My salmon burgers are bland

Question

I just tried to fry a salmon fillet and eat it as a I would a hamburger patty: with bread, cucumber and tomato. No matter my seasoning, I keep finding the taste bland.

What could I do to enhance the taste when it comes to spices and other ingredients?

Asked by Tim N

Answer

I would squeeze a lemon over the fish when it was done, and then make a sauce for it. You can do like an Aioli or flavored mayonnaise, using ingredients such as capers, dill, lemon etc.. whatever you would normally like on regular cooked salmon.

Also, you will find a difference in taste between a farm raised and wild-caught salmon. Wild caught salmon have redder flesh (although some places have started dyeing farmed salmon), and have a much stronger salmon flavor than farm raised salmon.

Answered by Manako

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Is curry ketchup just ketchup with curry powder?

Question

We use both tomato ketchup and curry ketchup as condiments in Belgium. On the curry ketchup label, amongst other ingredients is "curry (1%)".

So I tried adding curry powder to regular ketchup to see whether I could end up with curry ketchup, but I think the taste was off. The colour was close though.

I know "curry powder" is a spice mix that can differ, but is curry ketchup really just ketchup with curry powder added? Or do they mean a bit of a real curry (the dish)? Or are there other differences? Is it possible to make curry ketchup with regular ketchup?

Asked by Mien

Answer

I suppose the Belgian "curry ketchup" is similar to the German varieties and no, they are usually not only seasoned with curry powder, but also other spices. There is no standard seasoning mix for curry ketchup, but common additional spices are ginger, black pepper, paprika, cayenne or other chili powders. I also think that some brands contain onions.

The brownisher colour of curry ketchup is mostly because of the turmeric in the curry powder, so just adding the powder to regular ketchup will get you a colour match even without the additional spices or ingredients.

Answered by Tor-Einar Jarnbjo

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How can you make a sauce less spicy/hot?

Question

Sometimes when I'm making a sauce or soup that needs to be a bit spicy, I have no troubles spicing how I want to.

But if the dinner party is a bit late, or I made the sauce in advance to get time to really draw out all the flavors of the spices, vegetables and meat, sometimes I end up with a way to spicy/hot dish.

You can always pour a bit water and try to dilute it a bit, but that also takes away all of the good flavor. So is there some trick that I'm missing I can use, when this happens to me (other than being more careful or using the spices later)?

Asked by googletorp

Answer

In general, it is a good idea to go light on spices when trying a new recipe, if you're not intimately familiar with the flavor and spice combinations in question. It's a great deal easier to add spice later than it is to mask it once you've added too much.

Assuming you are reading this because you didn't do that, and have now ended up with a sauce that's far too spicy, then read on.

The pertinent question here is where is the spiciness coming from? There are actually several kinds of compounds that can produce that general aroma and/or sensation. In most dishes they'll tend to fall loosely into one or more of the following:

• Piperine, which is the active alkaloid in black pepper. This has poor solubility in water, however, it has better solubility in alcohol. If you can incorporate wine or better yet, brandy or vodka or some other strong alcohol, this can go a long way toward reducing the heat from pepper.

• Capsaicin, the heat-producing compound in most types of hot peppers, is the highest on the Scoville Scale; extremely piquant and can produce a "burning" sensation in very small quantities. It is also poorly soluble in water, but is far more soluble in fat, especially oils. Adding some olive oil or a good quantity of butter to your recipe is a good bet for reducing capsaicin/capsicum heat.

• Garlic, onion, and other members of the Allium family put out a volatile sulfur compound called Allicin. Although this is not "spicy" in the same sense as pepper, many people perceive it as such. Like piperine, it is more soluble in alcohol than in water. However, and here's the catch: That allicin breaks down into various polysulfides when cooked, and those polysulfides are fat soluble. So if you're trying to mask a strong garlic or onion flavour, it's best if you can add alcohol and fat to cover all your bases.

• If you've added too much Ginger - another ingredient often perceived as spicy - then you're dealing with Gingerols and Shoagols, the latter of which pack a much bigger punch. One of the things you can actually do with ginger is cook the spice off which converts those into much milder Zingerone. In other words, add some water to the sauce and then boil it to reduce the sauce again - you'll lose some flavour but in the process you'll break down the ginger spice.

