Chefs call beef a universal meat. After all, it can be prepared in the most different ways: boil, bake, stew, grill, chop into minced meat or cut raw into carpaccio. Given such a variety of dishes, it can be combined with almost all spices and seasonings. But some of them improve the taste of beef in almost any combination.
Salt and pepper
Regardless of other seasonings you use for your beef, salt and freshly ground black pepper are always necessary. Together they highlight the taste of meat well: salt makes it bright, and pepper makes it spicy and “warm.” Both spices have become so familiar and commonplace that in moderate quantities we don’t even notice them.
Garlic
Garlic - the right way liven up even the simplest dish marbled beef. It enhances the natural taste and aroma of beef without overpowering it, but adding its own unique spiciness. Even though beef is susceptible to other flavors, it retains its own flavor even with the addition of garlic.
Rosemary
Rosemary does not have the same intense or overpowering flavor as garlic. At the same time, rosemary has its own power! Even a small amount gives the beef an additional flavor, filling the dish with a complex aroma and softening the taste of the meat. Use rosemary (especially fresh) with caution: the leaves are bitter. Their aroma is clean and bright, and the taste resembles a complex mixture of camphor, eucalyptus, pine and lemon. Unlike other seasonings, rosemary retains its aroma even after prolonged heat treatment. For this reason, chefs widely use it when marinating to give the meat a “forest” flavor.
Thyme
Marbled beef and thyme are simply made for each other. Thyme helps make meat taste lighter and fresher. Aromatic sprigs of thyme are used as a seasoning for steak. Its small leaves have a spicy, bitter taste and a strong pungent odor. Thyme fully reveals its aroma during prolonged heat treatment, so it is recommended to add it from the beginning of cooking.
Oregano
Oregano is best known as a flavoring for pizza or pasta sauces, but it also goes well with beef. Thanks to its bright herbal aroma, it softens the taste of beef, and very subtly, without emphasizing the “solidity” of the meat.
In every kitchen today you can find a large number of a wide variety of spices. They make the dishes on our table more flavorful. Give them original taste. Provided, of course, if we use them correctly. But this is not always the case. That’s why today our conversation will focus on how to choose the best spices for meat, as well as which dishes and when exactly they should be added in order to make the most of their wonderful properties.
The best spices for meat – top 10
Let's first talk about what spices are usually used to prepare various meat dishes. We have arranged the top ten in alphabetical order, and not at all in descending order of their merits. After all, each of these spices is wonderful in its own way. If, of course, it is in its place.
- Barberry - used in the form of seeds, which gives meat dishes a pleasant and unique sourness. Barberry seeds are used as a spice in cooking lamb stew or pilaf - with lamb, beef or pork.
- Mustard - we are used to seeing it in the kitchen already in the form of a prepared paste. This mustard is also perfect for many meat dishes, but we want to mention mustard seeds, which are used as a spice in cooking meat snacks, warm salads and sauces. Mustard seeds give them a spicy pungency and a sweetish taste.
- Green pepper - serves a great addition goes well with many meat dishes, but just as importantly, it goes well with almost all other meat seasonings. Therefore, by adding this seasoning to meat, you risk absolutely nothing. It is freshly ground that has the best aroma. Green pepper, so in the kitchen it is preferable to store it in the form of peas rather than powder.
- Curry - this seasoning for meat has taken its place in our Russian cuisine recently. Meanwhile, in the east it is used very often in preparing a wide variety of meat and other dishes. Curry complements the taste of chicken and any other meat very well. It can also be added to eastern pilaf.
- Turmeric is typically used as a seasoning for pork dishes. It can also be added to oriental pilaf. Be careful with this spice - do not overdo it, the taste of turmeric is extremely rich, and therefore, to give the dish an original and exquisite taste One pinch is enough.
- Oregano – This Italian seasoning is used primarily for poultry dishes such as chicken or turkey. Can be used both for preparing snacks and hot dishes. But be careful - oregano is a very jealous spice, it does not tolerate the proximity of other seasonings that easily clog delicate taste oregano.
