Useless (or semi-useless) spices?

[JamusActimus]

Autism ahead

I have a confession, I actually don't know how to use pepper.

With salt, I can taste it alone, I can taste it in a dish and know when there's enough or too much.

Same with sugar, I know it's taste and what it changes when it's added to a dish

Same with spicy or acidic things.

With pepper, I can taste it by itself. However when added to a dish like a ragout I can't really taste the pepper in it and when there's too much I just want to Sneed.

I don't get why I should grind some pepper on a steak. I never made something and thought oh that needs pepper.

I only get it when it's fresh green pepper corn like in a sauce au poivre.

 

[innocent jogger]

Autism ahead

I have a confession, I actually don't know how to use pepper.

With salt, I can taste it alone, I can taste it in a dish and know when there's enough or too much.

Same with sugar, I know it's taste and what it changes when it's added to a dish

Same with spicy or acidic things.

With pepper, I can taste it by itself. However when added to a dish like a ragout I can't really taste the pepper in it and when there's too much I just want to Sneed.

I don't get why I should grind some pepper on a steak. I never made something and thought oh that needs pepper.

I only get it when it's fresh green pepper corn like in a sauce au poivre.

You're right, that is some autism.

 

[a terminal posture]

For all the paprika haters: You need to get the stuff fresh and from Eastern Europe. In my neck of the woods this would be going to a Balkan goods store and getting Croatian, Bosnian or Serbian sourced paprika but Hungarian, Romanian etc is fine too. It's an entirely different animal from that the tasteless red powder you are used to and essential for making good goulash.
Or if you can't source any, dehydrate your own peppers and grind them up.

 

[Shart Attack]

For all the paprika haters: You need to get the stuff fresh and from Eastern Europe. In my neck of the woods this would be going to a Balkan goods store and getting Croatian, Bosnian or Serbian sourced paprika but Hungarian, Romanian etc is fine too. It's an entirely different animal from that the tasteless red powder you are used to and essential for making good goulash.
Or if you can't source any, dehydrate your own peppers and grind them up.

To a lot of Americans, "goulash" is ground hamburger in tomato sauce (or ketchup) over elbow macaroni. A lot of them don't put any paprika in it at all. If you're lucky enough to grow up in a town with a lot of Eastern European ancestry and know what real hunky goulash is, you know it needs real paprika. It might sound snobbish, but the difference between Hungarian paprika and basic American paprika really is night and day. Eastern European paprika has a peppery, sweet flavor with subtle heat. American paprika is just red sawdust.

Anise is useful for baking stuff like lemon-anise cookies or pizzelles.

For me, it's dried parsley. Fresh parsley brightens up a dish, but dried parsley just looks, tastes, and smells like old grass clippings to me.

 

[innocent jogger]

For me, it's dried parsley. Fresh parsley brightens up a dish, but dried parsley just looks, tastes, and smells like old grass clippings to me.

100% agree.

To a lot of Americans, "goulash" is ground hamburger in tomato sauce (or ketchup) over elbow macaroni. A lot of them don't put any paprika in it at all. If you're lucky enough to grow up in a town with a lot of Eastern European ancestry and know what real hunky goulash is, you know it needs real paprika. It might sound snobbish, but the difference between Hungarian paprika and basic American paprika really is night and day. Eastern European paprika has a peppery, sweet flavor with subtle heat. American paprika is just red sawdust.

and more .

 

[COME ON OUT YOU RAPIST]

Eastern European paprika has a peppery, sweet flavor with subtle heat. American paprika is just red sawdust.

American grocery store "paprika" is useless. Smoked paprika has a flavor and various uses. I'm pretty sure it's what they throw into Lawry's seasoning salt. Where I live they don't even stock standard paprika anymore because everyone realized it's basically granulated food dye. Same with any "chili powder" that doesn't have a distinction like ancho or chipotle.

 

[Death of an Ego]

For me, it would have to be dried curly parsely. Has such a small amount of flavor that you may as well use the fresh stuff. If you can't be assed to grow it yourself, which is pretty easy, it's cheap in the produce section. It can be useful as a garnish to give color but that's about it. I can also second most dried non smoked or spicy paprika brands you can get here in muttland. If you want the color with barely any flavor, just use annatto. Real paprika is great stuff, but you need more than you might think for most dishes.

One common mistake I know from experience is the shelf life of some common dried herbs. As they dry out their flavor will concentrate, so you can use far less than you normally would for the same flavor profile, but after a certain time, they will just turn into nearly flavorless powders as they naturally decay. Check the flavor of your spice rack every few months or so, and anything that's starting to lose flavor, toss it or pour it in a compost heap if you can. Even if they have no flavor anymore, new plants will still be able to use the nutrients.

I'm far from a fresh spice/herb purist, but the easiest mistake with seasonings is to use them far past their prime.

For an unorthodox but actually good dessert, toast 4 white peppercorns for about 5 minutes in a dry pan on low heat, grind or crush them, and try it on simple decent or good vanilla ice cream with a small dash of cinnamon.

 

[Brenda Holiday]

the easiest mistake with seasonings is to use them far past their prime.

This is my biggest cooking sin. Half my seasonings are out of date. I have a little thing of nutmeg that turned out to be from 2007. I bought a replacement of course.

