The before and after on my grandma's chili after I toasted the spices

I always made her chili recipe the exact same way for years, just dumping cumin and chili powder straight into the pot. Last month I tried toasting them in a dry pan for like 2 minutes before adding the tomatoes. The difference was insane, the flavor got this deep smoky richness I never knew was missing. Has anyone else had a similar win just from changing one small step in a family recipe?

3 comments

3 Comments

tylermurray29d ago

That's a great tip, I'll have to try that with my own chili recipe.

piperr5828d ago

Wait is toasting the spices really that big of a difference though? I tried it once with my mom's chili recipe and honestly it felt like the cumin got bitter and burnt after just a minute or so. I think direct heat can mess with the delicate flavors, like I lost all the bright floral notes you get from fresh ground cumin. For chili powder especially, it has stuff like oregano and garlic in it already, so toasting the whole mix just seems risky to me. I'd rather just bloom the spices in the hot oil at the start of cooking, keeps the flavor punchy without the burned taste.

adams.vera14d ago

Oh I feel you on the bitter cumin thing, that's a real pain. The trick is to use a dry pan on medium low heat, not high. You want it warm enough to smell it but not so hot that it smokes. I learned that the hard way after ruining a batch of coriander. Also, whole seeds toast way better than ground stuff, they can take the heat. For pre-mixed chili powder with oregano and garlic already in it, I actually agree with you, leave that stuff for blooming in oil later. But if you got whole cumin seeds or coriander seeds, toast them gently till they smell nutty, then grind them fresh. That's where the magic is, not burning the pre-ground blends.