Instructions: At my familys Midwestern table, Sundays were reserved for a simple roast of beef ringed with red jacket potatoes. The only seasoning required was a slab of butter and a crank of fresh black pepper.

Midwesterners are levelheaded folk. You can eat well without spices, especially if you cook with the freshest ingredients you can find. But as I have found since, the judicious use of spices can perk up an entire meal - enhancing the flavor, color, and longevity of your ingredients.

Cardamom and nutmeg bring out the sweetness in food. Paprika acts as an emulsifier, adding sheen and smoothness to a sauce. Cumin not only gives chili its traditional flavor, but eases the digestion of beans, peas, and root vegetables. And no wonder stir-fries call for vivid yellow turmeric - it brings out the green in broccoli and the red in bell pepper.

Buying Spices

The two most important considerations when buying spices are freshness and purity. The easiest way to ensure freshness is to buy whole spices. As soon as a spice is ground (exposed to air) the essential oils that give the spice its flavor begin to evaporate and lose their potency.

I buy spices from specialty stores and catalogs. Supermarket spices can be just plain old. This is especially true with ground spices. According to David Carter of Penzeys Spices, the purveyors who sell to supermarkets grind huge amounts of spices once a year. And by the way, he mentioned that Penzeys grinds its spices every three weeks.

A word on purity: though I appreciate being able to purchase just what I need from the self-service spice jars at my natural foods store, I dont like cumin in my oregano, and there usually arent enough clean spoons to go around.

If you agree that variety is the spice of life, shop from catalogs. Penzeys customers can choose Cinnamon from China or Ceylon; Peppercorns from Tellicherry or Malabar. The accompanying descriptions are decidedly straightforward, making it easy for a home cook to know whether green peppercorn goes well with chicken.

Carter suggests that new customers buy spices in a 1/4 cup "trial size" which, depending on the spice, costs between $1and $2. A quarter-ounce costs roughly what it would in the supermarket: between $2.79 and $3.79.

Cooking with spices should be fun and only a little scary - nothing like riding the ancient camel caravans that crossed Arabia.

Just follow these simple principles:
A little goes a long way. Spices come from the rough parts of tropical plants

(bark, seeds, leaves, and berries) and are not easy to digest. Add the minimum that the recipe calls for and taste before adding more.

Spices (with the exception of poppy, sesame, and mustard seeds) dont go

"bad," but they do lose their "oomph." If you look at a jar and cant remember when you bought it, smell the spice to judge its potency, and use a bit more of the spice than the recipe calls for.

Use cheesecloth or a tea infuser to add whole spices (cloves, peppercorn, anise, and caraway) to long-cooking soups and stews. The simmering liquid will extract the flavor of the oils.

Toast spices before adding them to quick-cooking dishes. Heat the oven to 350 degrees, spread spices in a shallow un-greased pan, and roast for 5 to 10 minutes or until very fragrant. Or spread the spices on an un-greased cast iron skillet and toast over medium heat until they begin to turn darker and emit a strong aroma.

Add ground spices to smooth sauces, soups, or baked goods. Use a mortar and pestle, mechanical mill, or electric grinder to grind the spices just before using. Nutmeg and ginger should be freshly grated.

Storing spices

Store spices in airtight glass containers. Avoid plastic, which can impart its own aroma. Baby food jars add a retro touch.

Spices should be stored in a dark, cool place, such as the refrigerator, a cupboard, drawer, or dark corner of the kitchen. DO NOT store them above the stove - the heat will cause them to lose all their flavor in no time.

It is especially important to store red spices - chili powder, curry powder, paprika, saffron, turmeric (and whole vanilla bean) - away from direct light to preserve their flavor.

Kept in these conditions, ground spices will stay reasonably potent for about one year. Whole spices such as peppercorns, anise and allspice will keep indefinitely.

A Word about Herbs

While spices and herbs are both aromatics, they are cooked and stored differently. Spices are harvested from the rough matter of tropical plants, and should be ground, grated, steeped or toasted before consumption. Herbs, on the other hand, are the highly fragrant leaves and tender stems of plants from temperate and cool climates. Heat reduces their aroma and destroys their bright green color. Fresh herbs should be added at the end of cooking or eaten raw.

Dried herbs lose their flavor much more rapidly than spices. While they dont go bad, the flavor and texture become strikingly similar to hay. If an herb has been on your shelf for over a year, toss it and replenish your supply.

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