Name: Pickling Spice
Ingredients: bay leaves; cinnamon sticks; ground ginger; ground mace; whole black peppercorns; mustard seeds; coriander seeds; allspice berries; whole cloves; red pepper flakes

Michael Ruhlman

Pickling Spice

Preparation info

Difficulty
Easy
Makes about
1 cup

Appears in

From Scratch

By Michael Ruhlman

Published 2019

About

You can find pickling spice at most grocery stores—McCormick and other companies offer their versions—but this pickling spice, based on a recipe from Brian Polcyn, my Charcuterie coauthor, is far superior. It’s a similar profile but much more flavorful, like the difference between the Beatles’ version of “Eight Days a Week” and a Muzak version. Store it in your refrigerator and it keeps for months.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
3 tablespoons coriander seeds
2 tablespoons mustard seeds
2 tablespoons allspice berries
2 tablespoons whole cloves
2 tablespoons red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon ground mace
1 tablespoon ground ginger
2 small cinnamon sticks, cracked and broken into pieces
4 bay leaves, crumbled

Method

Toast the peppercorns, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, allspice berries, and cloves in a dry pan over high heat for a minute, just till they smell fragrant (be careful not to burn them). Crack them beneath a sauté pan or chop with a knife. Transfer them to a small jar or zip-top plastic bag and add the red pepper flakes, mace, ginger, cinnamon, and bay leaves; mix well. Store in the refrigerator to use as needed.

The Importance of Toasting Spices

You may notice that recipes often suggest toasting whole spices in a hot, dry pan for a minute or so, until they become fragrant. The oils in the seeds are released or intensified in high heat, less so when added raw to water. In fact, I know at least one chef who contends that adding whole black peppercorns to stock has absolutely no effect unless they’re cracked, and I’m inclined to agree. Does this mean I always crack my peppercorns before adding them to stock? No. Reason? Lazy or pressed for time. Both of which are fine. You get what you put into it.

But it’s important at least to be aware that toasting spices before they are combined with a liquid has a powerful impact on how those spices affect your dish. This is why in chilis and curries, I almost always add them to a dry pan, usually after sautéing onion but before adding any liquid ingredients (water, tomatoes, stock).

Toasting has the biggest impact on whole spices. I suspect this is in part because whole spices are fresher for not being pre-ground at a factory. But for whatever reason, I know from experience that peppercorns and whole cumin seeds and the like are twice as effective when toasted before being ground or cracked and added to the pot.

So, if you have time and want to make your spices as powerful as they can be, toast them first. If you cook them too long, they can burn, so don’t leave them alone. Get your pan hot, add the spices, and swirl them around. It takes a minute or less, just till you can smell them.

Preparation info

Difficulty

Makes about

Appears in

Ingredients

Method