How Do You Make a Homemade Spice Blend?

The basic rule for making a homemade spice blend is to toast the spices whole and then grind them, rather than mixing pre-ground powders straight from the jar; this method noticeably strengthens the blend's aroma. Toasting activates the volatile oils inside the spices, and once ground, that releases a far more intense smell. The second key point is proportion: pick 1–2 spices to lead the blend and add the rest in supporting amounts; mixing every spice in equal parts usually gives a flat, unfocused result. How do you toast the spices? Whole spices like cumin, coriander seed and black pepper should be toasted in a dry pan over medium heat, with no oil, for 1–2 minutes, until they just start to smoke. Keep shaking the pan the whole time — otherwise some of the spices burn and leave a bitter taste. Take the toasted spices out of the pan right away and let them cool; left in the hot pan, they keep cooking from residual heat and can scorch. How should you grind them? Once cooled, grind the spices to a fine powder in a mortar or spice grinder; coarsely ground spice gives a gritty texture, which some blends want but most benefit from a fine grind instead. Hard spices like cinnamon sticks or ginger should be broken into small pieces first so they don't damage the grinder. How do you get the proportions right? In a classic kebab spice blend, cumin and red pepper flakes lead, while black pepper, thyme and cinnamon play a supporting role at roughly 1/4 of the lead spice's amount. In sweet spice blends, cinnamon usually leads, with cloves and nutmeg supporting. Make a small test batch first and taste it before scaling up; proportions in a large batch can't be corrected afterwards. Should salt be added to the blend? Salt usually isn't added to a spice blend; a salt-free blend can be used across dishes with different salt needs and keeps longer without spoiling. Adding salt makes the blend absorb moisture faster and raises the risk of clumping. For blends that do call for salt, like taco seasoning, use fine sea salt — coarse salt won't distribute evenly through the mix. How should it be stored? Store the finished blend in an airtight, dark glass jar in a cupboard away from light; light and moisture quickly dull a spice's aroma. Stored this way, a blend keeps without noticeable loss of aroma for 3–4 months. It helps to write the date on the jar; without it, judging by smell alone how long a spice blend has been sitting is much harder. A blend made in small jars and refreshed often always smells livelier than one left sitting for months in a big one. Since moisture gets in every time the jar is opened, splitting a frequently used blend across a few small jars instead of one large one slows the loss of aroma even further. With metal-lidded jars, it's also worth making sure the lid's inner surface doesn't touch the spice directly, since metal can taint the flavor and dull the aroma over time.