When I used ground cumin from the grocer and it was probably a year old or so it tasted sort of flat, little chalky and a little earthy.

My cumin seeds fresh from Penseys when ground are quite bright-almost lemony. Am I finally tasting real cumin?

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Am I finally tasting real cumin?

Yes - the stuff from Penzey's is fresh and delicious. Also be sure to try at least 3 different kinds of their curry powders - they are great too.

Ray

I could not believe the diff between the store bought cumin and Penzeys. As for Curry-I haven't scratched the surface yet. It will be a whole new world of flavor. Ray, do you use them in rubs?

don't mean to get to far off but was wandering if you have a situation (room/space) where you could have a garden? Again don't mean to get off topic but thats been enjoyable to me (another learning process). fresh garlic/several herbs, ...why not cumin? . We (me and my girl) always find ourselves in the summer/fall using these things we grow and asking ourselves "how could it get better?" just wandering, thought i'de throw that in cause you were making me want summer to be here again bad, ...snow everywhere right now and havn't had a fresh shot of anything except rosemary for a little while. ...oh man and then potatoes.... nevermind, sorry. have a good one.

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Ray, do you use them in rubs?

Steve,

So far I have not used them in combination with other ingredients for a rub - just used them alone. The different curries areso very different in flavors. Actually, each different curry is a separate mixture od herbs and spices - kind of a separate "rub".

Ray

Dan, an herb garden should be at the top of my list...maybe this year.

Ray, my wife likes it simple-kinda tough when I like to experiment. I'm not quite sure how I would introduce curry. Perhaps with a roasted veg. bake.

Steve,

A simple way would be to introduce it into a veggie dish. One example that I do is to saute some chopped onions with some chopped fresh tomatoes (or canned diced)and sliced okra in a bit of olive oil. When the veggies are done, I sprinkle a bit of curry powder over them and serve. I would use something simple the first time like Garam Masala or Maharaji. You can add a bit at a time to taste. The flavors are great without a lot of "heat".

Don't even attempt this with store bought curry powder.

Ray

Hey Ray, I finally have tried Garam Masala from Pensey.
I shouldn't say it here but I'm eating more veg and less meat. Tonight I sauted onions, garlic, celery, carrots, three different peppers...added them to quartered boiled red potatoes. Next I made a dressing with dijon mustard, sherry vinegar and olive oil. The only spice I added was Garam Marsala. Very good. Thanks for the rec.

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Hey Ray, I finally have tried Garam Masala from Pensey.

Glad you liked it Steve. One of my wife's fav dishes is sauteed okra, onions, and chopped tomatoes with garam masala added at the end. We also do this with squash and zuccini in place of the okra - a nice veggie dish with lots of flavor.

On your next Penzeys order buy two other curry powders - the Balti and the Maharaja. These are so different from the Garam Masala and you will be surprised when you add these to veggies.

Ray

When making chili I like to toast the cumin seeds in a heavy pan before grinding them.It gives them some depth in flavor that works well with something like chili