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Why would anyone select whole spices over ground ones when browsing an aisle of a grocery store? The necessity to either ground the spice into a powder before cooking or remove it before serving the food arises from the fact that it doesn't seem particularly enjoyable to crunch into a peppercorn or bite into a cinnamon stick. Whole spices lack the taste punch that ground spices do. They are perfect for smooth-textured foods including sauces, soups, stews, and marinades. Before adding liquid when cooking on the hob, slightly toast ground spices in the pot to allow their essential oils to be released. Whole spices flavour foods more gradually and are ideal for dishes that simmer for a long time, such stews and soups. Before placing them in the pot, tie them up with a piece of cheesecloth for simple removal. Whole spices don't seem to garner much attention while everyone is seeking for the latest cooking trick or hack.
Nonetheless, they do, and the reason for this is that they have various uses. If you want a vibrant, new burst of taste or colour, use entire spices. Ground spices lose flavour as a result of exposure to air, therefore whole spices retain their flavour longer. Because of this, they provide richer, more authentic flavours. But when you want your spices to blend into the food rather than stand out, cooks and home chefs alike turn to ground spices. The ideal way to use them is to develop an even flavour profile.
Use ground spice in dishes that call for a harmonious blending of flavours because it has a tendency to be more subdued. Since you want to be greeted with a whisper rather than a blast of cinnamon, it's particularly useful for baking. The same is true for some soups and sauces that call for a subtly flavorful infusion. But, switch to whole spices if you're seeking for a vibrant burst of interest.
What To Add When
Use ground spice in dishes that call for a harmonious blending of flavours because it has a tendency to be more subdued. Since you want to be greeted with a hint rather than a blast of cinnamon, it's particularly useful for baking. The same is true for some soups and sauces that call for a subtly flavorful infusion. But, switch to whole spices if you're seeking for a vibrant burst of interest.
It also depends on how long your recipe needs to cook. For lengthy cooking recipes like curries, soups, stews, and crock pot meals, you should use entire spices. These spices impart their tastes more gradually, which helps the dish. Consider stews with bay leaves and peppercorns, as well as biryani with star anise. The powdered form is preferable, though, if your cooking window is limited. Even if the sauce or cut of meat is just simmering for 15 minutes or less, ground spices can be added at various stages of the dish to create layers of flavour.
Do not be alarmed if a recipe calls for whole spices but you only have their ground equivalents. They're simple to substitute. Reduce the quantity by 25% if a recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of whole cinnamon. Quality ground spices are more potent, which explains why. When they were ground, their oils were exposed, making the flavour more easily palatable. Because of this, recipes that call for slow simmering and entire spices take a while to meld into the food. Of course, it's safer to add more after tasting, adding less at first. You can also reduce the volume by 50%, taste the result, and gradually increase the amount until you achieve the desired result.
It's a little trickier to replace ground spice with whole spice. In general, the closer you are to a 1:1 ratio, the smaller the spice grain. Think of allspice or mustard seeds. Larger spices necessitate a little more guess.
A food daily states that 12 husked cardamom pods are equal to 1 teaspoon of ground cardamom and that a 1 ½ -inch (4-centimeter) stick of cinnamon is equal to 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon powder. Also, you can cut the amount by ¼. For instance, use only 1 teaspoon of whole fennel when the recipe calls for 1 ¼ teaspoon of ground fennel.