- Paprika - goes well with ground black pepper and poorly with turmeric or curry. Paprika is used in preparing dishes from pork, lamb, beef and veal. It gives them a slight spiciness and a fresh taste.
- Thyme is another indispensable seasoning for lamb or pork dishes. You can add thyme to chicken bouillon or soup. The rich aroma of thyme gives these dishes a special piquancy.
- Garlic is a truly Russian spice, which is added almost everywhere here. Garlic truly is an almost ideal spice for any meat. The only small problem is that the rich, pungent aroma of garlic easily overpowers the taste and smell of most other seasonings. Therefore, it is better to use it either separately or in combination with fresh herbs. Dried garlic is completely free of this drawback.
The best spices for beef
To prepare the soup beef broth, roast, goulash or beef steak, the best spices are black, red, green and allspice pepper, oregano, tarragon, turmeric, thyme, basil, rosemary, coriander, mustard seeds, cumin, cloves, marjoram.
When choosing spices for meat, you can focus on your taste; it is only important to remember that they are intended to highlight the taste of the meat, and not to kill it. Therefore, spices, especially if you use different ones, should be used in moderation. And try to make sure they fit well together.
The best spices for pork
Pork dishes, like dishes made from any other meat, will only benefit if you add the right spices when preparing them. If we talk specifically about pork, then lemon balm, juniper, garlic, and Bay leaf, nutmeg, cardamom, sage, basil, marjoram, celery seeds, rosemary, black, white, green, red and allspice.
When cooking pork, you can also add a small amount of sugar to the dish. This will make its taste unexpected and original. By the way, sweet pork is very popular dish V Chinese cuisine.
The best spices for lamb
Lamb is a rather specific meat. As a rule, it has opponents who do not accept lamb in any form, and lovers who prefer lamb to any other meat. What spices should be selected when cooking lamb and lamb?
Usually it is coriander, dried garlic, rosemary, mustard seed, dried onion, black pepper, paprika, red ground pepper, dried parsley and dill. Thyme and oregano add a very pleasant aroma to lamb dishes. A good addition Ginger, saffron, marjoram and mint will also be added to the lamb.
The best spices for chicken
The most variety of dishes Chicken dishes are extremely popular on our table. This is understandable - chicken meat is affordable, it is considered light dietary products, and it’s simply very tasty. Especially if it is prepared correctly. However, seasonings for such dishes must be selected very carefully, because many of them are quite capable of overpowering the delicate taste and aroma of the food itself. chicken meat. Which is very undesirable.
For chicken dishes, spices such as pepper, garlic, marjoram, sage, rosemary, mint, thyme, and basil are usually used. Ginger, turmeric and curry have recently become very popular. Goes well with minced chicken oregano, which gives this product a delicate and unusual aroma.
But it is not advisable to add bay leaves to chicken dishes. It does not combine well with the taste and aroma of chicken meat and is quite capable of ruining the taste of the entire dish.
When to add spices to meat dishes
It is important not only to select the right spices, but also to choose the right moment to add them to the dish. Therefore, try to remember two simple rules:
- Spices should be added to cold dishes, appetizers and sauces about an hour before serving. This gives the spices time to fully express themselves in the dish;
- Spices should be added to hot dishes approximately 15-30 minutes before they are ready. The fact is that with prolonged heat treatment, the taste and aroma of spices simply disappears. Goes off into steam. The only exceptions are those spices that you add to the marinade when pre-treatment meat.
How to properly store spices
Under the influence of sunlight, spices are quickly destroyed and lose their unique taste and aroma. They also do not like exposure to oxygen or the proximity of their other brothers. Therefore, spices should be stored away from sunlight, always in a dark place, in tightly closed glass, not metal, jars. The proximity to metal also has a detrimental effect on spices.
Even a novice housewife knows that not a single meat dish will be truly tasty without the addition of spices and herbs.
