Professional chefs and homemakers know what cardamom is used for, and what foods basil goes on. But for the rest of us who can’t differentiate between spices, there’s spiceadvice.com.
The website was created by the owners of the ACH Food Companies brand, that manufacture and distribute French’s Mustard, Durkee, Durkee Grill Creations, Tone’s, Spice Islands, Dromedary, Buffalo Wings, Trader’s Choice, and Dec a Cake.
These brands are known in the food industry as the premier brands in spicing and flavoring foods. Spiceadvice.com was created so that users around the world have easy access to a spice thesaurus and recipes that can help them concoct flavorful dishes with the use of various herbs.
On the upper part of the page, tabs are neatly divided into: Our Brands, Favorite Recipes, Product Order Guide, Spice Usage, Spice Encyclopedia, FAQ, Spice History, and ACH Food Companies Inc. Probably the most interesting parts of the website is the Spice Usage page. Clicking on the tab will lead you to a vast resource that includes a quick reference spice chart, which lists down spices in alphabetical order from allspice to thyme, and various types of dishes where the spice is used.
The Spice Usage page also tells users how to test for freshness, if they are growing their own or buying produce from a market. Of course this kind of information is extremely useful to spice and kitchen amateurs, because understanding this material isn’t second nature to everyone. We all love spices, but not everyone knows how to use it, and that’s why this website is so handy.
Furthermore, the page also leads you to more resources that inform readers on storage of spices, how and when to place the spices, a guide to grinding, toasting, and dry roasting, as well as restricted diets. Spiceadvice.com makes it easy for you to find quick references on anything and everything spice.
Another interesting feature of spiceadvice.com is the Spice Encyclopedia. Clicking on the link will take you to a page where you can choose from interesting facts and ideas for using spices of all kinds. The easy to navigate pull-down menu lists down all the spices, where you can click on any and you will find the following information on each:
General description, geographical sources, traditional ethnic uses, tastes and aromas description, history and region of origin, storage tips, and a few ideas to get you started.
On the upper left hand corner of the page, the website also shows users a picture of the spice, to complete the educational experience for you. Now that you have all the information you need about any spice with just a few clicks, head on to the Favorite Recipes page where you can choose from a hundred recipes including appetizers, soups, breads, sauces, condiments, meat entrees, chicken entrees, fish and seafood entrees, side dishes, vegetables, baked goods, desserts, and special occasion and holiday dishes.