  Alternatively (for ginger), all of the above compounds are alkali soluble, so if you add a buffering agent - say, Trisodium citrate (additive E331), it will improve the solubility a great deal. If, like most people, you don't happen to keep food additives in your kitchen, you can try using something like baking soda, but too much of that will completely ruin the taste, so be careful. In fact, don't add too much of any buffer because the acidity of most sauces is an integral part of their flavor.

I think that about covers it for common "spicy stuff" that goes in sauces. If you want to fix a dish that's too spicy, you need to know where the spice is coming from and choose what's most appropriate for that particular sauce.

You can also try to mask or balance the spice with something sweet, for example roasted vegetables or plain old sugar. That will not eliminate the heat at all, but does seem to make it more tolerable for many.

Answered by Aaronut

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Where do you buy Indian spices online?

Question

I want to learn to cook some Indian dishes. It would be preferable to know that the spices are from sustainable agriculture.

Sedona, Arizona. I did some googling and didn't find any local spice shops. I will call the local food stores tomorrow.

Here are a couple random ones I stumbled upon: Seasoned Pioneer
Penzeys Spices

But, there might be someone who has found their favorite place to shop for such spices. So please post here to share your recommends. Is it ok to shop for spices on ebay?

Asked by Dan Donnelly

Answer

Try iShopIndian.com - these guys are in Wisconsin, but they deliver ...

Answered by 5arx

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Getting flavor powders to stick to nuts

Question

I've just checked for some recipes online on how to make flavored (in particular, hot and spicy) peanuts. It seems that in every one of these recipes, there has to be some kind of roasting procedure (coating with oil, powdering and then oven-roast), or cooking them, in order to get the powder to "stick" to the nuts.

What I'm wondering is which two of these methods will yield better results, and whether a food dehydrator (I got the excalibur ones) can be used to "dry" these nuts.

Perhaps it's possible to get the flavor to stick some other, easier and less messier way?

edit -- another question : is the oil necessary for flavoring them? I mean, nuts are oily naturally, so would heating them in the pan and then putting the chili/garlic powder or parmesan straight after be good enough?

Asked by kamziro

Answer

Nuts are much tastier when they are roasted. Dehydrating may be ok but it will not do the same thing for their flavor or texture.

Nuts have a lot of oil but there is not enough on their exterior for powders to stick to. Of course some of the powder would stick anyway- and with parmesan even more would when the cheese melted. If you are ok with a milder flavor and a lot of powder left in the bowl when you eat them then you could try to use less or no oil.

It is possible that you could make it work with some other liquid other than oil but oil tastes good and won't dry out. Additionally for spicy peanuts, capsaicin is soluble in fat so the oil will actually be intensified.

I don't know about an easier/less messy way because I don't consider this to be particularly difficult or messy. Just toss nuts with oil, then powder, spread on a pan and bake. Doesn't get much simpler than that.

Answered by Sobachatina

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How can I use white pepper without having the odor dominate the food flavour?

Question

I received several different pepper (spice) for christmas. One of them is a white pepper. Whenever I use (very) little of this white pepper in my dishes, the odor/flavor is very dominant cutting out all other flavors. How can I use this pepper without losing the other flavors?

Asked by froeschli

Answer

It's interesting that this is your experience, since "common knowledge" is the white pepper is milder than black. White pepper is the dried ripe fruit of the pepper Piper Nigrum, and the black is the unripe, cured and dried fruit. Black is usually hotter than white, but generally they are considered to be interchangeable, with the white being used in sauces and in cream dishes for a better look (no black specks).

Since this pepper is so strong for some reason, I would advise that you only use it in dishes that rely on the pepper flavor to the exclusion of others, say steak au poivre, or pepper pot, or salt and pepper scallops.

Other than that you can cut back on the amount or grind it now and let it sit around for a while...pepper has its strongest, best flavor when freshly ground; it kills me to suggest that, but I'm trying to answer your question.

If it were mine, I would try to figure out a dish that this pepper would truly enhance, as I suggested.

Answered by Doug Johnson-Cookloose

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What herbs and spices pair well with baked Salmon?

