How to Buy, Store and Use Whole Spices

With India being the land of spices, we Indians have been storing and using whole as well as powdered spices since time immemorial. It has been seen that the spices are an integral part of kitchens in India, Indian kitchens abroad as well as those kitchens and households who prefer food in the Indian style. This is one reason why it is important to make sure that the right ways to store and use whole spices is learnt and practiced by all those who like to make their food tasty. While storing and using spices may be important to know, it is also essential to know who one should buy the spices and what the right resources are in the process of buying spices. One may wonder why it is important to know how the spices should be chosen, but there are a lot of reasons that support the doubt. One of the biggest reasons for choosing the right spices is the health factor. Those who consume spices do not realise that the quality of the spices may affect the health, which is why they go on choosing the wrong spices and get them from the wrong places.

 One of the most important aspects in the storage and use of the spices is that one should keep track of how old the spices have been. While packaged powdered spices come with a shelf life mentioned on the packing, it is important to keep note of the life of spices that are ground at home. Anything that may have lasted longer than eight months may not be worthy of use and may need to be disposed at the soonest. One way to make sure that spices are kept fresh; it is to keep them whole until they are shown the light of day, however, any whole spices that have aged too far should also be given a miss when a worthy dish needs to be cooked. Fresh spices happen to be most effective in creating food masterpieces. Management of spices may be made more effective if they are organized in a way to be in sight whenever cooking takes place. If the spices are kept handy, one is more likely to use them. Keeping them in the storage area in see through bottle or jars is also a good way of keeping them in sight, so that they are used more frequently.  It is also important to make sure that the spices are not exposed to heat, light and air as they are more likely to stale quicker when they are kept in the open or near the stove. Finally, it must be made sure that spices in India are bought from the most trustworthy sources. The right sellers may be able to provide the right products, which is why choosing the vendor with care is of great essence.

 When the basics of buying and storing spices are followed rigorously, it may be ensured that the use of the spices is also done in the right manner and the effect of the spices also comes in the right measure.

 

Source : articlesbase.com