Knowledge Base > Eric Wynkoop - Ask Me Anything (Office Hours)

Ask Me Anything (Office Hours)

Eric Wynkoop - Ask Me Anything (Office Hours)

This event was on Tuesday, May 13, 2025 at 11:00 am Pacific, 2:00 pm Eastern

Join Chef Eric Wynkoop in his virtual office as he welcomes all of your questions. This event was created for you and we encourage you to Ask Anything – from cooking techniques to co… Read More.

Recorded

Question:

How do I know what spices to use and how much to flavor foods well?

— Pam Mitchell

Answer:

So, uh, this is where, uh, two stages here. I'm gonna work backwards. Obviously practice is gonna be a big part of this, but the first step alright, is to go to a combination of spices that makes sense, which means take a look at global cuisine and what people in other parts of the world have been doing for thousands of years, okay? And, um, you'll start to understand what spices go together in a sensible way, all right? Also, you can study cookbooks of global cuisine and get an idea of what people enjoy in this part of the world or that part of the world. And then give it a try. And, you know, you can start to, you know, like take some really disparate areas and, and their spices or flavorings and combine them and see if they work out as harmoniously as the indigenous solutions. And, and then just move forward from that point, okay? Um, you know, spices are used in ratios. That's gonna be something to keep in mind. You know, there's only, I shouldn't say there's only, um, there are only so many spices, but you know, when you look at a a given regional cuisine, there's gonna be a subset. So, you know, some really a smaller number of spices that are used. Um, but they go into so many different dishes, and the dishes taste different. It's because all these spices are used in different ratios to bring out something more, right? From the cumin and coriander, for example, that goes well with this particular ingredient, right? Or to bring forth something else, um, that goes with a different ingredient. And also pay attention to how, uh, powdered spices are used versus the whole spice. Okay? Powdered spices, right? Have more surface area, so they're going to impart, uh, more flavor faster, uh, they also burn easier and, uh, you know, compared to the whole spice. And so there's some, a couple things to think about in that realm too. Okay? And then practice, and then, you know, see how you like different spices. I always recommend that you taste spices on their own in their whole form, so you understand what that spice is lending to that dish when you know you're using it. And that's gonna give you a, a better ability to make adjustments down the road as all of this knowledge starts to come together. Okay? And then also be aware of the freshness of the spices. Keep in mind that spices, um, are, it's a seasonal food. And, you know, most spices don't grow here in North America where, you know, where I am based, where a lot of us are based, uh, probably on this call. Um, so when I say seasonal, think about it on an annual basis, okay? If you're, if you're buying cardamom and, and cumin and, and, uh, chilies and coriander and different things, uh, try to replenish your stock on an annual basis. If you happen to buy it in some larger quantity, if you can run through it in a shorter period of time, that's even better. Turn over your inventory in order to refresh it with a better quality product. The next thing is to think about where you buy your spices. And, uh, around here, when I buy spices, I will go to an Indian grocery store, uh, because, uh, you've got a, a pretty fast turnover of the spices because you've got a, a bunch of Indians, uh, or other south Asians that are using this in their daily cooking, and so they need more of it pretty frequently, and so the shop is gonna import more of it. And so they're, uh, inventory is gonna be relatively fresh compared to perhaps a mainstream, you know, corporate grocery store that just doesn't move their product quite as fast. Okay. Um, you know, then the other thing is, if you have a chance to travel, you know, to Mexico to pick up vanilla beans and, uh, some cinnamon or to India to get cloves and cardamom, um, bring in some spices, uh, when you travel, then you're, you're gonna have arguably the freshest, uh, product on hand and then enjoy it. You know, don't think, oh gosh, if I use this, you know, I'm never gonna get back to India. I don't want, I don't want it to run out. It's only gonna get old and stale. So use it while it's fresh and enjoy it. Store it in an airtight container, in a relatively cool place to maximize, you know, the shelf life. Um, keep in mind that if you can smell that beautiful aroma of your spices, the spices are losing their flavor. All right? So enjoy it by getting it into your food and your beverages and consume it every day. Also, put spices into every meal of the day, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as your snacks if you can. Spices have, uh, so many phytonutrients, uh, that are beneficial for our body, and in some cases we don't even know, I should say, in a lot of cases, we don't even know the full benefits, uh, of the spices because they haven't been studied to that extent yet. And we don't, even if we knew what was in it, we wouldn't necessarily know the beneficial effect of the phytonutrients on our bodies. So don't wait for, uh, you know, the, the researchers to do all their homework in their, in their labs. Instead, just enjoy the flavor, aromatic and health benefits of spices by getting it into all of your food and beverage at, uh, every meal of the day. And when in doubt add turmeric. Thank you very much.
Eric Wynkoop

Eric Wynkoop

Director of Culinary Instruction

rouxbe.com