Importance of a Spice Grinder

Why does any kitchen need a spice grinder? Have you ever seen one and asked yourself this question? Me, I honestly prefer a mortar and pestle, but some people use electronic spice grinders, and they all do the same thing. Still, why does a kitchen need one?

Have you ever seen a recipe call for a ground spice or herb, and you have the required spice or herb, but it is not in ground form. It is flakes, it is whole, it is otherwise not ground, but you do have it. This is why any kitchen should have something to grind spices with. Plus, a mortar and pestle, or a spice grinder, allows you to blend spices and herbs rather easily.

Some of my favorite spices are coriander and various types of peppercorns. For me, it is cheaper to buy the whole spice and grind it myself as I need it. Also, you get more of the spice's flavor from grinding it, as it allows for more of the spice to dissolve into the food. Whole coriander and whole peppercorns can be aggressive and overly potent if used and chewed. Personally, I love the flavor of coriander, but I absolutely hate biting into a whole seed and getting that rush of flavor from it. I'd rather have a mild coriander flavor throughout the dish, rather than whole seeds laying around.

So I use a mortar and pestle or some other form of grinding implement, and I grind the spices and herbs as coarse or as fine as I desire. This is also a wonderful way to work out aggression and stress; pulverizing spices and herbs into fine powder that you can cook with later. Another use for these tools is blending together spices and herbs to make your own seasoning mixture. You could make a pre-blended mix of apple pie or pumpkin pie spices. This would take guesswork and measure out of making pies later, especially if you seal your ground spices in pre-measured doses.

Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/4 cup ground cinnamon
2 tbsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cardamom (optional)

Apple Pie Spice
1/4 cup ground cinnamon
1 tbsp ground allspice
2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cardamom (optional)

Another wonderful use, is you can make rubs for steaks and pork chops. Keep your favorite homemade blend near the grill so it's always there. You could blend together your own curry powder as well for making a warm delicious curry during the cold winter months.

Curry Powder:

2 TSP Whole Coriander
2 TSP Whole Cumin
1 TSP Ground Ginger
1/2 TSP Whole Cloves
1 1/2 TSP Cardamom
1/2 TSP Cinnamon
1 TSP Dried Turmeric
1.5 TSP Cayenne or Ancho Pepper Powder, more or less for your preferred level of heat

Toast the cloves, cumin, and coriander in a lightly oiled pan over medium heat for about 5-10 minutes, until they begin change color and become more aromatic. Combine all the ingredients in a mortar and pestle or some other spice grinder, and grind into a fine powder. Store for later use. It's that simple.

So, you are sitting there, reading this, and realizing you don't have a spice grinder. Well, anything that grinds will work fine, such as a coffee grinder (just make sure you clean it well before using it for spices). Go get yourself a spice grinder or a mortar and pestle, and explore your own flavors and combinations, but before I let you go, I will leave you with my homemade chili powder recipe.

Druid's Chili Powder

1 TBSP Dried and Crushed Chipotle Chile Peppers
1 TBSP Dried and Crushed Chiles de Arbol
1 TSP Dried Minced Garlic
1 TSP Dried Minced Onion
1/2 TSP Mustard Seed
1 TSP Whole Coriander
2 TSP Whole Cumin

Mix up as much or as little as you need, grind it down into a fine powder, and store it away for future use. Very simple, and very flavorful, and you can use as much or as little as you desire to heat your favorite chili.

~Bon Appétit~

Molcajete - Authentic Mexican Mortar and Pestle (Google Affiliate Ad)
Cuisinart Stainless Steel Spice And Nut Grinder - SG-10 (Google Affiliate Ad)

Steak With Portabella Sauce

A delicious combination of Portabella mushrooms, steak, and a creamy sauce that comes together nicely over a bed of polenta or couscous. You will need two skillets, and I will break this recipe down per skillet.

Scotch-Steak Skillet:

2 Rib Eye Steaks
1/2 Cup Olive Oil
1 Cup V8 Juice
1/2 Cup Scotch Whisky
1 TBSP Worcestershire Sauce
1 TSP Coriander
1 TSP Marjoram
1 TSP Salt
1 TSP Coarse-Ground Black Pepper
Portabella Mushroom Caps, cut into 1/8 inch strips

Portabella Mushroom Sauce Skillet:

2 TBSP + 1 TSP Flour
3 TBSP Butter
1 1/2 Cups Milk
1 Cup Water
1 Cup Diced Yellow Onion
3/4 Cup diced Portabella Mushroom Stems
1 1/2 TBSP Cream Cheese
1 TSP Worcestershire Sauce
1 TSP Garlic Powder

1: Portabella Mushroom Sauce Skillet: Melt down butter in a hot skillet; add in the Worcestershire sauce, onions, and mushroom stems and sauté until onions begin to brown. Mix in flour and garlic powder slowly until a creamy roux forms, continue cooking this for 10-15 minutes.

