Spices & Garnishes « Spices & Garnishes

How To: Dry basil and tarragon without them turning brown

Drying herbs using this method works well for herbs like basil, mint and tarragon. Herbs that don't have the fleshy body like sage Drying herbs like tarragon can be a bit trickier than fleshy herbs like sage. Tarragon is said to be great for your blood pressure and is a wonderful addition to things like soups and stews. Its also adds wonderful freshness to an early morning omelet. After a rough chop and time to dry, these herbs will hold their color and flavor until you are ready to use them....

How To: Make a country style dry rub with the BBQ Pit Boys

Dry rub is a must for great tasting barbecue and this basic and easy to make BBQ Dry Rub does the trick. It works real well with pork, chicken, and beef, and it's cheap to make. Start with this recipe as demonstrated by one of the BBQ Pit Boys and then add your own spices to make it your own special rub for your next B-B-Que.

How To: Eat edible flowers

Rita Heikenfeld from AboutEating discusses some of the flowers that are not only beautiful but also edible. It is important not to eat flowers that have been sprayed with chemicals. Some of the more common edible flowers are the zinnia, petunia, and the marigold, which has a delicious citrus flavor and is used in bath oils. Impatiens are edible (just the flowers, not the leaves) and come in a variety of colors.

How To: Peel, chop and crush garlic like a chef

Check out this video cooking tip from The Chef's Toolbox in Australia. Watch this tutorial to learn how to peel, chop and crush garlic like a chef. Peeling garlic for recipes is easy with a little know-how, see how to do it right here. If there is a little green germ in the clove, make sure you remove it, because it is known to give people indigestion.

How To: Make lemon zest with or without a zesting tool

Making lemon zest isn't hard and doesn't take a long time, especially if you have a lemon zester. A zesting tool is the number one preferred way to get that lemon zest with no mess and no fuss. So, in the first video tutorial, see how to make lemon zest with a zester. Use a zesting tool for the peeling, and make sure to wash the outside of the lemon thoroughly to remove dirt and residue. Then zest away!

How To: Make pickled ginger for sushi or gari

Japanese cuisine is a favorite of many rail-thin celebs for a reason: It's both delicious (luxurious may be a better word) and really, really healthy. That's because true Japanese cuisine is made mostly of raw ingredients - fish and a lot of vegetables.

How To: Make decorative butter shapes

Butte can be very decorative and festive. In this how to video Chef Paul talks about flavored and decorative butters. Watch and learn how to shape and mold butter into any shape for garnishing dishes.

How To: Blend a famous country style rib rub

This basic BBQ dry rub recipe for barbecue ribs is quick and simple to make. Use this BBQ Pit Boys recipe, and then adjust the spices and quantities to make it your own special BBQ Rib Rub! That's what Barbecue is all about.

How To: Preserve Sooji for roasting

Anuja and Hetal from Show Me The Curry show how to roast Sooji. Sooji is otherwise known as semolina which is purified wheat used for making pasta. Semolina is known as Sooji in India and is used in many many dishes as a grain and sometimes as a meat substitute. Some recipes like Upma require that the Sooji be roasted before being added into the recipe. This video shows you the easiest way that you can roast Sooji in your microwave so that it can be used in various Indian dishes.

How To: Make cold pressed nut butter

In this video, we learn how to make cold pressed nut butter. First you will need to have a crusher that will not juice the nuts it will just crush them. Put your nuts into this and then start to run it. You can add in some raw cashews, raw Brazil nuts, almonds. You can use any type of nuts that you want inside of your butter. Turn the machine on and continue to add the nuts, pressing down with the lever at the top. After this, the nuts will come out at the bottom inside the bowl. To make this...

How To: Make pickled ginger for sushi

No sushi dinner is complete without the pickled ginger. Ginger is used between sushi courses to cleanse the palette and get you ready for the next delicacy. Ginger is a necessary side dish for sushi, so if you are planning on making your own Japanese food, check out this tutorial and start pickling!

How To: Make wasabi foam to garnish and serve over meals

Looking to add some spice to your dinner but not a fan of straight wasabi? In this tutorial, learn how to make a light and fluffy foam with wasabi that you can serve over fish, sushi, salad or any other light dish that needs some spice.

How To: Make raw vegan vanilla extract

In this video, we learn how to make raw vegan vanilla extract. First, take whole organic vanilla beans and chop them into small pieces. After this, place the pieces of vanilla into a high speed blender along with 1 c of purified water. Start blending this on high until you have a pure vanilla liquid and there are absolutely not bumps or husks left in the blender. There should be no fibers or husks on the side of the blender. Place your hand on the side of it to make sure your blender isn't ge...

How To: Use fruits to garnishes cocktails

Garnishes not only add flavor to your beverages, but they also serve as attractive decorations that liven up cocktail hour.

How To: Use leeks and lemongrass like a chef

Check out this video cooking tip from The Chef's Toolbox in Australia. Watch this tutorial to learn how to use leeks and lemongrass like a chef. Using leeks and lemongrass in recipes is easy with a little know-how, see how to do it right here.

How To: Make garam masala (blend of hot spices)

Garam masala literally means a blend of hot spices. It's an integral part of most curries, acting as a distinctive seasoning. Many Indian households blend their own. Here we'll show you how to make your own- add a personal touch to your Indian cooking. Make garam masala (blend of hot spices).

How To: Make butter

In this tutorial, we learn how to make butter. First, you will need some cream in a carton left out in the room for around 12 hours. After this, pour the cream out into a glass jar and put the lid on tightly. Now you will shake the jar nice and slowly. You want about 1 shake every second. Continue to do this for about 2-3 minutes. At first, you will notice the glass is covered with cream, but every time you shake the bottle, the butter fat will start to stick together into clumps. Continue to...

