Herbs and spices are a key component to the day to day diet. This is so because they add to the the flavor of food and drinks as well as give a unique new taste to foods. Furthermore, some herbs and spices are used for medicinal purposes.
These makes the procedure of buying these products one to observe and give special attention to. There are numerous types of herbs and spices available in the market today each with a different use including commercial and home purposes, also each has its own unique taste and smell. Their selection depends on various reasons including the intended use, duration of use among others. This article gives a guide to buying quality herbs and spices.
Personal preference
All herbs and spices have different unique smells and tastes. When buying them for home use, it is important to consider the smells as well as the taste that one prefers. Also it is important to seek approval from other members of the family in order to have the product utilized well for the intended purpose. However,this may not be the case for someone buying for medicinal purposes as specific herbs are used for specific conditions but luckily enough most them have pleasant smells and taste that everyone is likely to enjoy no matter the reason for use.
Buy whole product
Most of the herbs and spices available in the market today come in different forms including whole dried products, ground as well as fresh products. Whole products contain plenty of flavor and can keep for long with sustained quality as opposed to ground products that tend to loose their flavor quickly. In addition, whole spices and herbs can be used for many purposes for example, they can be used whole in stews and soups, they can also manually grounded and used for curries.
Buy in controlled quantities and the right storage procedure
When buying fresh herbs and spices it is important to buy only the required amount for that time in order to avoid spoilage. Also make sure that the leaves are not dried, wilted or yellowish this goes a long way in ensuring the flavor is maintained. In case of surplus it advisable to store in a refrigerator and use as soon as possible. Dried spices and herbs can as keep for as long as two years while ground ones can keep up to one year. With this in mind, it is important to purchase the quantities that can be consumed within the given period of time.
In conclusion, buying of quality herbs and spices should be the number one priority for every user. Buying from personal choice of preferences, buying whole products as well as buying in controlled amount are some of the tips in the guide for buying herbs and spices. Most importantly, proper storage of these products is paramount as a way of maintaining quality. Exposure to air, heat and excess light makes these products loose flavor much faster therefore each one of them should be stored in the right conditions.
