How to use spices

Why whole and freshly ground is different

The aroma of a spice lives in volatile oils held inside its cell structure. Grinding ruptures that structure and exposes the oils to air, and from that moment they begin to evaporate and oxidise. A jar of ground cumin bought a year ago has lost most of what made it worth buying.

Whole spices keep for a year or more with little loss. Ground ones are noticeably weaker within a few months.

A cheap electric coffee grinder kept for spices, or a pestle and mortar, is the single best-value piece of equipment in this area. The difference is not subtle.

Toasting and grinding

1. Put whole spices in a dry frying pan over a medium heat, in a single layer.
2. Shake the pan constantly. They burn quickly and burnt spice is bitter throughout.
3. Toast until they smell strongly fragrant and darken very slightly — usually one to two minutes. Cumin and coriander pop and jump a little.
4. Tip them out onto a cold plate immediately. Left in the pan they carry on cooking.
5. Let them cool completely before grinding. Warm spices grind into a paste rather than a powder.
6. Grind, and use within days rather than weeks.

Blooming ground spices

Ground spices added to a watery sauce release very little of what they have. Most of their aroma compounds are fat-soluble, so they need oil or butter to dissolve into, and gentle heat to drive the release.

So the standard move is to add ground spice to the pan after the onions and garlic have softened, and fry it for thirty to sixty seconds before any liquid goes in. It will smell markedly stronger almost immediately. This is the difference between a curry that tastes of spice and one that tastes of hot tomato.

Watch it closely — ground spice burns in seconds. If the pan looks dry, add a little more fat, and add the liquid promptly once it is fragrant.

The Indian technique of tempering — frying whole spices in hot fat and pouring the whole lot over a finished dish — is the same principle used at the other end of the cooking, and it is one of the most effective flavour techniques there is.

Which spices go where

Whole, fried at the start

Cumin seed, mustard seed, fennel seed, cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, cloves, curry leaves, dried chilli.

Ground, bloomed after the aromatics

Cumin, coriander, turmeric, paprika, garam masala base spices, chilli powder.

Added near the end

Garam masala, sumac, za'atar, saffron, ground cinnamon in sweet dishes. Their aroma is delicate.

Never fried hard

Paprika and turmeric burn readily and turn bitter. Add them with a splash of liquid, or off the heat.

Bloomed in liquid instead

Saffron — steep it in a little warm water or milk for twenty minutes to draw out the colour and flavour.

A spice cupboard that works

• Buy small quantities more often, rather than large jars that go stale. Ethnic grocers sell better spice more cheaply, in bags.
• Keep them somewhere dark and cool — not on a rack above the hob, which is the worst place in the kitchen for heat and light.
• Label with the date you opened them. It is startling how old some jars are.
• The core set: cumin, coriander, turmeric, paprika, chilli, black pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, fennel, mustard seed, bay. That covers an enormous range.
• Crush a pinch between your fingers before using. If it smells faint, use more, or replace it.
• Blends are convenient and lose potency fastest of all, since they are already ground.

Common questions