Spice challenged

Hi, I'm new to this forum. I was attracted to it because of the name spiceplace. I like to cook but I don't like things associated with it, for instance, cleaning up! Otherwise, I'd say I LOVE cooking. However, I am spice challenged. I do know that certain spices go well or great with certain foods and that certain spices don't necessarily go with other spices, but that is about it.

Welcome to the forum, Spicedumb.

Learning which herbs & spices work with which foods, and with each other, is a never-ending thing. Everytime I cook something I learn a little more.

I suggest two things. First, get you some cookbooks that deal specifically with the topic. Choose them carefully, though. I don't think you want, so much, herb & spice guidebooks, as cookbooks that use them in various ways.

One I can recommend is Ana Sortun's "Spice. Flavors of the Eastern Mediterranean." What she does is arrange her recipes by their major spice elements. Along the way she explains why those work together, and so on.

Second: Read my thread in the cooking school forum about training through repitition. It your case the idea isn't so much to learn cooking techniques, as to see what happens when you use particular herbs and spices. By ringing the changes on a particular dish, and just changing the herbs & speices used, you'll quickly develop a feel for how to use them.

Here is a chart of some spices and their basic uses. While not all inclusive, it’s a pretty good start!

http://www.3men.com/what_spices_to_use.htm

Also, here’s is a basic guide on what wine to pair with the spices used.

Spice Used......................................Wine Pairing
Bay leaf, parsley nutmeg........................Cabernet sauvignon
Mustard, clove, ginger, sage....................Chardonnay
Dill, parsley, clove, nutmeg....................Chenin Blanc
Mint, black pepper, curry.......................Gewurztraminer
Basil, oregano, nutmeg..........................Merlot
Thyme, chives, fennel, orange...................Pinot Gris
Mint, sage cinnamon.............................Pinot Noir
Dill, sage, clove, ginger.......................Riesling
Garlic, oregano, black pepper...................Sauvignon Blanc
Dill, lemon thyme, cumin........................Semillon
Tarragon, rosemary, juniper, white pepper.......Syrah
Tarragon, thyme, black pepper, clove............Zinfandel

More junk for Mama to get rid of.