 

[𝕺𝖑' 𝕯𝖎𝖗𝖙𝖞 𝕱𝖆𝖙𝖘𝖔]

Autism ahead

I have a confession, I actually don't know how to use pepper.

With salt, I can taste it alone, I can taste it in a dish and know when there's enough or too much.

Same with sugar, I know it's taste and what it changes when it's added to a dish

Same with spicy or acidic things.

With pepper, I can taste it by itself. However when added to a dish like a ragout I can't really taste the pepper in it and when there's too much I just want to Sneed.

I don't get why I should grind some pepper on a steak. I never made something and thought oh that needs pepper.

I only get it when it's fresh green pepper corn like in a sauce au poivre.

Are you buying preground pepper? Get the kind with a grinder. Pepper loses all of its potency quickly after it's been ground so the preground pepper tastes like nothing by the time you use it. Freshly ground it has a bit of zing and a sorta floral taste. I actually love fresh pepper cracked over vanilla ice cream.

I'm far from a fresh spice/herb purist, but the easiest mistake with seasonings is to use them far past their prime.

Whole spices tend to last a lot longer, so I tend to buy bigger packs of them but I go for small containers of ground spices. They cost more per oz so a lot of like frugal blogs say to buy in bulk, but chances are you're not going to use a whole pound of ground allspice or whatever before it just becomes bland and musty.

Also re the paprika discourse: look for Hungarian brands or korean gochugaru if you want flavor.

 

[The Mass Shooter Ron Soye]

Cardamom. In powder form it tastes like nothing, but in pod form it tastes like shit.

Nope, it's good. I use it in curries, anywhere I would use "pumpkin pie" spices, sprinkle it on yogurt, etc. The quality may vary, since I've seen different cardamom powders have a completely different color.

I haven't used it in pod form in years, but I would do it, even though it smells like something a janitor would use.

 

[AbyssStarer]

Dill. Only used for pickles and pickley tuna salad or dips. I don't even own any.

You are broken and your food is broken if you don't taste parsley. Stop killing your taste buds with goyslop. Your sense of taste literally dulls from vitamin/mineral imbalances and overusing salt.

For all the paprika haters: You need to get the stuff fresh and from Eastern Europe. In my neck of the woods this would be going to a Balkan goods store and getting Croatian, Bosnian or Serbian sourced paprika but Hungarian, Romanian etc is fine too. It's an entirely different animal from that the tasteless red powder you are used to and essential for making good goulash.
Or if you can't source any, dehydrate your own peppers and grind them up.

This is absolutely true. Most of the paprika sold in America is garbage. The only good paprika I've had from America was Penzeys smoked Hungarian paprika.
I theorize most good paprika peppers in the US are sold as is rather than turned in to spice. Probably not but I can't explain why paprika is so bland here otherwise.

 

[isalaide]

I purchased a bottle of star anise over a year ago and still havent found anything I'd like to add it to.

It goes in with your other aromatics to the poaching liquid when you're poaching a ham.

 

[Gog & Magog]

Definitely Hondurans.
Edit: misread title.

 

[CallmeCicada]

It goes in with your other aromatics to the poaching liquid when you're poaching a ham.

Also is a nice for drinks like mulled wine.

 

[CallmeCicada]

For some reason papaya seeds kinda taste like szechuan peppercorns. I dried some a while back, they have a similar numbing mouth feel to them.

 

[Archeops]

For those wondering why standard paprika feels "useless" it's probably the brand and the peppers used in its production. Whenever I search "What peppers are used to make paprika" I get a bunch of articles saying that it's made with a mixture of dried bell and jalapeno peppers and a smattering of other pages saying the variety of paprika varies on the kinds of peppers used (California paprika is made with dried Anaheim peppers, Spanish paprika is made with Pimento peppers, Hungarian paprika is made with types of bell peppers specific to Hungary, etc.).

As far as the topic goes here's one that's kind of semi-useless: dry BBQ rubs. You're better off making your own (with the herbs and spices you have at home) in the long run but a premade mix is fine in a pinch.

 

[Agent Abe Caprine]

For some reason papaya seeds kinda taste like szechuan peppercorns. I dried some a while back, they have a similar numbing mouth feel to them.

That sounds extremely useful to me.

 

[DankSmoker]

Turmeric is okay to turn something more yellow, but it really just tastes like dirt.

 

[retard strength II]

Anytime I thought a spice was useless/tasteless, I was either using an old batch or a cheap batch of it. I used to be pretty happy with my cheap spice collection but I have learned over the years it is worth spending the money on stuff you use it often. Buying good smoked paprika, cumin, and chili powder have really elevated some dishes. And is probably especially helpful advice with tumeric or cinnamon where some brands are irradiated to shit (fucking Pajeets I swear to god). All good seasonings should have taste, thus purpose.

 

[innocent jogger]

Dill. Only used for pickles and pickley tuna salad or dips. I don't even own any.

I use it in chicken noodle soup or as a garnish on some things.

Turmeric is okay to turn something more yellow, but it really just tastes like dirt.

Agree. It's supposed to be healthy but I find it bitter and more useful as a colorant.

Buying good smoked paprika

As I said in the OP, NON-SMOKED paprika seems useless. Smoked paprika is awesome.