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How to stop herbs and spices clumping together
It can't just be me – I come to use a particular jar of dried herb, spice or seasoning, to find it completely stuck together and impossible to get out. It's so frustrating, and seems to be worse with onion and garlic powder, which always seem to cake soon after the containers are opened.
This happens when moisture and humidity get into the container causing it to clump together and form a rock. Whilst the moisture will reduce the flavour and strength of the herbs, a lot of them you can re-invigorate by removing the moisture. Far less wasteful than throwing unused herbs and spices away.
How to remove the moisture
The easiest way is in the oven. I heat my oven to about 125C (250F) and use a metal skewer to get break the clump (or in this case garlic powder) out of the container, onto a sheet of baking paper, on a baking tray.
After just a couple of minutes, the heat will have removed the moisture, and I remove the tray and allow it to cool. Once cooled, I transfer it back into the container using a funnel and it now dispenses freely!
To prevent it happening again
Make sure the containers you store your dried herbs,spices and seasonings in are completely air-tight and always shut the lid/ close the container properly. Storing somewhere cool and dark (or even in the freezer!) will also help prevent moisture coming into contact with the inside of the container.
Avoid the temptation to shake the container directly into a pot of steaming food – this will allow moisture in. Spoon what you need out of the container, away from the stove top.
You can also add some dried beans or rice to the container to absorb any moisture and prevent the mixture from clumping.
Storing the containers upside down will also help prevent air getting in, making them last longer.
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My Top Ten Herbs & Spices
Since I’ve been Paleo my cooking has got more and more inventive, and I find I’m using a lot of different Herbs & Spices.
This does start out quite expensive if you don’t have any, but I really recommend going out and buying a basic selection to get started with. Just by changing the herbs you can completely transform a meal.
When I went strict Paleo, I already had a lot of Herbs & Spices, but I went through all of my Paleo recipe books and bought all of the herbs and spices that came up in the ingredients list. I’ve noticed I tend to use a few very frequently, and some are barely used, so thought I’d share my top ten herbs and spices, and what I use them for.
- Onion Powder. Although I use onions too, this is great to add to lots of dishes for extra onion flavour.
- Garlic Powder. I use this similarly to onion powder, to gives an almost sweet garlic taste.
- Turmeric. I’m trying to add this to more and more of my cooking, as it is has so many great attributes – including having anti inflammatory properties. Turmeric gives a yellow colour and a slight bitter, mustard flavour. I always add Turmeric to curries.
- Cayenne Pepper. This is a hot spicy chilli pepper, with hot being the word! I only add a very small amount, but often add it to dishes like chilli, where I want a bit of heat.
- Paprika. This is from dried capsicum and quite a sweet flavour. It gives food a red colour and I’ll use it in sauces and dips.
- Oregano. I seem to use a lot of this, almost anytime I cook with tomatoes, I add some oregano. It has a slightly lemony flavour.
- Thyme. I often add this near the end of cooking to ensure the heat doesn’t damage it. I add it to lots of different things such as stews, vegetable dishes and stocks.
- Cinnamon. This is my current favourite – I use it in almost everything. Although it isn’t sweet, it’s great as a sweet substitute in tea and NoOatmeal. I commonly use it in meat dishes as it gives such a great flavour.
- Ginger. This is another favourite which I have to regularly replenish. I often add this to curries.
- Salt. This is another must have which brings out the flavour in dishes. I naturally have quite low blood pressure, and as I don’t eat anything processed think it’s quite a good addition to my cooking. I use Pink Himalayan salt as it is very pure with a great mineral content. I also have Celtic Sea Salt, which also has a great mineral content. I would go without rather than having table salt!
Are my most commonly used Herbs & Spices completely different to yours? Which are your favourite Herbs & Spices and what do you use them for?
