Sugar plays a fundamental role in cooking and especially in baking. Aside from sweetness, it can provide coloring as well as moisture and bulk. Brown sugar and white sugar provide these things to different degrees but how different are they from each other? Do they taste the same? Can you use one in place of […]
What’s A Good Vanilla Extract Substitute?
The extract in vanilla extract’s name is there because the flavor is extracted from the vanilla bean using alcohol. Vanilla extract is an essential for desserts and should be one of the staples in your spice cabinet if you bake regularly. If you run out unexpectedly or can’t find the pure version (as opposed to […]
What’s A Good Cream Of Tartar Substitute?
Cream of tartar is a product of wine fermentation that has many applications in baking. It is useful both for leavening and as a source of acidity. Cream of tartar is also easy to find and relatively affordable, so you should try to keep it on hand if you bake meringue pies and make simple […]
Table Salt: A Fundamental Flavor With A Long History
Salt has been a popular condiment for most of human history, and for much of that time it has not been nearly as inexpensive and as easy to find as it is now. Ancient Egyptians used salt as a part of their religious offerings and the Ancient Greeks used it as currency. In Ancient Greece, […]
Vanilla: A Flavor From Orchids
Like chili peppers, vanilla comes from South and Central America, as well as from the Caribbean. It is one of the thousands of orchid species. Historians believe that the first people to cultivate it were the early dwellers on the east coast of Mexico called the Totonacs. The Totonacs were conquered by the Aztecs, who […]
Cream of Tartar: A Leavening Agent That Comes From Wine
Also known as tartaric acid, cream of tartar has been around since 800 AD when it was discovered by a Persian alchemist. It is a by-product of wine-making and forms initially as a product called argol on the inside of casks. The argol can be refined into the product that we know as cream of […]
Chai Spices: A Blend Of English And Indian Tastes
Chai is the Indian word for tea. The chai that most westerners know is actually masala chai, which means spiced tea. The spices used in this tea are what is known as chai spices. Masala chai has been used for thousands of years. Depending on which of masala chai’s origin stories you believe, masala chai […]
How To Store Sage For The Freshest Flavor
Sage is a versatile and highly aromatic herb. It is one of the hardier herbs and that hardiness allows you to preserve it in a multitude of ways – all which have various benefits to keeping sage’s flavor at the ready for months to come. Let’s review how to store sage for the freshest possible […]
Granulated Garlic Vs. Garlic Powder: SPICEography Showdown
Garlic is a popular seasoning in every major food culture and most of the minor ones as well. This relative of the onion offers a pungent, savory flavor that works well in everything from stews to pickles. Garlic powder and granulated garlic are two forms of this spice that offer much of the flavor of […]
Honey Powder: Mankind’s Oldest Sweetener, Granulated
Honey powder goes by many names including granulated honey and dried honey. They all refer to honey that has been dehydrated to the point that it becomes a solid. High fructose honey tends to crystallize naturally and so it is likely that the use of honey powder has been around as long as humans have […]
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