Cracking the Spice Cracking Code

Hidden Pickling Tool in Your Tool Caddy

I am ever in search of not having to buy yet another kitchen gadget. It’s kind of upside-down to search and not purchase, but for every tool you own, you have many ways to use it creatively. Take coarsely grinding or cracking spices. This is an important task in pickling. Cracking them allows more of the aromatics into the brine. If you want flavor but not the grit of the spice, crack and place spices at the bottom of the vessel. This will flavor the brine as the microscopic gas bubbles ride up from the bottom stirring and flavoring at the same time.

Sometimes you don’t need to dirty up your spice grinder. Instead, pull out your trusty garlic press (you have one I hope?) Use it to crack coriander, cumin, peppercorns, allspice and other dried spices.

If you want more direct flavoring alternative, encase the spice blend using one of the following techniques:

• cheese cloth packets
• fabric remnant packets
• sealable tea bag blanks
• washable cotton muslin bags

Prepare the recipe spice blend and add it to one or more packets. It’s a good idea to divide the spices into three separate bags and disperse them throughout the recipe mix. They are easy to remove and will not discolor the recipe or create a mouthful of cracked spices as a taste surprise.

To recap, place your cracked spices in the bottom of the pickling jar, or fashion packets to add throughout the recipe.