2: Scotch-Steak Skillet: Add all ingredients except the mushrooms and steak, and heat to a boil. Add steaks gently, carefully place half the mushroom cap strips on top of the steaks and cover the skillet, cooking for 5-10 minutes. Don't worry, the heat of the skillet will burn off the alcohol in the scotch, so you won't be getting drunk off this dish.

3: Portabella Mushroom Sauce Skillet: Combine the milk, water, and cream cheese to the skillet and stir quickly with a whisk, mixing all the ingredients thoroughly until well blended. Switch to a low heat and simmer the mixture for 10-15 minutes and then turn off the heat and cover the skillet with a lid.

4: Scotch-Steak Skillet: Flip the steaks and continue to cook for another 5-10 minutes or until cooked-through. The mushroom cap strips will fall into the sauce as you flip them, do not worry about this, as you still have half the strips set aside, right?

5: Use a spatula to remove the steaks from the scotch sauce and place carefully upon a ready plate. Top the steaks with the remaining strips of mushroom caps, then spoon the Portabella sauce onto the steaks, making sure to get each steak mostly smothered in the delicious creamy sauce. Serve.

This can be served on its own, or as I often do it; on a bed of rice, couscous, or polenta. Adding a starch gives you a filling layer to soak up the Portabella sauce so none of it goes to waste. Also, keep in mind that I soak my steaks in the same sauce it cooks in for roughly 6 hours, which allows the meat to take in some of the flavor before it cooks. Marinating the steaks is completely optional and can be changed according to the flavor you are going for. So I ask that you give this a try, tinker with it to make it your own, and enjoy!

~Bon Appétit~

Cuisinart Chef'S Classic 12-In. Nonstick Stainless Steel Skillet (Google Affiliate Ad)
Lodge Logic Skillet - 12" - Lodge Logic (Google Affiliate Ad)
All-Clad Stainless Steel Skillet, 10" (Google Affiliate Ad)

Simple Conversion Chart

Ever wonder need a quick conversion chart for your kitchen that was easy to follow? Well, I know this has been passed around the internet a few times, but I felt it deserved being posted here. I'm thinking of having a few done as fridge magnets so I can keep one in the kitchen at all times.

Cuisipro Stainless Steel Odd Sizes Measuring Spoons (Google Affiliate Ad)
Fred M-Cups Matryoshka Doll Measuring Cups Set, Red (Google Affiliate Ad)

Unconventional Steak Rub and Marinade

Have you ever considered what you have around the house that you could use to make a new spice rub for steaks? Well, what if I told you to combine ground coffee, cocoa powder, and ground dried chipotle peppers? You would probably say I am absolutely out of my mind. Well, I highly suggest that you try it.

Steak-Rub Mix:

1/2 Cup Ground Coffee or Espresso
1/2 Cup Cocoa Powder
1 TBSP dried Chipotle Peppers, ground or crushed
1 TSP Celery Salt
1 TSP Garlic Powder
1 TSP Coarse-Ground Black Pepper
1 TSP Ginger
1 TSP Ground Coriander
1/2 TSP Thyme
1/2 TSP Paprika

Mix ingredients together in a bowl, then rub lightly onto your steaks before cooking. Simple as that.

Oh, you are saying this isn't enough for a post about seasoning steak? How about savory rum marinade to go with it? I can do that easily. I've used this marinade many, many times to bring a delicious flavor to the meat.

Caribbean Rum Marinade:

1 Cup Spiced Rum (Captain Morgan)
1/2 Cup Canned Crushed Pineapples
1/2 Cup Pineapple Juice (can use the stuff from the can)
1/2 Cup Tobasco Hot Sauce (I use the Jalapeno variety, but you can change this to your favorite flavor)
1 TBSP Ground Black Pepper
1 TBSP Garlic Powder
1 TBSP Ginger
1 TBSP Savory
1 TSP Salt

Combine all ingredients in a deep bowl or dish, place raw steaks or pork chops into the mixture and allow to set for 6-12 hours. Flip meat once, and allow to soak another 6-12 hours. Grill and serve.

This is about using things normally one would not consider to be an ingredient in cooking meat. So I highly suggest you try, you explore, and you make your own discoveries in the kitchen. Just because something seems like it wouldn't go well, doesn't mean it shouldn't be tried.

~Bon Appétit~