Question

I'm about to bake a salmon in the oven and I want to know what are some good herbs/spices that I can rub or sprinkle on the fillet.

Which herbs, spices, or other seasonings tend to pair best with a salmon fillet?

Asked by Mark Rogers

Answer

Salmon fillets are often traditionally prepared with dill. Mustard is another traditional combination. Both of these spices complement the flavors of salmon very well.

Paprika balances the smooth mouthfeel of salmon with a nice spice that isn't too hot.

You can promote a good crust on your salmon by coating it in sugar - white or brown works well. Add some other seasonings to the sugar (basic salt and pepper are fine), and you should have a tasty fillet. This coating works best done in a skillet, though, where the direct heat promotes caramelization.

Answered by justkt

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What dishes don't stain with heavy spices?

Question

In most Indian cooking, there is a relatively high chance of staining the dinnerware (plates, serving bowls) due to the high turmeric content. Dinnerware made of metal don't stain, but the heavy spices do most other materials in after a few uses.

What kind of dinnerware could I go for which are unbreakable but look better than metal?

Asked by Dharini Chandrasekaran

Answer

Plastic dishes in general will pick up stains, non-plastic dishes (enamelware, glass, or glazed ceramic) in my experience won't.

For stain resistance combined with durability, as you've identified, the best option is likely enamelware, you might try looking for attractive patterns, while the old-fashioned camp cookware that we have in our cupboard isn't very attractive, I'm finding some designs that look much better online, certainly as good or better than plastic dishes.

If you can't find enamelware that's attractive enough for your taste, tempered glass dishes, as Wayfaring Stranger suggests, are certainly a fairly durable option, another would be heavy plain white porcelain dishes, which I've found to be significantly more durable than typical stoneware dishes. They'll still shatter if dropped on concrete, but they're less likely to chip in normal everyday use.

Answered by Theodore Murdock

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What can I use in place of allspice?

Question

I have a recipe for Dutch apple raisin cake that calls for a half teaspoon of allspice, which I don't have. Would ground cloves or nutmeg or a combo of both work? I know that allspice is a spice unto itself.

Asked by kiamlaluno

Answer

The closest thing is to combine equal parts of ground cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and black pepper.

Answered by hobodave

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Which other spices besides cloves will react with plastic?

Question

I am reading that cloves can cloud the plastic in my grinder at Cooking for engineers

Does this happen with any other spices?

Asked by cptloop

Answer

I've had a good look and as far as I can see only cloves and allspice have this property. Most websites specify that it's due to an oil present in cloves however according to Wikipedia the main chemical components in clove oil (admittedly not cloves but fairly similar) are:

Bud oil is derived form the flower-buds of S. aromaticum. It consists of 60–90% eugenol, eugenyl acetate, caryophyllene and other minor constituents.

Leaf oil is derived from the leaves of S. aromaticum. It consists of 82–88% eugenol with little or no eugenyl acetate, and minor constituents.

Stem oil is derived from the twigs of S. aromaticum. It consists of 90–95% eugenol, with other minor constituents.

As neither eugenol, eugenyl acetate nor caryophyllene have this property the oil that does cause 'plastic clouding' must be fairly low.

Likewise the main chemical components of allspice oil according to Essential-oils.co.za are:

eugenol, menthyl eugenol, cineol, phellandrene and caryophyllene.

None of these chemicals have chemicals with that property. However many of the chemicals in allspice and clove are also present in nutmeg, black pepper and cinnamon.

Answered by Sebiddychef

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Extraordinary spices

Question

What rare spices do you know and like?
How do you use them to create uniquely tasting dishes?

Asked by n/a

Answer

I tend to cook a lot of Indian and Asian dishes, so spice is something very close to my heart. Of the many spices available, I tend to use the relatively common ones, partly because I'm not able to obtain some of those I'd like, such as curry leaves.

In Indian cuisine a spice mix is referred to as a masala and probably the most well known masala is garam masala. This is a very important blend of spices for preparing Indian food, unfortunately, the recipe changes as one moves from North to South India. Every chef has his or her own special blend. A basic garam masala consists of:

• Coriander seeds
• Cinnamon bark
• Cloves
• Green cardamom seeds
• Star Anise
• Nutmeg

All of the above are ground to make a wonderful, aromatic spice mix.

