I am just a simple ol'country boy incase you've missed that some how. I love to learn from the true chefs around here as to things which sometimes carry over in my general cookings. I have known about toasting spices for a long time, to "release those essential oils". Seriously I have tried it and sometimes when I am feeling like a culinary super star do I do it. but its never been a necessity in my opinion.
I was just totally taken aback with a jar of cinnamon. Its a very common brand that I use because Mom did also. She probably used it because it was easily accessible even in her younger days in most even small grocery stores.
I have it in my spice locker, holidays upcoming, its the winter months, its been a year, I am evaluating my spices for reorder. So this time I didn't notice when I ordered roasted Saigon cinnamon vice just regular Saigon cinnamon (I think its a better taste, probably just another rip off but I like it).
ZOWIE!! Here's what I taste, and try sometime explaining a taste to someone, I dare you! Its still the same cinnamon but..... that background taste I always assoc. with the spice, that one that makes my tongue go numb when I taste cinnamon, its not in anyway there with the roasted in the taste or the aroma. I have never noticed such a huge difference in cinnamon and I like it I think. Its different, it's a more distinct cinnamon but its missing that numbing factor. I could compare it to a certain drug that numbs the tongue also, or so I have read.
I challenge you when in the store, and its that time of the year to be renewing or replacing low quantity spices, to use your sniffer without opening the bottles and see what you think about the toasted spices. I know someone in a grocery store will be standing there laughing wondering about the guy sniffing the spices...>LOL
Try it, I swear I can smell this difference in cinnamon, now I wonder about other spices. AND if you'll check they will be restocking the spice shelves at the store now or soon for the holidays. And seriously a dollar more a bottle maybe....... Hell ya can't get a beer for that savings.
Just passing along the rants and ravings of a dumb coonazz country redneck.
I was just totally taken aback with a jar of cinnamon. Its a very common brand that I use because Mom did also. She probably used it because it was easily accessible even in her younger days in most even small grocery stores.
I have it in my spice locker, holidays upcoming, its the winter months, its been a year, I am evaluating my spices for reorder. So this time I didn't notice when I ordered roasted Saigon cinnamon vice just regular Saigon cinnamon (I think its a better taste, probably just another rip off but I like it).
ZOWIE!! Here's what I taste, and try sometime explaining a taste to someone, I dare you! Its still the same cinnamon but..... that background taste I always assoc. with the spice, that one that makes my tongue go numb when I taste cinnamon, its not in anyway there with the roasted in the taste or the aroma. I have never noticed such a huge difference in cinnamon and I like it I think. Its different, it's a more distinct cinnamon but its missing that numbing factor. I could compare it to a certain drug that numbs the tongue also, or so I have read.
I challenge you when in the store, and its that time of the year to be renewing or replacing low quantity spices, to use your sniffer without opening the bottles and see what you think about the toasted spices. I know someone in a grocery store will be standing there laughing wondering about the guy sniffing the spices...>LOL
Try it, I swear I can smell this difference in cinnamon, now I wonder about other spices. AND if you'll check they will be restocking the spice shelves at the store now or soon for the holidays. And seriously a dollar more a bottle maybe....... Hell ya can't get a beer for that savings.
Just passing along the rants and ravings of a dumb coonazz country redneck.