is spicy beef mince with homemade taco-type flavouring. Clean plates every time
My favourite use of herbs and spices in cooking is your recipe ‘Asian chicken in a bag’. http://120dollarsfoodchallenge.com/2010/06/02/day-2-chicken-in-a-bag-asian-style/
Cumin! makes anything better. with cinnamon and smoked paprika close runner ups
I’d agree with you on that one. I use all three regularly…
Spaghetti bolegnese! Made from scratch and the herbs make the flavour intense
I use oregano and thyme in spaghetti bolognaise – I grow the thyme and use it fresh though. For a sweet dish, cloves and cinnamon in stewed apples.
I love paprika! Mmmm Goulash with mashed potatoes…yum!
I love sweet or smoked paprika, it goes well with so many meals. My favorite creation with paprika is a zucchini/mushroom/cream based stew! My partner loves it!
Cummin and Mint. Not always together!
Love using ground cumin in curry pastes – one of the few spices that definitly does not get under-used in my kitchen. I’m afraid though I have a ton of other spices I have used for one recipe and then have neglected. perhaps I should go through them this weekend!
Have you been in our kitchen? I don’t remember seeing you there lol My husband an avid cook has all those spices lined up. Most loved lately is Harissa and oh to win the comp and get rid of some of those bottles
We grow some of our most used herbs. Spice wise I use pepper every day. Coriander is a plant I find impossible to grow and I love it so. Cinnamon and curry spices are regulars around here.
I do thrice cooked potatoes using vast quantities of Smoked Paprika and a little bit of vegeta. They take quite some time to cook and make a god-awful mess, but no matter how much of it I cook… There are never enough of them!!
Being vegetarians in our home we love curries and stir fries the most. My son loves the smell of cumin and garam masala the most and always asks to help cook so he can smell the spices and herbs as we cook.
Cinnamon – on sweet pastries, with dried fruit in tray bakes, added to fruit pies and crumbles, a good pinch in the spag bol – so versatile – what’s not to love
My famous chilli uses smoked paprika, paprika, rosemary, cumin, chilli, garlic salt, italian herbs, oregano and parsley! It makes the dish – without them it is rather bland.
Hi Sandra
Love to use chili in almost all cooking I do. So great to have you back on your blog!
Thanks Quentin. I’ll be taking it easy for a little while longer, but the recipes will start trickling back, I promise. Two more recipes coming up over the next week and both of them spicy! x
Spaghetti bolognaise is our family favorite with oregano and basil. Yum yum.
I have a weakness for chicken cacciatore with heaps of chili and paprika added. Especially in winter!
cinnamon and paprika are my most purchased spices – i use cinnamon in most of my baking and desserts, and paprika in my bbq sauce for chicken or pork and in my beef strog nom nom nom
Can of tuna, eggs and rice in cupboard, an onion and garlic and a tomato, pretty bland on its own. Just fry in some good old fashioned Keen’s curry powder to the onion and garlic, and I have a much tastier meal, that my kids will eat, and I will actually enjoy.
My go to herb or spiced based meal is Taco Pie ( a type of impossible pie). It uses, garlic powder, ground cumin, chilli powder,ground oregano and salt. My whole family just love it!
I make a lot of soups and curries, and I would have to say I go through a packet of cumin seeds once a month. It’s so ubiquitious. However, it’s probably not my favourite spice. My favourite is probably smoked paprika. So good for spicing up tomato sauces, and gives a wonderful smokey flavour to guacamole. YUM.
I’m finding myself making eggplant curry in vast quantities of late. I love the smell of frying the spices before everything else hits the pot.
i bake with spices all the time. pear and ginger cake, banana and netmeg…choc chip ginger crunch cookies. i made the mistake of buying ground ginger ‘in bulk’ and found it bland and dusty. false economy.
My most used would be basil – fresh or freeze dried. Great on everything from fresh and cooked tomatoes to in salads, pastas, fish, frittata’s and savoury rolls. Bruschetta with diced truss tomatoes, fresh basil, red onion, olive oil and salt and cracked pepper is fantastic.
I always have cumin, chilli, coriander (seeds) and turmeric on hand for a really simple, quick curry, just toss equal amounts of each in while frying the onion and garlic, then add whatever veggies I happen to have
I would have to say Cumin is my favourite but Oregano & Basil probably get the biggest work out in my house with tomato based sauces. With 5 kids under 6 they are my go to dinners that I know everyone will eat!
I put rosemary and oregano in basically everything, but I particularly love using lavender in cooking – it’s like a sweeter, more perfumed version of rosemary, and it’s fabulous on roast potatoes or ratatouille, as well as in cakes, biscuits and caramel.
just finished a spicy lentil and chickpea curry for lunch!! Healthy, cheap and fast!!
I use bush spices a lot but it has become hard to find now. It goes so well on everything, roast meats, baked spud, great in stew too
My current favourite spice is sumac. I bought a packet when I last went to the middle east and I haven’t had any difficulty using it up! It’s incredibly convenient; all I have to do is squeeze some lemon, chop garlic and sprinkle some sumac on chicken and grill it! I’ve also used it to make my own zaatar, which I combine with olive oil and use as a topping on freshly baked bread. Delicious!
