Spices and aromatics, deeper
6 short explainers. Read them in order, or jump to the question you have right now.
- 193Saffron needs a soakSaffron threads are dried flower stigmas. Crocin gives the gold color, safranal the aroma, and both have to move out of the thread into liquid. Crush a…
- 194Vanilla in baking and cookingVanilla's main flavor compound is vanillin, and it holds up in a hot oven, so cakes and cookies still taste of vanilla. The lighter, fragile aromas are…
- 195Cassia and Ceylon cinnamonMost jars labeled cinnamon hold cassia. Ceylon is the so-called true cinnamon. Both get their warmth from cinnamaldehyde, but cassia is bolder and hotter,…
- 196Why to grind pepper lateBlack pepper's bite comes from piperine. Its fragrance comes from volatile oils inside the peppercorn. Grinding breaks the cells open and the oils start…
- 197Cardamom and clove, in small dosesClove's sharp, warm smell comes mostly from eugenol, strong enough to leave your tongue slightly numb. Cardamom's aroma sits in the small black seeds…
- 198Citrus oil is in the zestThe colored outer peel is packed with tiny oil glands. The oil is mostly limonene, which gives citrus its smell. Under the peel sits the white pith, which…
