Hi,

If I freshly gind cumin for a dish, do I first need to roast the seeds?

Thanx,
Ed Stuart

> (Ed Stuart) rights:
>
>If I freshly gind cumin for a dish, do I first need to roast the seeds?

Don't "need to" but toasting makes for nicer tasting cumin.


---= BOYCOTT FRANCE (belgium) GERMANY--SPAIN =---
---= Move UNITED NATIONS To Paris =---
*********
"Life would be devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation."
Sheldon
````````````

"Ed Stuart" > wrote in message
om...
> Hi,
>
> If I freshly gind cumin for a dish, do I first need to roast the seeds?
>
> Thanx,
> Ed Stuart

It gives a richer flavor but that may not always be what you want. Some
recipes specify roasting, others do not. You can experiment. Roasting is
easy, anyway. Put a shallow layer of seeds in a dry skillet and heat over
medium heat, shaking now and then, until they turn slightly darker and give
off a nice cumin smell.


--
Peter Aitken

Remove the crap from my email address before using.

(Ed Stuart) writes:

> Hi,
>
> If I freshly gind cumin for a dish, do I first need to roast the seeds?

Depends on the recipe, but I usually don't.

--
Richard W Kaszeta

http://www.kaszeta.org/rich

ROASTING CUMIN SEEDS IMPARTS MUCH MORE FLAVOR

Many a cook looking for a shortcut ignores the word "roasted" in an Indian
or Mexican recipe calling for ground-roasted cumin seeds. While not roasting
cumin seeds certainly won't make a given dish taste bad, it does deprive the
dish of its full flavor potential. Roasting cumin brings out its husky
depth. It also makes your kitchen (as well as the rest of the house) smell
wonderful. Best of all, it's much easier than you think it's going to be.
All you have to do is heat a small heavy skillet over a medium-high flame
and then add the amount of cumin seed called for. Stir it gently, and when
it begins to pop a little, be sure not to let it turn black. Dump it from
the pan, let it cool a little, and then grind it in a coffee grinder. You
can even make a larger amount and store it for up to two weeks in your spice
cupboard.

"Ed Stuart" > wrote in message
om...
> Hi,
>
> If I freshly gind cumin for a dish, do I first need to roast the seeds?
>
> Thanx,
> Ed Stuart

ROASTING CUMIN SEEDS IMPARTS MUCH MORE FLAVOR

Many a cook looking for a shortcut ignores the word "roasted" in an Indian
or Mexican recipe calling for ground-roasted cumin seeds. While not roasting
cumin seeds certainly won't make a given dish taste bad, it does deprive the
dish of its full flavor potential. Roasting cumin brings out its husky
depth. It also makes your kitchen (as well as the rest of the house) smell
wonderful. Best of all, it's much easier than you think it's going to be.
All you have to do is heat a small heavy skillet over a medium-high flame
and then add the amount of cumin seed called for. Stir it gently, and when
it begins to pop a little, be sure not to let it turn black. Dump it from
the pan, let it cool a little, and then grind it in a coffee grinder. You
can even make a larger amount and store it for up to two weeks in your spice
cupboard.

"Ed Stuart" > wrote in message
om...
> Hi,
>
> If I freshly gind cumin for a dish, do I first need to roast the seeds?
>
> Thanx,
> Ed Stuart

"Chef R. W. Miller" > wrote in message
m...
>
> ROASTING CUMIN SEEDS IMPARTS MUCH MORE FLAVOR
>
> Many a cook looking for a shortcut ignores the word "roasted" in an Indian
> or Mexican recipe calling for ground-roasted cumin seeds. While not
roasting
> cumin seeds certainly won't make a given dish taste bad, it does deprive
the
> dish of its full flavor potential. Roasting cumin brings out its husky
> depth. It also makes your kitchen (as well as the rest of the house) smell
> wonderful. Best of all, it's much easier than you think it's going to be.
> All you have to do is heat a small heavy skillet over a medium-high flame
> and then add the amount of cumin seed called for. Stir it gently, and when
> it begins to pop a little, be sure not to let it turn black. Dump it from
> the pan, let it cool a little, and then grind it in a coffee grinder. You
> can even make a larger amount and store it for up to two weeks in your
spice
> cupboard.

This post is very misleading. Cumin is NOT always toasted before it is used.
Often it is --- just as often it is not. As Peter said in another post, it
depends on the recipe. It also depends on individual taste.

Charlie

> "Charles Gifford" writes:
>
>"R. W. Miller" wrote
>>
>> ROASTING CUMIN SEEDS IMPARTS MUCH MORE FLAVOR
>>
>> Many a cook looking for a shortcut ignores the word "roasted" in an Indian
>> or Mexican recipe calling for ground-roasted cumin seeds. While not
>roasting
>> cumin seeds certainly won't make a given dish taste bad, it does deprive
>the
>> dish of its full flavor potential. Roasting cumin brings out its husky
>> depth. It also makes your kitchen (as well as the rest of the house) smell
>> wonderful. Best of all, it's much easier than you think it's going to be.
>> All you have to do is heat a small heavy skillet over a medium-high flame
>> and then add the amount of cumin seed called for. Stir it gently, and when
>> it begins to pop a little, be sure not to let it turn black. Dump it from
>> the pan, let it cool a little, and then grind it in a coffee grinder. You
>> can even make a larger amount and store it for up to two weeks in your
>spice
>> cupboard.
>
>This post is very misleading. Cumin is NOT always toasted before it is used.
>Often it is --- just as often it is not. As Peter said in another post, it
>depends on the recipe. It also depends on individual taste.

Absolutely true. Toasting completely alters the flavor of spices, and not
necessarily to the advantage of particular recipes. And of course individual
tastes vary, taste is always subjective.


---= BOYCOTT FRANCE (belgium) GERMANY--SPAIN =---
---= Move UNITED NATIONS To Paris =---
*********
"Life would be devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation."
Sheldon
````````````