It's time to get out your spice collection and replenish your stash with these seasonal options.

I know it's officially spring when I wake up on the weekends with the overwhelming need to stroll through a farmers market and fill my little tote bag collection with products that I'll finish quickly before they soften in my fridge. I also know it's spring when I wake up on the weekend and realize I need to thoroughly clean the kitchen beforehand after a winter of boiling and braising.

I'll leave the general spring cleaning tips to the experts - this article by Caroline Mullen on Food52 is a good place to start. Instead, let's move onto something you don't think needs fixing: your spice collection.

Advertising:

Spice racks can drip and turn to mud from spills and leaks. They can be filled with bottles and glasses that are past their prime or that simply do not serve you well in your culinary ventures. Let's take some time this weekend to clean up and get rid of the bad stuff, making way for some Saucy-approved spring indulgence options.

Bring everything from your spice rack (or shelves) to the fridge and pantry

This step is self-explanatory, but absolutely necessary. When you're ready for spring cleaning, take it all out: that new bottle of artisanal hot sauce, your weird ziploc bag of fast food packets of barbecue sauce (don't try), those double bottles of Kewpie Mayo. Everything.

Advertising:

When you've set them aside, thoroughly clean the refrigerator or pantry shelves they were stored on with a mild disinfectant.

Check your bottles and glasses

Look through your bottles and glasses. If there are any that have passed their expiration date or show signs of mold or discoloration, discard them. Take a soft cloth and put it in warm water. Then take a minute to go through the tips of the remaining condiments where the sauce tends to dry out and chew.

Advertising:

Take a page from Marie Kondo's book

Now that your bottles and jars - and your spice racks - are shining, it's time to borrow some organization tips from Marie Kondo and really think about the types of spices that really make you come into your kitchen and create things. Does that almost empty jar of grainy mustard (which is now more yellow water than the actual sauce) cause happiness? If not, throw it away.

Advertising:

The infused oil a friend gave you that you haven't opened because, as Helen Rosner described in The New Yorker, you have "miraculous paralysis"? Save it and make a plan to use it.

Choose your spices until you only have the bottles, jars and packets that you want to keep. Take a step back and enjoy the glory of your renewed collection.

***.

Advertising:

Now you might be wondering what you're going to do with all that extra space on the spice shelves. I have some suggestions that only scream in the spring:

Tangerine cream

Once the weather hits 55 degrees, my morning routine consists of opening all of my windows, pouring an inappropriately tall glass of cold beer, and tossing some citrus in one form or another on my breakfast plate. These days I'd rather douse a hearty toast with Dalmatia Imports' Mandarin Spread . It's sleek with a nice, zippy sheen that keeps it from getting too cloying (and it also comes in a cute bowl jar with a forest green lid that is sure to be Instagram worthy).

Advertising:

Not only is it a great breakfast spread, but it's a solid addition to a grilled white cheddar cheese - maybe topped with bacon if you feel like it - and as a seasonal topping for . Cookies footprint of the thumb .

Yuzu Kosho

Yuzu Kosho is a Japanese spice made from the peel and juice of Yuzu, a fragrant, twisted citrus fruit that is grown almost exclusively in East Asia and fermented with fresh chili peppers and salt. The resulting paste appears with acid, saline, and heat. It is hyperfunctional because it can improve the taste of foods with a single spoon, especially rich or creamy dishes.

Scoop in instant miso soup with chopped green onion and bok choy for an instantly updated quick lunch. Stir a little with Kewpie Mayo and use as a dip for shrimp tempura and vegetables. Beat it with tamari and use it as a marinade.

Advertising:

My favorite brand is from the Japanese company Earthy Delights , but Trader Joe's also has a solid version.

Inglehoffer Creamy Mustard Capers Dill

That little jar of mustard was a game changer for my work lunches at home. When you combine a tablespoon with mayonnaise, the taste of chicken, egg, and chickpea salads instantly transforms with little effort. It belongs in your sandwiches: try it with turkey, provolone, shredded iceberg lettuce, and thinly sliced ​​radishes, and garnished with fried chicken sandwiches.

It's also a perfect ingredient to enhance your devilish eggs.

Advertising:

Increase the vinegar

Unless you are from certain areas of the United States, you may not be familiar with ramps. This is wild leek that can be grown and fed throughout the south and east coast in late March or early April. They taste like a charged combo of onions and garlic and can be used anywhere you use grocery store leeks or green onions, including flavored vinegars.

Ramp Ups Ramp Up Vinegar is hot, sweet, and a little bit spicy, which, as the company puts it, makes it a "miracle of taste". The most obvious way to use it is in a salad dressing, of course, but I like to stew a few tablespoons in liquid (add it to this boiled pork with milk recipe, a mood-changing meal. Life) and finally the vegetable soups . It changes the taste of cauliflower cream and creamy potato and leek soup dramatically.

More information about Saucy:

Advertising:

Let's block ads! (Why?)