How do I toast and grind whole spices?

Spices carry their flavour in volatile oils, which start escaping the moment the spice is broken open. That is why pre-ground spice fades quickly and whole spice keeps almost indefinitely.

What you'll need

• Whole spices
• Dry frying pan
• Pestle and mortar or spice grinder

Step by step

1. Use a dry pan on a medium heat.No oil. Oil is for frying ground spices later; toasting is dry heat only.
2. Toast one type at a time, or group by size.Small seeds like cumin toast in under a minute; cinnamon and cardamom take longer. Together, the small ones burn.
3. Keep them moving and use your nose.Shake the pan constantly. They are ready when the aroma changes and becomes strong — usually 30 to 60 seconds. Colour is a poor guide.
4. Tip them out immediately.Onto a cold plate. Left in the hot pan they keep cooking and go bitter within seconds.
5. Cool completely before grinding.Warm spices go gummy in a grinder and clog it. Two minutes is enough.
6. Grind in a pestle and mortar or a dedicated grinder.A cheap coffee grinder kept only for spices works very well. Do not use the same one as for coffee — the flavour transfer is emphatic.
7. Grind only what you need.Ground spice loses most of its aroma within a few months. Whole keeps for years.
8. Store whole spices airtight, away from light and heat.A cupboard, not a rack above the hob. Heat and light are what destroy the oils.

Tips

• Toasting is what makes a home-made curry powder or garam masala taste different from a jar. It is two minutes of work.
• Clean a spice grinder by blitzing a spoonful of rice in it. It absorbs the oils and residue.
• Whole spices you cannot easily grind — cinnamon sticks, star anise, bay — go into the dish whole and come out before serving.

Common mistakes

• Toasting until they change colour — By then they are usually over-toasted and bitter. Go by smell — it is a much better indicator.
• Leaving them in the hot pan after toasting — Residual heat carries on cooking them and they burn within seconds. Tip them out immediately.

Questions people ask