I would say parsley is the most go to herb in our house goes in anything from pasta to soup. Followed closely by fresh ground black pepper – in almost everything – then cumin in home made dips. Thanks for the chance to win!
Basil, basil and more basil!
It might just be me, but I can never say ‘Basil!’ (just as a one word sentence) without imitating Sybil Fawlty. Showing my age of course…
I needed that chuckle thank you.
Oh dear, I’ve just read your blog today and it made me go through my herbs and spices. I have thrown out TEN bottles of overdue stuff!! There are about four other which are only a month out that I couldn’t part with (cloves, nutmeg, allspice and … I can’t remember the other one). I was raised on a property and grew up with making do (mum’s spices were always grey) and keeping stuff to use it to the end (pre use by dates). I’m thanking you now because I know I’ve done the right thing by chucking it out, but I also know that I’m going curse you when I reach for one of the chucked out spices and realise I have to trundle off to get a fresh one.
I’m a huge fan of herbs and spices so rarely have to throw out any that are past their use by. They all get used up!!
My favourite would have to be Cumin for use in a range of curries, my Butter Chicken being the kids fav!! Followed closely by Cinnamon of course…….
Love cinnamon – add it to my husband’s oatmeal – he is diabetic–and I swear it has brought down his numbers; my son loves it in the egg and milk mixture we whip up for French toast; and it makes coffee sing
Ive just discovered paprika! I’ve never been a herb/spice person, but am now looking at new flavours.
Paprika goes in one of my new favorites: Moroccan lamb!
Oh dear, I’m going to sound like the amateur cook that I am – and say I love the lemon & herb spice sachets/grinders that Nando’s used to sell (they don’t sell them here anymore). I ended up finding a supplier online and buying a truck load. I use it on chicken of course – but love love, love it in scalloped potatoes, on steak, in white sauce and a few other things. Other spices scare me – unless a recipe specifically says to use them.
Greek Lamb Bake with loads of Rosemary, always a winner!
One family favourite is pan tossed chicken breast in a little oil, along with garlic, hoisin, chili sauce, salt pepper, and lovely dried coriander. All our family love this dish, easy to serve in wraps with avocado and salad, even with sour cream or yoghurt too!! Simple, fast, healthy, and delicious!!
Cajun spice is used in lots of dishes in my kitchen…. AND I have a spice story that used to make us laugh. My husband built little racks for my spices on the inside of my pantry door and I always put them away alphabetically so I could find them easily, but when our son was smaller he would always arrange the bottles by lid colour and couldn’t understand why I always ‘mixed them up’! It’s become a family story now and always makes me smile
sticky chicken – a mixture of paprika, garlic powder, salt & mixed herbs. Mix it to a paste with some oil then marinate some chicken breast pieces (I normally slice each breast into a bout 4 pieces) in it. Grill or pan fry in a tiny amount of oil. Very moist and fantastic the next day in a sandwich!
Excellent post! I need to re evaluate my spice rack. I wonder if McCormick will be available in NZ??
answering my own question: I see now they are available here and in fact I’ve bought them before, and then forgot about them! I like how they’re not filled with junk as many other spice type packets are.
My secret ingrediant for our family spag bol, is nutmeg – if I leave it out they all complain “something’s different”!
Honey, soy, and garlic chicken drumsticks are extremely easy to prepare, and make.
I love herbs and spices that much that it feels wrong for me not to put them in my breakfast ceral…. I dont of course, but i feel as tho i need to!
Hi Sandra, I would love to enter! Thanks for your advice; will definitely be rearranging my spice cabinet this weekend.
This Mexican loving family can’t live without cumin and chilli powder. I would be lost without my spices.
I love to use star anise,cinnamon,ginger and a few other herbes in slow cooked beef.
Our current favourite is a very meaty chilli stew thing – in goes dried chillis, oregano, cumin, cloves, cinnamon and a few more things. Served with yoghurt, tomato salsa, guacamole and corn chips, yum!
Chicken, Tomato & Basil Risotto – it’s our family favourite!
I love using a fair bit or oregano and paprika in the sauce of my spaghetti bolognaise. Spices it right up!
Always love getting fresh thyme to spice up any dish particularly my chicken risotto.
Oregano, or italian blend – good for anything, from spag bol to oven cooked chips, even buttered toast!
Tonights meal, Beef Brew with Herb Dumplings was totally amazing. It was full of flavours that just burst in your mouth and the family felt like they ordered dinner from a 5 star restaurant.
Parsley is my favourite go to herb, for our favourite quick meal. Tuna/Parsley fettucine! It’s so easy to make creamy & delicious. Never failing to please even the fussiest of eaters.
I use Turmeric (anti-cancer fighter) in every dish I can now – scrambled eggs, soup, potatoes, stews and so on and now all these dishes taste bland without it.
Tuscan Bean and Pasta Soup…mmmm, the flavours of the Tuscan Seasoning I can smell already!
