Not too long ago, I wrote about Greek Seasoning and how many common seasonings are blends of dried herbs and spices most people probably already have in their pantries. Greek Seasoning, for example, is usually a combination of salt, oregano, garlic and onion powders, pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg (among other variations).

Two popular blends I did not include are Herbes de Provence and Italian Seasoning. Both are fairly basic mixtures, mostly of dried herbs such as oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, and/or parsley along with salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder, and occasionally dried lavender. Again, most home cooks probably already have these items on hand and need not purchase yet another bottle of dried herbs or spices.

Unlike some other spice blends and rubs, however, Greek Seasoning, Herbes de Provence, and Italian Seasoning are mostly comprised of dried herbs and salts or powders. Many cooks will contest that dried herbs do not have near the flavor of fresh herbs, and many of these flavors could be achieved through the use of using actual onions, garlic, and fresh herbs along with simple salt and pepper.

Spice blends such as Curry Powder, Chinese Five Spice, and Ras el Hanout have more complicate compositions, sometimes including a dozen or more different spices. In this case, it might be wise to purchase the already-made spice mixture rather than make your own, unless you already have all of the ingredients on hand.

Then again, spices have a surprisingly long shelf live, so it may be worth the investment to purchase the individual spices and create your own mixtures (check out my post The Scoop on Spices for shelf lives and storage tips). Spice blends also tend not to last as long as individual spices, but spices and dried herbs do not “go bad” or spoil. Over time, they simply lose flavor and potency.

At $3 or more a bottle, it can feel like a large commitment to purchase a new or seldom used spice. Most ground spices will last 2-3 years when properly stored, so while it may seem like a gamble to purchase an entire bottle for one recipe, chances are if you continue to cook you will want to use it again. If not, the price per year is about $1, which is not bad a bad price if the spices inspire you to create new dishes and push you to try new types of cuisine. The results can be pretty Sweet.

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 19th, 2009 at 5:05 am and is filed under Bitter/Sweet. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.