How To: Make olive tapenade

When it comes to bread with dinner it is always olive tapenade for me. No Butter. No olive oil (out of the bottle anyway) - tapenade!

How To: Make cilantro pearls with Molecular Gastronomy

Its a flavor explosion! Take some cilantro, add in a little Calcium Chloride and Sodium Alginate, and give some crab cakes a new twist! The pearl is one of the most useful treats of Molecular Gastronomy. Learn how to make corn cake with bbq crab and cilantro pearls.

How To: Garnish food with fresh food and herbs

Garnishes may sometimes feel as something that we thinks is too difficult to do. Don't fear in this how to video Chef Paul talks about food presentation and how to garnish your dishes. Watch and learn how to make a great tasting dish stand out even more with fresh food and herbs.

How To: Make a Fancy Lemon Spiral Garnish

Okay, lemon spirals on cocktails aren't exactly necessary, but they're clever, cute garnishes that are simple to make if you're in a rush and need to throw them on several dozen cocktail glasses for a party.

How To: Make tamarind red chili pickles

In this tutorial, we learn how to make tamarind red chili pickles. This is made by grinding up ripe red chilies with tamarind. After you do this, you will make sure the combination is well combined by stirring again with a spoon. When this is finished, heat up a skillet with oil and then sprinkle spices into the oil, allowing them to simmer for several minutes. Then, spoon the mixture into the oil and brown on both sides until it is finished. Serve when it's done cooking, then pair it with yo...

How To: Use pimenton de la vera or smoked paprika

If you've never tried Pimenton de la Vera -- smoked Spanish paprika -- you're missing out. Stirred into hummus, sprinkled on roasted potatoes or added to the secret family barbecue rub, the smoky flavor is almost addictive. It comes in hot and sweet varieties and has so many delicious uses it will become a staple in your spice rack.

How To: Roast garlic

Transform a piquant herb into a creamy, sweet paste by oven-roasting garlic with the help of these tips.

How To: Make a garlic puree garnish for seasoning recipes

Chef Jason Hill uses this garlic puree for most recipes that call for fresh garlic. The addition of the shallot gives this puree more depth. It keeps up to ten days covered in the refrigerator, and keeps frozen for up to six months in the freezer. The ingredients are garlic and shallots. Learn how to prepare this recipe by watching this video cooking tutorial.

How To: Make a container herb garden

Container gardening is a great way to grow plants, vegetables and herbs without needing a lot of space. Herbs do especially well and can be grown right outside your kitchen door. In this video, you'll learn how to use an old farmer's market basket to make a great container garden. Fill it with your favorite herbs and your cooking will be full of flavor all summer long.

How To: Freeze ginger

Love the taste of fresh ginger, but hate throwing out dry, moldy roots? Solve the problem by storing it in the freezer. Whenever you have a hankering for fresh ginger, just grate the still-frozen root into your favorite recipes. Ginger will lose some of its potency in the freezer, but not enough to make a significant difference. When previously frozen ginger thaws completely it develops a sodden texture, so once frozen it's best to keep it that way. Frozen ginger is also a little bit easier t...

How To: Use a chef's knife to smash and mince garlic

Garlic is one of the oldest herbs. At one time, garlic was used as a vegetable for all of its health properties. Mince garlic; add a bit of salt and you can 'smash' it in to a paste with your chef's knife. Watch this how to video to learn how to use a chef's knife to bring out the flavors of garlic.

How To: Stock your pantry for Indian cooking

Hetal and Anuja show you what you need in your pantry to cook Indian food. This is a great idea if you love Indian food or want to try making some randomly without having to go to the store every time.

How To: Make homemade ginger and garlic paste

This how-to video is about how to make homemade ginger and garlic paste. This video is provided by Anuja and Hetal, and they explains us the simpler method of preparing ginger and garlic paste which is used in most of the Indian dishes.

How To: Use lemongrass in your cooking

CHOW Associate Editor Corinne Trang teaches you how to use lemongrass in your cooking. 1. To use your lemongrass in your cooking, first strip away the dry outer leaves, and cut away the stumpy end and the dry leafy ends.

How To: Use rosemary and thyme like a chef

Check out this video cooking tip from The Chef's Toolbox in Australia. Watch this tutorial to learn how to use rosemary and thyme like a chef. Using the fresh herbs rosemary and thyme in recipes is easy with a little know-how, see how to do it right here.

How To: Peel garlic and pearl onions without stickiness

If you're a home cook, peeling garlic is probably not your most favorite part of preparing a meal. Sure, the first one or two bulbs are a cinch, but once you start peeling garlic in larger quantities the inevitable stickiness arises and the garlic becomes harder and harder to disrobe.

Prepare Ginger with Three Cuts: Grated, Julienne, and Brunoise

We didn't know that how you cut ginger can impact how it tastes until we saw this video. According to the tutorial, the type of cut you should make to a piece of ginger depends on what you need the ginger for.

How To: Make edible garnishes

Transforming a plain old plate into a work of art is just a simple garnish away. Learn how to make edibile garnishes.

How To: Make orange zest

In this how to video Chef Paul shows you how to make orange zest. Orange zest is just that colorful peel of the orange that is full of citrus oils. This oil filled zest is great for garnishes or flavoring dishes.

How To: Chop and mince herbs

Fresh herbs can transform almost any dish. Watch this how to video and let Bon Appetite show you how to chop herbs for your recipes. Learn to chop and mince herbs with woody stems or leafy herbs. Even get tips on how to chiffenade mint and basil leaves.