A street cook in Marrakech turned my view on toasting spices upside down.

Seeing him toast cumin over coals before grinding it made the flavors so much better that I now do it for every dish.

4 comments

4 Comments

How hot did he let the cumin get before taking it off? I always figured toasting all my spices together in a dry pan was fine, but seeing it done right over real fire like that is a different game. It made me realize I was probably burning my coriander while the cumin was still raw. That single visual totally wrecked my old method.

jade_jenkins2mo ago

When you said that single visual wrecked your old method, I felt that, @kelly385. It's like seeing someone chop an onion fast and smooth, and your slow way just seems wrong. Or watching a pro fold a fitted sheet makes you question your laundry ball method. Why do we only see our flaws after a better example? Toasting spices separately over fire is one of those lightbulb moments that changes how you cook.

lewis.finley2mo ago

Totally get what you mean about that visual shift! Saw a video once where someone fried an egg in a ton of hot oil, basting the top. My whole life I'd been making sad, flat eggs in a non-stick pan. It was a total game changer, just like your spice moment. You don't know what you're missing until you see the right way done right in front of you. It makes all the old advice feel pointless.

sandraf982mo ago

Read an article agreeing with @jade_jenkins about visual cooking lessons.