“Once you get a spice in your home, you have it forever. Women never throw out spices. The Egyptians were buried with their spices. I know which one I’m taking with me when I go.” ~Erma Bombeck
I don’t know which spice Erma Bombeck planned on taking with her to the grave, but if I could be buried with my stock of Penzeys Spices I know I’d be cooking it up right in my afterlife.
A few years back when my husband and I lived in Jacksonville, Florida my sister came to visit. We were driving through San Marco when she spotted a store front I had never paid any mind to before. She asked could we stop to go snoop, and to this day I am forever grateful for that request.
What we discovered was a spice store called Penzeys, an aromatic delight for those who love to cook. The displays were simple –wooden shelves stocked with glass jars and bags —but interactive and inviting. For every spice, herb, and extract in the place there was a “sniffer” sample.
To say I had to restrain myself from buying everything in there is an understatement. Especially when my sister pointed out how reasonable the prices were. Often they were less expensive than the brands carried by most major grocery stores. And the quality? Excellent, as evident from the pungent aromas that wafted from every jar we opened. (And there were very few we didn’t. I believe we spent over an hour exploring all the spices in there.)
For instance, I thought cinnamon was just cinnamon. I’d been reared on McCormick’s brand and thought that was just fine. Pre-Penzeys it was. Until I discovered Chinese Cassia Cinnamon. Wow! One whiff told me I had never truly appreciated cinnamon’s sweet and robust essence before.
Into my cart it went.
As did several of their salad dressing mixes, like Green Goddess and the Italian Vinegar and Oil. (The Italian was an instant hit with Wayne and has remained our “house” Italian dressing ever since.)
And then there are their extracts… Potent! They smell incredible, but a word of caution: use them sparingly. For instance, if I have a recipe that says one teaspoon of vanilla extract, I know to use half that now. Otherwise the vanilla just overwhelms the other flavors.
When we moved to Nashville the nearest Penzeys turned out to be three hours away in Memphis. However, lucky for me I can also order online or via their catalogs. Which I don’t have to do regularly enough. (I love shopping them, but their products are so good they also last me a long time, so… Unfortunately I don’t have a need to always place an order.)
TIPS
• Their catalogs often include recipes highlighting spices that would most likely be used during the season. But they also put out a magazine called Penzeys One that offers cooking tips and recipes.
• Orders delivered by mail usually include a surprise free sample of another spice.
• Chocolate lovers take note: They have their own hot chocolate mixes (even one with a hint ‘o mint), but every winter I mix their Dutch Process Cocoa Powder with some of their vanilla sugar in hot milk for a decadent cup of homemade hot cocoa. (And the cocoa powders can also be used in recipes to replace unsweetened baking chocolate. Ratio = three tablespoons of cocoa powder for every one ounce square of unsweetened baking chocolate. If you’re looking for a way to chocolate up a recipe, that’ll do it!)
Courtney Mroch is one of the Pets Bloggers. Read more of her blogs here.