In addition to garam masala, other common spice I use are:

• Cumin seeds
• Turmeric
• Black cardamom
• Asafoetida
• Fenugreek seeds
• Black mustard seeds

For Asian cooking the most important spice mix is 5 spice powder. This again lends a wonderful aromatic flavour to Asian dishes. typically it's comprised of:

• Star Anise
• Fennel Seeds
• Cinnamon or Cassia
• Szechwan Pepper
• Cloves

As with garam masala, there are variations.

With other cuisines, I tend to use a lot of fresh herbs but spice does play a part. Some of the spices I use in French and Italian dishes are:

• Juniper berries
• Nutmeg
• Cloves
• Ginger

In my home cuisine we tend to use a lot of paprika, both sweet and hot as well as cloves and cinnamon.

Answered by n/a

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Substitute fresh garlic instead of garlic powder?

Question

I have a recipe that calls for garlic powder, but I only have fresh garlic on hand.

What ratio should I use to substitute?

Asked by Matthew Scouten

Answer

I'd say about 1 clove for every half-teaspoon of garlic powder. There isn't going to be anything particularly scientific about this, since garlic cloves vary in size, strength and flavor but that will be in the ballpark.

Answered by Michael at Herbivoracious

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Suggested edible quantity/scaling of Habanero Pepper per pound of meat

Question

I would like to use habenero pepper in a chili, but would like to know how many fresh peppers / pound of chili should I use to maintain an edible chili or another what amount is safe to start with. I know there's probably not a cut/dry amount, but any experience in the matter would be greatly appreciated. I planned on pureeing the pepper(s) and slowly adding it in and testing, but a suggested amount would be good to know since I would like to 'marinade' my meat ahead of time.

Answer

One habanero per six quarts of chili, containing approximately one quart meat, provides a solid heat that an average palate can handle. I have cooked chili on numerous occasions for groups of people and found this formula works for most people. Typically I stack it with other, lower-Scoville peppers to produce a well-bodied heat.

Other things to bear in mind:

• one habanero per six quarts will not really showcase the subtler flavors of the habanero, only bring out its heat.
• capsaicin is fat soluble, more fats in the chili gives you more wiggle room to add more heat. Up the meat or oil (bacon fat), up the peppers
• browning your meat in the diced peppers will lock away some flavor in the meat as long as you don't stew it forever
• using the bulb's flesh, rather than up by the stem will lower the capsaicin in the pepper, discard seeds and pith as well; this will allow more pepper flavor without overwhelming spiciness
• some habanero peppers are weaker than others, you might seek out some that are less spicy if trying to add heat
• If all you're looking for is heat, a plurality of pepper types/cultivars will yield better heat; single pepper chili can be hotter, but have a thin kind of heat as opposed to a whole-bodied punch in the jaw kind of heat

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Habenaero Pepper - Suggested edible quantity/scaling - per pound of meat

Question

I would like to use habenaero pepper in a chili, but would like to know how many fresh peppers / pound of chili should I use to maintain an edible chili or another what amount is safe to start with. I know there's probably not a cut/dry amount, but any experience in the matter would be greatly appreciated. I planned on pureeing the pepper(s) and slowly adding it in and testing, but a suggested amount would be good to know since I would like to 'marinade' my meat ahead of time.

Answer

One habanero per six quarts of chili, containing approximately one quart meat, provides a solid heat that an average palate can handle. I have cooked chili on numerous occasions for groups of people and found this formula works for most people. Typically I stack it with other, lower-Scoville peppers to produce a well-bodied heat.

Other things to bear in mind:

• one habanero per six quarts will not really showcase the subtler flavors of the habanero, only bring out its heat.
• capsaicin is fat soluble, more fats in the chili gives you more wiggle room to add more heat. Up the meat or oil (bacon fat), up the peppers
• browning your meat in the diced peppers will lock away some flavor in the meat as long as you don't stew it forever
• using the bulb's flesh, rather than up by the stem will lower the capsaicin in the pepper, discard seeds and pith as well; this will allow more pepper flavor without overwhelming spiciness
• some habanero peppers are weaker than others, you might seek out some that are less spicy if trying to add heat
• If all you're looking for is heat, a plurality of pepper types/cultivars will yield better heat; single pepper chili can be hotter, but have a thin kind of heat as opposed to a whole-bodied punch in the jaw kind of heat

Check more discussion of this question.

