Flavor & Spice

with bold spices and nuanced flavors can be intimidating: It sounds like hours of shopping and prep time, a bottomless spice rack, and a culinary school-level grasp of what foods and flavors pair well together. But hold up—Better Homes & Gardens is all about easy, inspiring cooking. And that’s what you’ll find here! Start with the “Flavor Basics” (page 21): We break down flavor into the building blocks of well-balanced, layered tastes—sour, salty, umami, bitter, spicy, and sweet—and go deep on the ingredients that lend those elements to your cooking. Feeling inspired to try something new? Our “Push Your Palate” section (starting on page 78) is all about going outside your comfort zone and exploring new cuisines. Looking for something with a bit less commitment? Trying new-to-you spices (page 8),…

84 YEARS OF ON-STAFF COOKING EXPERIENCE We fail in our kitchen so you have success in yours! BY THE NUMBERS 4,500 NUMBER OF RECIPES TESTED IN THE KITCHEN EACH YEAR 1,000 CUPS OF FLOUR 480 CUPS OF SUGAR 288 DOZEN EGGS 240 CUPS OF MILK 480 POUNDS OF BUTTER 144 POUNDS OF ONIONS 50 WOODEN SPOONS THE BONES 8 NUMBER OF GALLEY KITCHENS IN OUR TEST KITCHEN Each is about the size of many NYC apartment kitchens. You won’t find fancy gadgets or restaurant-style ovens; we test with appliances and tools the average home cook might use. We do, however, have one awesome chandelier that hangs above our sharing table (aka the trough). Food Science + Culinary Arts + Consumer Science + Dietetics = VARIETY OF COLLEGE DEGREES OUR TEST…

THAI RUB: This aromatic blend of ginger, garlic, lemongrass, and Thai chiles—check specialty spice and seasoning shops—is perfectly suited for using as a rub or marinade for pork, chicken, fish, or shrimp. Or try a simple stir-fry sauce with Thai rub and canned coconut milk. CHIPOTLE & ROASTED GARLIC BLEND: Add this blend from McCormick’s Grill Mates line to shrimp before hitting the grill (or the grill pan in the off -season). Check McCormick’s website (mccormick.com) for a full lineup of big-flavor seasonings and marinades to up your grilling game. + SPICE ADVICE “USE SPICE BLENDS AS AN EASY WAY TO GO AT FLAVOR EXPLORATION. THEY’RE NOT A BIG INVESTMENT. YOU CAN TAKE A BASIC INGREDIENT AND CHANGE IT FIVE TIMES BY SWAPPING OUT THE BLEND.” —Laurie Harrsen, McCormick &…

THE BASICS SEASONED COOKS KEEP THEIR PANTRIES STOCKED WITH BASIC SPICES FOR EVERYDAY, HIGH-FLAVOR COOKING. PUSH YOUR PALATE TAKING YOUR COOKING TO GLOBAL PLACES CAN BE AS SIMPLE AS OPENING A JAR OF A NEW-TO-YOU SPICE. SPICE ADVICE We relied on Lior Lev Sercarz—chef, spice guru, and owner of the spice shop La Boîte in New York City—and his newest book, The Spice Companion ($40; Clarkson Potter, 2016), for the lowdown on spice-forward cooking with his blends and seasoning notes. DUKKAH Hazelnut, coriander seed, sesame seed, cumin, paprika, mint, thyme (our recipe, p. 17) ORIGIN: Africa (Egypt) GARAM MASALA Black peppercorns, ginger, mace, cloves, cumin seed, cardamom, bay leaf ORIGIN: Asia (India) ZA’ATAR Sumac, thyme, sesame seed (our notes, p. 17) ORIGIN: Asia (Middle East, Syria, Lebanon) ALEPPO PEPPER Flavor…

A PINCH OF BROWN SUGAR + SUMMER-RIPE TOMATOES AGED BLUE CHEESE + DRIZZLED HONEY —Beth Dooley, cookbook author + SPICE ADVICE “SWEET WORKS REALLY WELL WITH ITS OPPOSITES— SOUR AND SALTY. THE COMBINATION OF THE THREE LIGHTS UP YOUR MOUTH AND WORKS IN SUBTLE WAYS.” —Karen Caplan, Frieda’s Produce MAPLE SYRUP + ROASTED SWEET POTATO WEDGES —Malika Ameen, chef & cookbook author BALSAMIC REDUCTION + FRESH WATERMELON POMEGRANATE MOLASSES + HUMMUS…

STORE SPICE BLENDS IN SMALL AIRTIGHT CONTAINERS IN A COOL, DARK PLACE UP TO 1 YEAR.…