The main thing is to know which spices are suitable for this or that meat. After all, incorrectly selected spices can ruin the taste of the food.
Beef is perhaps the most picky meat to flavor. Almost any spice goes well with it. But there are some nuances here too.
Young beef is soft and tender meat. It cooks very quickly, so it is most often used for frying. Moreover, they try to fry the tenderloin as a whole piece to preserve its juiciness and taste. Old meat is tough and therefore suitable for stewing and boiling. Therefore, when choosing spices, first of all, take into account the method heat treatment.
What seasonings are added when cooking beef?
Beef is cooked with a minimum amount of spices and herbs so as not to drown out the natural flavor of the meat.
If meat is boiled to obtain broth, then only white roots are used - parsley, celery, onions, as well as carrots to give the broth a beautiful yellowish tint. Spices include peppercorns, bay leaves, and dill. The same spices are also used for cooking meat, which will later be used for salad, appetizers or filling pies.
If on meat broth If you want to cook soup or borscht, then the list of seasonings can be much wider. It all depends on the recipe itself and on what national cuisine refers to the dish. For example, if you prepare regular rice soup, then the classic set of spices and herbs is put into the broth - carrots, onions, bay leaves, peppers, parsley.
But if they cook Georgian soup kharcho, then at the end of cooking the dish, add suneli hops, garlic, and hot pepper. Or they replace Georgian seasoning with spices and dried herbs that are included in it. Moreover, it is not necessary to put the entire bouquet of spices, because it is quite large. These are basil, coriander, marjoram, parsley, mint, celery, bay leaf, paprika. Therefore, based on her own preferences, the housewife can choose one or several spices.
All these spices can be added to borscht cooked in beef broth. Thanks to such spices, borscht turns out to be very aromatic and tasty.
What spices and seasonings are added when frying beef?
With this method of heat treatment, you can use onions, garlic, dill, parsley, as well as marjoram, basil, thyme, oregano, chili pepper, savory, rosemary, sage, and tarragon. But at the same time, you need to know how certain spices combine with each other. For example, it is better not to use rosemary with bay leaves. And spicy sage mixed with delicate herbs will drown out their aroma.
You also need to take into account the fact that when frying, the extractive substances of meat affect the taste of the finished dish. And therefore, with such heat treatment, much less spices are added than when stewing it.
If the meat is tough and old, then before frying or baking it is kept in a marinade, which is prepared by mixing vinegar or wine with your favorite spices or seasonings.
Mustard softens meat very well. To do this, a washed and dried piece of beef is rubbed on all sides with prepared mustard and left for several hours, after which the meat is fried.
What seasonings are added when stewing beef?
If the meat is stewed without adding tomato, but instead put in white sauté, then use minimal amount herbs It is enough to add onion, parsley, dill or a pinch of thyme.
But if beef is cooked with big amount vegetables, and especially with tomatoes, then add more aromatic seasonings - oregano, rosemary, marjoram. By the way, they go well not only with many vegetables, but also with each other.
Sometimes cloves or oregano (especially with marjoram) are added to the meat to obtain a more spicy aroma.
Hyssop, a spice with a pleasant smell and slightly bitter taste, also goes well with beef stew.
In beef dishes small quantities add mint or sage.
Paprika is a common ingredient in meat dishes Hungarian, Bulgarian cuisine. It is used to season vegetable and meat dishes, including beef. But when fried, it loses its beautiful color and acquires bad smell. Therefore, it is added to meat during stewing.
What seasonings are added to beef sauces?
Almost any herb can be a great flavor for beef sauce. The main thing is that it fits harmoniously with the other ingredients.
Soy sauce is not often used in preparing meat dishes that are not Korean or Chinese cuisine. Although it is this that gives the meat its piquancy and rich taste. And if you mix it with honey and vegetable oil and lubricate the pieces of beef with this mixture, then during frying they will be covered with a golden crust.
What seasonings to serve cooked beef with?
