How to Use Spices Like a Pro | House of Knives Blog (2024)

The Spice Girls of the 90’s had it right when they told the people of the worldto “spice up your life.” But using spices can be a tricky business if you’re not confident in how they fit together. There’s nothing worse than putting the wrong spices together and ruining a good meal. However,spices don’t have to be scary! Most of it comes down to the aroma of the spice, and what key aromas it shares with other foods.

Extraordinarily, only 20% offlavour is experienced through taste, and 80% is experienced through smell. Because smell is so essential to taste, the way these pairings work is by matching up key aromas that are common betweeneach spice. So we’ve done the work for you here, so you can get confident with your spice rack.

Anise Seed

Herbs and Spices:Pairs really well with basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cumin.
Foods: Pairs pretty well with lemon zest, orange peel, mango, and blackcurrant, and carrot.

Basil

Herbs and Spices:Pairs really well with thyme, cardamom, anise seed, rosemary, nutmeg, oregano, parsley, sage, corander, anise, ginger, cinnamon, and tarragon.
Foods:Pairs really well with citrus, zests, berries, tomato, carrot, beef, pork, and mozzarella.

Bay leaves

Herbs and Spices: Pairs well with allspice, harlic, oregano, parsley, sage, and thyme.
Foods:Pairs well withartichoke, beans, beef, lentils, mushrooms, potatoes, poultry, and tomatoes.

Cardamom

Herbs and Spices: Pairs really well with basil, thyme, nutmeg, oregano, parsley, and ginger.
Fruits: Pairs very well with citrus fruits, cranberry, carrot, tomato, duck, gruyère, and mozzarella.

Chives

Herbs and Spices: Pairs extremely well with ginger and lemongrass.
Foods:Pairs extremely well with butter, coconut, sole, oyster, brie, cheddar, camembert, and curry.

Cilantro

Herbs and Spices: Pairs extremely ginger, lemon, mint, dill, oregano, basil, and cardamom.
Foods:Pairs really well with carrot, citrus fruits, carnberry, guava, mango, and mozzarella.

Cinnamon

Herbs and Spices: Pairs really well with basil, lemon zest, mint, and anise.
Foods:Pairs really well with guava, mango, berries, citrus fruits, and pork belly.

Cloves

Herbs and Spices: Pairs extremely well with basil, cinnamon, nutmeg, mint, and sage.
Foods:Pairs extremely well with gorgonzola, berries, banana, dark chocolate, gruyère, brie, and apple.

Coriander

Herbs andSpices: Pairs really well with basil, thyme, oregano, rosemary, sage, parsley, mint, and ginger.
Foods:Pairs really well with citrus fruits, carrot, cranberry, mango, and berries.

Cumin

Herbs and Spices: Pairs really well with rosemary, nutmeg, thyme, oregano, lemon zest, star anise, basil, cilantro, sage, and mint.
Foods:Pairs well with citrus fruits, carrot, and mango.

Dill weed

Herbs and Spices: Pairs extremely well with cilantro, tarragon, nutmeg, parsley, rosemary, basil, coriander, cardamom, mint, and thyme.
Foods:Pairs extremely well with guava, citrus fruits, carrot, peach, seafood, bacon, and chicken.

Garlic

Herbs and Spices: Pairs really well with ginger, curry, and onion.
Foods:Pairs really well with gruyère, ham, guava, leek, brie, french fries, brussel spouts, egg, spinach, and ciabatta.

Ginger

Herbs and Spices: Pairs extremely well with lemongrass, cilantro, basil, and thyme.
Foods: Pairs really well with lemon, citrus fruits, berries, tomato, carrot, pork belly, and oyster.

Lemon

Herbs and Spices: Pairs really well with lemongrass, cardamom, thyme, basil, cilantro, ginger, coriander, nutmeg, and tarragon.
Foods:Pairs really well with other citrus flavours, carrot, cranberry, seafood, and bacon.

Lemongrass

Herbs and Spices: Pairs really well with ginger, lemon, cardamom, oregano, basil, thyme, mint, and anise.
Foods:Pairs really well with citrus fruits, tomato, lychee, seafood, poultry, and curry.

Mint

Herbs and Spices: Pairs well with peppermint, cilantro, basil, cinnamon, rosemary, sage, and thyme.
Foods:Pairs well with mango, citrus fruits, guava, carrot, mustard, berries, and beef.

Nutmeg

Herbs and Spices: Pairs really well with parsley, basil, rosemary, oregano, carsamom, cumin, anise, thyme, and dill.
Foods:Pairs really well with carrot, citrus fruits, parsnip, and salami.

Oregano

Herbs and Spices: Pairs really well with rosemary, thyme, basil, sage, nutmeg, cilantro, lemon zest, cumin, anise, coriander, cardamom, mint, and lemongrass.
Foods:Pairs well with mustard, citrus fruits, carrot, green bean, and seafood.

Paprika

Herbs and Spices:Pairs well with tarragon, cilantro, rawgarlic, and mint.
Foods:Pairs well with berries, guava, lychee, apple, tomato, potato fries, beef, salami, lamb, fowl, lobster, cream cheese, emmental, and gruyère.

Parsley

Herbs and Spices: Pairs really well with nutmeg, basil, rosemary, sage, thyme, coriander, cardamom, tarragon, dill, cumin, and oregano.
Foods:Pairs well with carrot, parsnip, tomato, citrus fruits, potato, duck, and seafood.

Rosemary

Herbs and Spices: Pairs really well with oregano, basil, sage, parsley, nutmeg, thyme, cumin, star anise, and mint.
Foods:Pairs well with lamb, chicken, stuffing, stew, breads, and tomatoes.

Sage

Herbs and Spices: Pairs really well with rosemary, oregano, basil, parsley, mint, and thyme.
Foods:Pairs well with wild rice, soups, pumpkin, squash, and pork.

Thyme

Herbs and Spices: Pairs really well with basil, oregano, rosemary, cardamom, coriander, parsley, cumin, and ginger.
Foods:Pairs well with pork, crab, corn, bean, tomato sauces, and soups.

Vanilla extract

Herbs and Spices: Pairs well with basil, mint, tarragon, cilantro, and thyme.
Foods:Pairs well with berries, pear, beef, crab, ciabatta, bacon, gruyère, and milk.

Get Cooking!

Wow, that’s a lot of information! And don’t worry if you don’t see your favourite foods pairing with your favourite spices. These pairings don’t mean that other foods won’t taste good with these spices—it just means they share some key aromas that make them better pairings than most.

So experiment! And let us know what worked for you, and what didn’t.

Source(s):VegKitchen.com and FoodPairing.com