I love most herbs, and add a lot to my famous Spaghetti Bolognese! I know that may be a common answer, but mine really is awfully nice! My favourite has to be Oregano, but Rosemary comes close. Basil is vital to any good Italian dish, too! When a dish lacks flavour, you can’t go too far wrong if you add a few of your favourite herbs! No stir-fry or meat pie dish tastes as good without herbs and spices!
You know me anything with a spice mix, curry, mexican, whatever will win the day. But i also like to experiment, and make my own. Some have worked and some have failed
My family favourite is spag bol with garli, basil and oregano and any dessert with cinnamon.
Chicken Salt. I love this on my chips and chicken. It’s absolute heaven.
Hello lovely. I have been remiss and not commented for ages, and here I am flirting with a giveaway! But I recently did a pantry clear out – I binned 16 pots of herbs, all dating from 2010?! Ick! This idea of McCormick’s is a superb one – off to Google now so I know what to look for! xx
Cinnamon – great for savoury and sweet dishes- oh and the odd cup of chai!
My go-to is Oregano <3
I think oregano is the one dried herb I use most often. It’s one of the very few examples where I think I prefer the dried herb over the fresh version. As for spices… cumin and cinnamon both get a good workout in my kitchen!
Chinese Five Spice…..A-MAZING for coating and wok-frying chicken.
Black peppercorn with my steak please
OOOOHHH Chinese five spice!!! Is it cheating to pick a blend
I love this mox and its great for so much more than just oriental meals. Try a light dusting over steak, chicken or fish…..or even a small amount through a pumpkin soup….yumm!!
If garlic counts, I use that way more than any other herb and spice. It’s a basic, I start frying off onion and garlic for just about any savoury recipe.
Outside of that, my next favourite is smoked paprika – the depth it gives a tomato sauce or a casserole is amazing!
Chilli – spices up many a dish but in winter we love chilli con carne, real comfort food.
Being Winter time, one of the biggest ways my spices are getting a workout at the moment is in mulled cider (or hot spiced apple juice if you want a non alcoholic approach).
Cinnamon, cloves, vanilla pod and allspice are standard. Depending on mood (and temperature, and what type of cider or juice I’ve got), cardamom, chilli, ginger and nutmeg also make an appearance
It’s a wonderfully warming and comforting winter treat.
I also use a lot of garlic and ginger in my soups – pumpkin soup cries out for parika, ginger and garlic, at the very least.
While steak with rosemary, thyme and garlic in red wine is wonderful.
…I could keep going on here
Spice based recipes…either a tikka marsala, or a shouldre of lamb in the crockpot with a heap of tomato passata, red wine and a heap of moroccan spices. Coriander and cumin for the win
I love using Dill. Especially with eggs and fish. We eat a lot of fish in our house. But I have to agree with the person who called out cumin. I use cumin with almost every red meat dish!
I love my little herb garden! Oregano and thyme on pizza and foccacia, fresh rosemary on roasts and rosemary and cracked pepper on potato wedges, yumm! I also love a well-stocked range in my spice rack – its always fun googling a recipe containing some of the less common herbs and spices to use up those that have sat in the rack too long..
Basil and oregano. Those two spices complement Italian food which I love, love, love to cook!
My most used blend for ‘everything’ would have to be cumin, coriander & turmeric…..cinnamon gets a daily blast in a smoothie or quinoa as it is great for balancing blood sugar…turmeric , daily as well , for its anti-inflammatory(which, in turn means anti- cancer ..) properties, with a dash of cayenne pepper. I firmly believe that ‘food is thy medicine ‘ Just love all herbs & spices really
A great post Sandra ,& a timely reminder to check out the pantry …thank you .
Morrocan spices with chicken fried in a wok is great to add to a salad wrap
The presence of cinnamon in Pastitsio (essentially a greek version of lasagne) was a revelation. Yum. Nice to see you’re feeling a little more zen and able to post some recipes again. Curse those trolling nasties and hurrah for your generosity.
Parsley, it maybe basic, but adds a great lift to many dishes, and slow cooked garlic, and cream in a blender with parsley makes the most amazing sauce
Garlic – I add it to all my savoury dishes.
Hi Sandra, Long time no post. Just finished Post Grad at Uni and the fisrt born has finished his first semester Uni in Victoria (mother with tear rolling down cheek. Favorite herb? Anything from the Italian Husband’s herb garden – Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, Thyme and Oregano, Basil, Chives and Margoram. I do have a confession, i do have dried herbs in the cupboard that are of a questionable age. Love Karyn
So awesome to hear from you, I have been thinking about you over the last couple of days funnily enough. Terrific news for you and your son, hope Vic is being as kind to him as it is to me (though he’s probably conflicted telling you he’s having an awesome time – you have enough separation anxiety I’m sure!). Keep in touch. Sx
Cinnamon is possibly our most used spice – kids love cinnamon toast & it tastes perfect in so mant dishes. After that, probably oregano, my go to herb for most dishes
At the moment I am using a lot of curry powder. We don’t eat curries as such but I have been using it in my winter casseroles, shepherds pie and also a little bit in my crumbing mixture