What can I do to add more flavor into my beef barley soup?

Question

This time around my beef barley soup is tasting a bit on the plain side. It has the right amount of saltiness but is lacking in the flavorful department. The ingredients used thus far have been:

Beef Stock, Water, Salt, Ground Black Pepper, Seasoned Pepper, Rosemary, Onions, Carrots, Barley, and Cubed Beef.

What can I do to help boost its flavor?

Answer

• If you use self-made beef stock, try boiling a bit longer, so that the flavour of the beef is a bit more concentrated.
• Boil your soup a bit longer.
• Use more beef stock and/or cubed beef.
• I don't know how much herbs you put in. Maybe a bit more pepper or rosemary can make a difference.

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What's a good molasses-based glaze for pork tenderloin?

Question

My wife and I cooked a pork tenderloin with a molasses-based glaze/sauce this evening. However, we didn't care for it, not because of the molasses but because the recipe called for ground cumin—turns out, we don't care for cumin.

How could I make something similar without cumin. The original ingredients were:

• 2 tbsp molasses
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 lb pork tenderloin

Answer

To expand upon baka's comment: this would taste good without the cumin too; it'd just be a simpler flavor. You can then replace it with any other spice that appeals to you, since pork's flavor isn't going to strongly clash with many spices. ElendilTheTall's answer suggests one option; I'm sure you can come up with others. This gives you a chance to make your pork fit well with whatever other dishes are in your meal.

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Painted Pony beans pate

Question

I'm going to make a pate using Painted Pony beans as a base. Plus I want to add roasted walnuts. But I don't know whether basil and garlic would be acceptable to put to the dish. Also what spices would you advice?

Thanks!

Answer

Well basil and garlic could fit well with the walnuts (think about pesto, basil, garlic, cheese and nuts).

With the bean paste... I don't know, I guess it depends what kind of tone you would like to give to the dish. Stated that the only way to know is to try, I would also try with nutmeg and, if you're brave, maybe even a pinch of cinnamon!

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What type of Paprika is the generic stuff one buys at a grocery store chain?

Question

I have read this very good link on the differences in paprika, but I did not learn all that I need to learn as far as buying these different varieties. When I go to my grocery chain to do my weekly shopping and I see the spice container which says Paprika, is that just going to be "Plain" paprika. I ask because I need to go out and find both sweet paprika and hot paprika which probably will require a little more effort on my part to find. Maybe a Whole Foods or something?

Answer

This information should be indicated on the label: sweet, sweet&sour, spicy, smoked...

Generic paprika is sweet and will probably not have much flavor (that is why paprika can be used in paella together with saffron - see this question)

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Why does salt taste different in different dishes?

Question

If I salt tomato, potato and pasta, their tastes change in completely different ways to me. Why is this? Had I put oregano on them, they'd all taste like oregano.

Update: The question is not "is it so?" but "why is it so?"

Answer

Salt is completely water soluble, unlike only trace amount of what is in oregano. That being the case, it will completely saturate anything that is wet, therefore it can completely consume and pair with every bite, whereas oregano remains in chunks and can be distinctly tasted alone.

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Reason for difference between the “taste” of vegetables by using ground spices and powdered spices

Question

I used to use powdered spices for all my vegetables. Lately I have started grinding the spice seeds myself to use in the vegetables.
I have noticed a remarkable "taste" difference.

I wish to know the reasons.
P.S. I am NOT referring to the smell, but to the taste.

Answer

This difference in taste is due to the oils and aromatic compounds which give many spices their flavour having broken down or escaped over time.

Very fresh powdered spices wouldn't have this issue. Also if you ground the spices yourself and then left them for a few week/months you would find much of the taste has gone from the powder.

Some spices stay fresh for a long time once ground, others are well worth (as you are finding) doing your self.

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