12 Cooking Tips: Spices, Seasonings & Sweeteners

Everybody knows that spices are what makes food taste good — but not a lot of people actually know how to use them and tend to shy away.

But with a few simple tips — like knowing when to add spices and how much to add — you can slowly incorporate them into your cooking with confidence.

1. Hot As Fire

Looking for a pepper to really spice up your chili? Try the tiny but mighty habanero. Be warned, it’s seriously hot!

2. Safe Snips

To avoid getting too much hot pepper on your hands, hold a pepper by the stem and snip it with kitchen scissors directly into the recipe. Your hands won’t touch the spicy flesh or seeds.

3. Simple Syrup

Make a simple syrup to sweeten tea easily. Mix 1 cup each of water and sugar and warm on the stove over medium heat, stirring until sugar is completely liquefied. Keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

4. Restore Your Honey

If your honey has crystallized, place the container in very warm water for 5-10 minutes to bring it back to its liquid state. Repeat as needed.

5. Slippery Seeds

Need citrus juice? Lemons, limes, and oranges can be squeezed over a grater or sieve placed on a bowl. The juice flows into the bowl and the seeds stay out.

6. Frozen Zest

After juicing a citrus fruit, don’t just toss it. Take the time to remove the zest with a grater. Save it in a small container in the freezer. Citrus zest adds an extra punch to many dishes.

7. Stinky Hands

Cooking with fresh garlic can leave your hands stinky. Stainless steel items like spoons will remove the smell if you rub them over your hands.

8. Hold The Smell

If you need crushed garlic, place it in a plastic bag first. Using the back of a knife, smash it inside the bag. The smell will not get into your cutting board.

9. Chill Instead Of Chopping

Keep parsley in the freezer in a zipper plastic bag. When needed, take it out and rub the bag briskly between your hands. The parsley will break apart.

10. Small Spices

Need to take spices along for camping or travel? Use empty TicTac containers to carry small portions that are easily dispensed.

11. Fresh Herbs

Grow or buy fresh herbs and freeze them in zipper plastic bags. They’re far better tasting than dried bottled herbs from the store.

12. Homemade Seasonings

Stop buying the expensive seasoning packets at the store. To save money, look up seasoning combinations on the Internet, make them and store them in jars.