Almost any sauce goes well with boiled and fried beef - red, white, sour cream, garlic.
K already ready-made dish They serve horseradish. But you need to know that grated horseradish darkens when exposed to air. Therefore, it is mixed with sour cream.
Also served with beef:
- Seasonings based on soy sauce.
- Garlic mixed with sour cream and dill.
- Any ketchup.
- Lausian seasoning prepared from a mixture hot pepper, garlic, vinegar and vegetable oil.
- Mustard also goes well with beef.
When to add seasonings to a dish
- Sweet peas, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cloves and other similar spices are added at the beginning of cooking.
- Chopped dried spicy herbs are added a few minutes before the end of the dish’s heat treatment so that it does not have time to fizzle out. But oregano, rosemary, and thyme can be added at the very beginning of cooking, because they retain their aroma.
- It is recommended to add the bay leaf 10-15 minutes before the end of cooking, and then remove it, otherwise the dish will become bitter.
- The roots are placed in the middle of cooking.
- Fresh chopped herbs are sprinkled over the finished dish.
- Tomato is added at the beginning of frying or stewing, as it gives the meat a pleasant taste.
When using spices during cooking, every housewife should remember that the main thing is not the quantity of herbs and spices used, but the quality of the finished dish.
We often experiment in the kitchen. Some people like a lot of spices, some like it spicier, some like piquant sourness. But there are obvious mistakes and win-win options.
For example, tomato curry is terrible disgusting. And lemon with fish or seafood is very tasty and a 100% win-win option.
The rule is: DO NOT overdo it with spices. If there are more than 5 seasonings in a recipe, you won't let any of them work. The exception is marinades and preparations for the winter.
It is also known that beef is very fond of parsley, and pork is very fond of coriander and rosemary.
Shrimp are boiled with plenty of dried dill and bay leaves.
It is very difficult to cook a turkey tender without carrots.
And now everything is in order.
SPICES for MEAT: red, black, allspice or cloves, marjoram, thyme, cumin, turmeric, cumin, oregano, mustard, all types of peppers, onions, garlic.
Pork - coriander and rosemary, nutmeg, suneli hops.
Beef - parsley, basil, thyme, ginger.
Chicken, duck, turkey and other poultry - thyme, marjoram, rosemary, thyme, curry.
Fish, crayfish, shrimp, seafood - lemon juice, bay leaf, ginger, onion, coriander, mustard, dill, thyme.
For barbecue or grill - all types of peppers (red, black, allspice, chili) - barberry, marjoram, nutmeg, cumin, ginger, cardamom, bay leaf.
Mushrooms - cloves + mustard seeds (for pickling, preparations), black pepper, dill, parsley.
Vegetable stew - red and black pepper, cardamom, oregano, nutmeg, turmeric, cumin, coriander.
Marinades - bay leaf, juniper (berries are added to marinades when preparing game meat and fish), dill branches with buds, flowers or seeds, cherry leaves, horseradish (leaves and root), black currant leaves, barberry.
Compotes, fruit preparations, jam, juices - cinnamon, cloves, ginger, star anise, tarragon, barberry, cardamom.
Bakery - cinnamon, star anise, ginger, cardamom, allspice, orange zest, anise, sesame, poppy, vanilla.
Still, be careful with spices! You can also overdo it with them and harm your health. Namely:
Mint It should be taken with caution by ulcer sufferers and people with gastritis. Rosemary causes uterine contractions and is very dangerous for pregnant women to consume!
Only 10 grams saffron will provoke a miscarriage at any time, and people with peptic ulcers should generally avoid this seasoning. Only 5 grams saffron will cause a sharp loss of strength and even vomiting.
Nutmeg And sage oil can cause nausea and cramps in your guests, so you also need to follow the dosage with them. No more than 1 pinch per 1 kg of dish. High dosage will even lead to hallucinations.
Carnation- its excess can put you to sleep and inhibit the reaction. Be careful drivers!
