Mordechai Housman wrote:

> I'm still an uneducated amateur, still fishing my way through the
> labyrinth of cooking in all its complexity. For someone like me, this is
> a fairly good resource. It gives me a basic idea of what things go with
> what.

I really don't think it does. Nothing validates those choices.

> Certainly I would also experiment. [snip]

Yes, as well as read recipes.

There's nothing wrong with your posting these lists, though I have no
idea why they got put on the rfc website. I just don't see how these
listings are useful, that's all. They are catchalls, on the one hand,
and incomplete on the other hand.

You'd do better, when wondering what spice/herb to try with something,
to grab some containers out of your spice cabinet, unscrew the tops and
sniff them. Seriously. Some parts of cooking approach science, others
art. Choice of spices and herbs is closer to art, but also very
reflective of various culinary traditions. -aem