Spices are the key to cooking cheaply at home: a well-stocked spice rack means that you can turn something as simple as a can of tomatoes and a few veg into a really tasty and satisfying meal. We’ve written here before about how to stock up your larder with Indian spices, and I thought I’d write today about how cheap and easy that can be.
Going to a supermarket and buying 20 different varieties of spices wouldn’t leave you much change out of €50, but you can get both better prices and bigger quantities if you shop for spices in Asian or halal shops instead. I stocked up on some spices the other day in one of my favourite food shops, The Spice of Life on Moore St, and kept my receipt in order to do a price comparison. I’ve compared with Schwartz spices, which are the market leader in supermarket spices. The differences in some of the per kilo prices are astonishing:
[TABLE=6]
€62.59 per kilo for Schwartz turmeric versus €14.90 for East End turmeric from the Indian shop – see what I mean? Clearly with the Schwartz spices, you are paying for the jar – and if you’re the kind of person that likes to have all their spices in the same size jars, then that’s fair enough. We all have our little weirdnesses. However, I find those jars too small (teaspoons don’t fit into them, stupidly) and the quantities in them are so meagre that they run out really quickly. I just wash out mustard or jam jars and use them to store my spices.
I did recently read somewhere that chefs recommend keeping your spices in opaque containers, as exposure to light apparently lessens the strength of the spices. However, I think if you’re going through them reasonably quickly it shouldn’t matter too much.
The table above is just a quick comparison, but I’ve found that most spices are available at similar prices from the ethnic shops. They also have a much wider range than you can expect to find in the supermarkets. If you’re just learning to cook or just getting a spice rack together, I would highly recommend a trip to one of the ethnic shops with about €25 in your pocket – you’ll make out like a bandit.
Monday 18 May, 2009 at 11:50 am
I find I don’t get through my spices as quickly, so I try to buy and share with a friend…Storing the spices in a clear jar should be fine if you keep them in the cupboard, away from direct sunlight. On my kitchen top are the ones I use most frequently, namely oregano, chilli flakes, salt and pepper [:)]
Monday 18 May, 2009 at 12:34 pm
yes, I agree fully. buying wide range and authentic spices from ethnic shops are only sensible. E.g. 1 packet of paprika (100g) was Eur0.99, 1 packet of cardamon seeds (50g) is Eur 1 …etc from Asia Market. Aldi does good prices for ground oregano, coriander, black pepper corns in bottles at Eur 0.79 there about. ^_^
Monday 18 May, 2009 at 1:53 pm
I totally agree with buying spices in bulk from the Asian shops .. so much cheaper and better range and choice.
However, I now have a storage problem… see the link attached: I am not the only one!!
http://www.travelerslunchbox.com/journal/2008/10/8/all-spiced-up.html
I am at present trying to get a carpenter to make me a bespoke spice storage unit similar to that in this link. I have lovely glass spice jars from IKEA but I am thinking space wise the square tins shown here might be better.
Has anyone else any better or more practical suggestions ?
Tuesday 26 May, 2009 at 12:27 pm
I have always found the best way to keep spices fresh is in the traditional and authentic Indian Spice Container called a masala dabba. These are now available at very reasonable prices in Gourmet Gadgets, 2 Hillside Road, Greystones. 01 2870044, and on line at http://www.gourmetgadgets.ie. various sizes and styles are here.