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(module Marinades for meat)
Excellent and harmonious taste sometimes depends not on the choice of meat type or cooking method, but on how skillfully the chef used spices during the cooking process. Properly combined spices can improve human health; for example, some recipes allow you to eliminate salt content, which can be a very important factor when following dietary nutrition. In this article we will give you recommendations on the best spices to use, and also consider all the factors that affect the taste of meat!
Spices for meat are used as follows:
When cooking hot food as a result of frying, boiling, stewing, seasonings are added 1 minute before the end or to the finished dish.
If other processing is intended, for example, cold smoking, spices are introduced at the beginning.
It is permissible to put spices into minced meats, prefabricated meat fillings, offal.
Spices for beef.
Any a real mistress knows that the meat will be the most delicious and tender, you need to use seasonings and spices correctly. The most important thing is to know which seasonings and spices are suitable for each type of meat, and which ones are not advisable to use. Of course, beef, compared to other types of meat, is quite picky about the choice of seasonings, but there are still additional details that we will tell you about!
Fresh beef cooks very quickly, making it great for grilling. To preserve the taste of tenderloin or other whole meat, it is better to fry the meat whole to preserve its juiciness and softness. And old beef meat is best boiled or stewed. Therefore, before we choose which spices we will use, we need to consider the method of heat treatment of the meat.
1. What spices should I add when cooking beef?
In order not to drown out the natural aroma of beef, a minimum amount of herbs, spices and spices is used when cooking meat. To prepare healthy tasty homemade broth you can use white roots - onions, parsley and celery with the addition of carrots to give the broth the desired yellowish tint. Dill, bay leaf and peppercorns are great as spices!
2. What spices should I add when frying beef?
To prepare a delicious dinner fried beef you will need to use garlic, onion, dill, parsley, marjoram, thyme, basil, oregano, chili pepper, savory, rosemary, sage, tarragon. But at the same time, it is important to know how certain seasonings are combined with each other. Bay leaves, for example, should not be used with rosemary, and spicy sage in combination with delicate herbs will only drown out their aroma. To soften old meat before frying or baking it in the oven, the beef can be kept in a marinade made from vinegar or wine using your favorite spices. Mustard is also perfect for this. The main thing to remember is that when frying beef with spices and seasonings, great taste can be obtained by adding them in moderation. Use only high quality products!
3. What spices should I add when stewing beef?
If you are going to stew beef without adding tomatoes, using, for example, white sauté, then it is better to use a minimum amount of herbs. Onions, parsley, dill and a pinch of thyme are perfect for your dish. Or you are going to cook beef with a lot of vegetables, including tomato, then you will need more aromatic seasonings such as oregano, marjoram, rosemary. This combination of spices and seasonings goes well not only with each other, but also with different vegetables. With marjoram, in some cases you can add cloves or oregano to the meat. Ditto beef stew A spice with a pleasant smell and a slightly bitter taste, such as hyssop, is not a bad idea. Paprika, a very commonly used ingredient in meat dishes, is better suited for stewing than frying. Almost any herb can perfectly flavor a meat sauce; the main thing is that it harmoniously matches the other ingredients in the dish. What to use soy sauce you don't necessarily need to cook Korean or Chinese dish, because it is he who can sometimes give the desired piquant and rich taste.
Spices for pork.
Pork is one of the universal meat products food from which you can prepare a very wide variety of dishes. For more convenient cooking we recommend you. Pork recipes can be divided not only by the method of preparation, but also by different combinations of spices. TO classic ingredients for preparing dishes from pork meat, include: bay leaf, salt, sugar, pepper and horseradish. Also ideal for pork different kinds pepper including black, red, paprika and chili powder. It is recommended to add salt at the end of cooking, as the pork will be softer and more delicate in taste. One of the more popular spices for cooking at home and outdoors is horseradish. It is difficult to imagine such a dish as jellied meat without this ingredient. In cooking, horseradish can be used either in crushed form or as a whole fresh or dry root.
