When preparing meals made easy and cheap, they usually require 5 ingredients or less and the use of a can opener so if you are herb and spice illiterate like me then yes, your
dinner menu can be lacking flavor.
If you looked in my cupboard you would find 2 spices that are used most: black pepper and season salt. Now I do have about 10 spices that keep the pepper and salt company in that cupboard but they were only purchased and used once or twice as an ingredient in a new recipe I was trying.
And don’t forget the 12 spices that sit beautifully un-opened as decor on my counter-top. I just have no clue what to do with them.
My older brother, you know the one that can cook the most delicious red potatoes with just some simple spices and butter gave me a few tips to try.
His suggestions start with some basic spices then add maybe one new one at a time. He gave me an article called “Spice Up Your Palate” by Kathryn can Roosendaal that list some basic herbs and spices no kitchen should be without:
- Ginger: hot-spicy flavor used in Chinese and Thai dishes. Also good in sweet breads and cakes or can add a new flavor to chicken and meat dishes.
- Rosemary: sharp taste that’s best with lamb and pork. Also great with potatoes and makes a good herb butter for vegetables.
- Cayenne: slightly sweet yet very spicy taste used most in Mexican dishes. Can replace black pepper for more taste in a dish but will need to cut the amount in half.
- Thyme: woodsy almost pungent taste, goes well with any fatty food, especially those that cook for a long time like a roast. Also good in broths, sauces, marinades and stuffing.
- Tarragon: warm almost licorice taste goes great with egg dishes, poultry and fish dishes and works well with mustard and pickles.
- Basil: rich flavor compliments garlic and enhances the taste of cheese. Good on salads and is the main ingredient in pesto.
- Sage: deep, earthy taste essential for poultry dishes. Also blends well with cheese and is good in some sweet dishes like baked apples.
- Cinnamon: warm, spicy taste traditionally used for sweet dishes but is also good with chicken and pork.
- Oregano/Marjoram: vital for Italian dishes and anything else made with tomatoes. Also good with eggs and cheese and anything made with garlic.
Guess what? Those unopened spices sitting on my counter as decor include every one of the herbs and spices listed above. And when I looked at the 10 spices in the cupboard keeping my 2 favorites company yep they were there too! So even the most basic recipes call for spices from the list above. To sum it up you can create inexpensive family menus that are easy to prepare and with a little love from you spice rack, full of flavor.
As you experiment with new spices I recommend keeping my article : KITCHEN TIPS AND RECIPE RESCUES on hand just in case!!
Over the last few weeks I have ran across some great tips and tricks for the kitchen.
I manage to create kitchen disasters all the time but the tips below have helped save many of my dishes that would have ended up in the garbage.
As we budget family meals, tips and tricks are necessary to save mess-ups because just throwing a dish away and staring over is not an option.
If you lost control with spices, sugar or salt here are a few tips from Kraft Food and Family Magazine (winter 2007) to save the dish:
- Too Sweet? Acidic items such as lemon or vinegar tend to cut down on both too-salty and too-sweet dishes. You can also add a dash of cayenne to cut down the sugar.
- Too Salty? Use a bit of sugar or maple syrup. (TIP- don’t reach for a raw potato – it’s a kitchen myth that it calms dishes that are too salty)
- Too Spicy? Add something with a little fat such as butter or something sweet such as honey or peanut butter.
Cooking on HIGH really doesn’t help it only burns things Hints And Things gives some great tips for those burnt dishes:
- If you burn sauce or gravy, pour it into a clean pan, add some sugar to it a little at a time to avoid the final result becoming too sweet – it takes the burnt flavor away. **Really does work I used this tip last night while cooking dinner***
- Don’t stir the food as this will mix any burnt pieces into the rest of the food and contaminate it all. Plunge the bottom of the pan into cold water to cool it down and prevent further cooking. Carefully remove as much of the unburnt food as you can and put into a clean pan, being very careful not to include any burnt bits, add a little more liquid continue cooking. If it still tastes burnt the addition of something like Worcestershire sauce, tomato puree, spice or herbs, usually disguises it.
- If you burn a pot of rice, place a slice of white or “light” bread on the top of the rice. Let it sit for a few minutes (5-10). The burnt taste will be gone but be sure not to scrape the bottom of the pan!
Looking for recipe substitutions to create a healthy family meal try a few of these ideas:
Simple Substitutions for a Healthier Recipe
If you have any tips or recipe rescues share them with us. Leave a comment with your recipe rescue and I will post more next week. Good luck with those dishes, maybe someone could leave a tip on how to get the kitchen cleaned by someone other than MOM!!
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