Spices you don't like...

[roller]

Cumin is one of my favorite spices.Yea it does not smell to cool raw but it really jazzes up a dish. I do not like Rosemary..

 

[linguica]

All ingredients in the proper amount add the finished flavor. If done properly they blend into one symphony of flavor where no one spice is dominant. IMHO

 

[diesel]

I am going to agree with all of you.  HaHa....  I really didn't care for the star anise and mace type of flavors.  Cumin does smell like sweat but I have grown to enjoy it in Mexican dishes.  I have added Cumin to my rub before but only once, I didn't care for it on BBQ.

I think I read that as we grow older our taste buds get weaker?  Not sure about that, but when I was 10 years old I would not touch an onion and now, only a few years later, I can almost eat one like an apple.

Aaron.

 

[candycoated]

I just thought of a spice I don't like... Saffron.

I've never eaten it. But I have smelled it in an exorbitantly priced perfume, I ordered a 1mL sample of the fragrance just to see what it was like. It's a "handsome" smell, and it does have an opulent character.

So, the reason why I don't like it... It's worth is more than gold. One little bitty tiny stigma of saffron cost about $5.

Has anyone ever cooked with this stuff? Or eaten a dish with it?

 

[diggingdogfarm]

Yes. in paella.


~Martin

 

[kathrynn]

Yes. in paella.


~Martin

Love paella....and yes I will use it in that and for yellow rice.  What is the spice that is supposed to be the fake saffron?

 

[diggingdogfarm]

There are at least a couple, safflower and turmeric.

~Martin

 

[kathrynn]

Tumeric was what I was thinking of!  Thanks Martin....I have Friday brain drain. 

 

[candycoated]

I've heard marigold referred to as "poor man's saffron".

 

[linguica]

I've heard marigold referred to as "poor man's saffron".

Turmeric fakes the color of "yellow" rice and marigold pedals are fed to chickens to make the yolk more golden.

As far as saffron being expensive, if you have ever seen how pure Spanish saffron is harvested, I would much rather buy it than harvest it.

lastly Risotto alla Milanese and even more so, a Spanish seafood paella are two of the finest foods on the planet.  IMHO                            

 

[fagesbp]

Gin smells like pine trees to me

Yeah thats it kathryn, pin-sol not pledge.

 

[dirtyd]

I don't like the taste of salt in a dish. I use it to enhance the other flavors, but the only food that should be salty is french fries.

 

[linguica]

I don't like the taste of salt in a dish. I use it to enhance the other flavors, but the only food that should be salty is french fries.

Did my doctor tell you to post that?   I'm doing the best i can to comply and just last night Martin flamed my beer. Not many healthy-fun things left anymore. 

 

[kathrynn]

I don't like the taste of salt in a dish. I use it to enhance the other flavors, but the only food that should be salty is french fries.

Did my doctor tell you to post that?   I'm doing the best i can to comply and just last night Martin flamed my beer. Not many healthy-fun things left anymore. 

Yes there is!  CHOCOLATE!

 

[dirtyd]

Did my doctor tell you to post that?   I'm doing the best i can to comply and just last night Martin flamed my beer. Not many healthy-fun things left anymore. 

Darn, you found me out! I actually am contracted out by a "caring wives" group to browse forums and promote low sodium intake and healthy eating! 

But honestly, I just think that the salt overwhelms the flavor of the other ingredients and doesn't really add anything to make up for it. 

 

 

[linguica]

But honestly, I just think that the salt overwhelms the flavor of the other ingredients and doesn't really add anything to make up for it. 

AGREED, salt,sugar and oils are the three most misused flavorings, especially in "off the shelf " products. Sorry about the doctor comment, but I'm still testy about getting my brew flamed.

 

[candycoated]

Turmeric fakes the color of "yellow" rice and marigold pedals are fed to chickens to make the yolk more golden.

As far as saffron being expensive, if you have ever seen how pure Spanish saffron is harvested, I would much rather buy it than harvest it.

lastly Risotto alla Milanese and even more so, a Spanish seafood paella are two of the finest foods on the planet.  IMHO                            

Marigold is a interesting plant!

~An "Old wives tale" I grew up hearing and seeing; marigolds planted in a tomato garden keep a certain tomato plant insect away.

~I have a friend who grows an edible flower garden (she grew up in CA, moved to LA at 16 yrs old), marigold is one of the most versatile. Dunk it in a vinegar wash and eat em! Nice in a salad, tastes good and is a pretty tossed in. Added to hot teas for a nice aroma.

~The professor of my microbiology class was an agriculture specialists. I retained a couple things he said. ;p One was that marigolds and soybean are great for crop rotation because they add nutrients back into the soil.

Not only is saffron hard to harvest, also the plant doesn't make seeds either. You have to clone them. After seeing how much they cost I looked in to it... too hard for sure. :)

Getting a vanilla orchid seems more reasonable.

 

[goinforbroke]

I generally like most all spices and each has their place, particularly when combined with other spices.  With that said tho.. I don't care for tarragon in any example that I've ever tried to use it.  

 

[dirtyd]

But honestly, I just think that the salt overwhelms the flavor of the other ingredients and doesn't really add anything to make up for it. 

AGREED, salt,sugar and oils are the three most misused flavorings, especially in "off the shelf " products. Sorry about the doctor comment, but I'm still testy about getting my brew flamed.

I understand, you don't attack the brew

 

[largeneal]

Tarragon - great in veggie (for that matter, ALL) omelettes.  Also not bad in a tuna salad.  Linguica said it best that, "[color= rgb(24, 24, 24)]All ingredients in the proper amount add the finished flavor."  Go to allrecipes.com and do recipe searches based on ingredients.  Some ingredients just aren't meant to be in some dishes (cumin in ANYTHING Mexican - yum...cumin in a tomato sauce...not yum...side note: Joel Robuchon, the most world's most Michelin starred chef, says "I think people should eat cumin every day."  A French chef whose favorite spice is cumin...who would have thought?  Further, next time you make a cheese dip, i.e. Rotel dip, add a little cumin to it...really good flavor!)  [/color]

[color= rgb(24, 24, 24)]But spices/herbs should never be judged based on individual taste/smell.  Like with a piano - if you press one key, it makes a basic, dull sound.  Press multiple keys and play a chord, and you can create a beautiful sound.  Point - the whole is greater than the sum of its parts (as your olfactory - smell, gustatory - taste receptors perceive those flavors differently when combined with other flavors).  Ok, have a good Saturday everyone![/color]

[color= rgb(24, 24, 24)]-nmr[/color]