SPICEography 
Crushed bay leaf and whole bay leaf are two versions of the same herb. They will both give your dishes the bay leaf flavor, but that does not mean that they are always interchangeable. In the SPICEography Showdown below, we will look at what makes these spices similar and where …
Tarragon is a fragrant herb that shares many of its flavor notes with anise. French tarragon is the variety that is used most frequently for cooking, and you will need to keep it around if you plan on cooking French favorites like Bearnaise sauce. Whether you grow it in your …
Bay leaves are typically braised in dishes over long periods and infuse their flavor slowly into dishes. The cook will remove the leaves before serving the dish or when they have infused the right amount of flavor. Bay leaves are used as the ultimate background seasoning to enhance meaty flavors, …
Mace and allspice are a pair of relatively common spices that you may see in recipes for both savory and sweet dishes. Every so often both of them show up in the same dishes. The SPICEography Showdown below will go into the nature of each spice and the roles that …
Mace is a spice from the Myristica fragrans tree, which is the same tree that provides nutmeg. Mace is the lacy covering that grows on the shell of the seed that contains the nutmeg spice. It is used in desserts, Indian cuisine, and for making sausages. If you don’t have …
Galangal and turmeric are two rhizomes in the Zingiberaceae family, which means that they are both related to ginger. Galangal and turmeric are both widely used in Asia and increasingly all over the world. You will need both spices if you want to make Authentic dishes from Southeast Asia and …
Ginger is a popular and versatile spice that is heavily used in multiple Asian food cultures, as well as in dishes from the West Indies and Europe. It is one of those spices that serious home cooks tend to keep around. Ginger also happens to be one of the easiest …
Fresh ginger is one of the most versatile spices and is a tasty addition to dishes from all over the world. Most recipes only call for a teaspoon or two of fresh ginger, which is much less than you would usually buy in a grocery store, so you will almost …