Guide to storing and using spices in your kitchen !

In our last blog from Masala University, we shared a Masala buyers guide.  This time

I am going to share a few tips on storing and using spice and masala powders in your kitchen.

வாசனைப் பொருள்  in Tamil essentially translates to English as aromatic ingredients. This is exactly what spices do. They are aromatics that provide flavour to all the dishes that we make daily in our kitchens. The inherent nature of spice is to provide flavour, taste and colour. Spices being a natural product need to be used fresh as possible to get the best possible aroma and taste.

Grinding spice at home: 

Traditional                                                                         Modern                    

This is for all the home cooks who like to cook from scratch which means even grinding the spice at home. Yes, many people do this and rightly so. The results of grinding spice at home and using in cooking can give spectacular results that are very visible both in terms of the visual appeal and also the happy faces enjoying the aromatic meal.A small tip. When using a grinder at home to grind your masala use your mixie at very low speed and grind coarse. The idea is to prevent heat generation which will make the volatile oils come out and the masala loses taste and aroma. Use short bursts of slow speed retain the aroma of the spice. If you can grind on a mortar and pestle you will get the best results.

Buy spice in small quantities as and when needed:

The spice industry supply chains are long and complex and may sometimes reach you several months or years after their harvest. Products like black pepper, cassia, star anise and cloves are imported and stored in several warehouses for long periods before there reach stores. Products like dry red chillies are harvested in Feb or March and if consumed in December means it is a good nine months from harvest date. It is hence a good idea to buy small quantities and use them quickly.

Buying and using packaged ground 

spice: 

Spices are best stored in the whole form. The moment you grind them the essential oils/ volatile oils come out and the product loses aroma and deteriorates rapidly thereafter.

If you are buying packaged spice powders with a shelf life of one year and closer to the use by date you are going to have a tasteless and bland dish.

This is also for Kirana shop owners and supermarket owners. If you have a brand of masala sitting on your shelf with a shelf life of one year, it means the manufacturer is going let stay for a year on your shelf even if it does not sell. 

This means a high turnaround time and loss of precious shelf space. This product may not spoil but will lose its aroma and a consumer will get a flavourless tasteless product. Hence look for the freshest dates and consume quickly.

How can packaged ground spice help?

In these times not all of us have the luxury of cooking from scratch. We are short on time and constantly in a hurry and looking for hacks and quick fixes to save time.

There are quick hacks to help make quick meals single-serve spice and masala mixes with various recipes and variants that can help. Thillais has a wide range of spice mixes and blends that come with spice mixes that include ginger, onion, garlic etc added to the mix. This eliminates the need for dicing and peeling onions and garlic which helps save on teary eyes and precious time.

How and when can this help? 

• You just don’t have time?
•  You don’t know how to cook?
• You liked a restaurant recipe but don’t know how to make it?
• You want to impress your girlfriend or boyfriend?

Single-serve packs such as the Thillais Easy Karaikudi Milagu Rasam help you make an instant rasam by just adding the mix to hot water.

The Easy Chettinadchicken mix helps you to make a quick chicken curry by just adding a pack of the spice mix to chicken.

So there it is. Spices can provide a burst of flavour and aroma but you need to know how to buy, store and use them for best results.

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