Penzey's - No longer a virgin!

[email hidden] (JLove98905) wrote in
:"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

cracked rosemary, madagascar vanilla bean, ground
galangal, cake spice, brady street cheese, chicago steak
seasoning, 4 peppercorn blend, fennel seed, fines herbes,
lemon grass, lemon peel, mulling spices, peppermint,
pickling spice, taco seasoning, mahlab, fleur de sel

I wasn't impressed with the Brady street cheese, but each to
their own.

But the Parisiene Herb blend , I do truly love. It's good in
soups and on roast veggies and in sour cream for dips and in
chickens too.

The mahlab is tasty for muffin addition.

The ground red colored Alleppo (<sp??>😉 turkish pepper
rocks too.

two for you to think about...

Also no sunny paris or fox point?...shame on you. fox point
is sunny paris without the salt.

--
Once during Prohibition I was forced to live for days on
nothing but food and water.
--------
FIELDS, W. C.

Jen said:

A few of the items I have no idea what to do with. For
instance, the mahlab just sounded delicious, so I bought
it without really having a plan for.

Mahlab Mahlab, the pit of the sour cherry, has been used
for centuries in the Middle East (especially in Turkey and
Syria) as a sweet/sour, nutty addition to breads, cookies
and biscuits. This old spice has gained an American
following with the new interest in Mediterranean cooking
and is mentioned in several popular new cookbooks.

I recently ground it finely and used it in place of half the
cinnamon in cinnamon rolls. Wow. I haven't tried this yet,
but I bet it would make a great addition to chai.

Bob

On Tue, 13 Apr 2004 02:35:32 GMT, hahabogus
<[email hidden]> wrote: [snip]

Quoted message said:

Also no sunny paris or fox point?...shame on you. fox
point is sunny paris without the salt.

Without the salt AND without the basil, chervil,
tarragon, bay leaf and dillweed. I have both, and to
my tastebuds, there's a lot more than just salt that
distinguishes one from the other. Both are worth
ordering, IMO... mixed with cream cheese, they make a
nice bagel spread.

I also like the ground chipotle, Bangkok blend and
half-sharp paprika, among other things. Enjoy your
Penzey's order, Jen!

Ariane

Quoted message said:

(JLove98905) said:

cracked rosemary, madagascar vanilla bean, ground
galangal, cake spice, brady street cheese, chicago steak
seasoning, 4 peppercorn blend, fennel seed, fines herbes,
lemon grass, lemon peel, mulling spices, peppermint,
pickling spice, taco seasoning, mahlab, fleur de sel

What, no adobo... I take you don't ever enjoy a good pork.

---= BOYCOTT FRENCH--GERMAN (belgium) =--- ---= Move UNITED
NATIONS To Paris =--- Sheldon ```````````` "Life would be
devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation."

In article <[email hidden]>, hahabogus

Quoted message said:

Also no sunny paris or fox point?...shame on you. fox
point is sunny paris without the salt.

Other way around.
--
-Barb, <www.jamlady.eboard.com> updated 3-29-04.

On Tue, 13 Apr 2004 07:42:34 -0500,

Melba's Jammin said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

hahabogus said:

Also no sunny paris or fox point?...shame on you. fox
point is sunny paris without the salt.

Other way around.

::smacks forehead:: Yeah, what she said.

Fox Point Seasoning: salt, shallots, chives, garlic, onion,
green peppercorns

Sunny Paris: shallots, chives, green peppercorns, dill weed,
basil, tarragon, chervil, bay leaf

Yeah, I know Penzey's calls SP the "salt-free version of Fox
Point Seasoning". No idea why they do that, it seems
misleading at best. I like Fox Point and wouldn't mind a salt-
free version, but SP isn't it. For me, probably the most
pronounced flavor difference in SP is the tarragon, and
while I like that herb, I like it _sparingly_. Ditto
dill. After this bottle of Sunny Paris is finished, I think
I'll stick to Fox Point.

Ariane

"Maharajah" blend curry powder sprinkled lightly on
ordinary chicken salad sandwich elevates it pretty close to
nirvana. Lynn from Fargo Also - the French Basil is a whole
new animal!

I have never bought anything from Penzey's (yet...) but I am wondering: what
is the point of ordering these pre-made designer seasonings? Is it cheaper
than getting the invididual components and making them yourself? I always
enjoy making my own spice/herb blends..or just adding them one by one as I
go along - it seems like half the fun to me :-)

john

Quoted message said:

Fox Point Seasoning: salt, shallots, chives, garlic, onion,
green peppercorns

Sunny Paris: shallots, chives, green peppercorns, dill
weed, basil, tarragon, chervil, bay leaf

Yeah, I know Penzey's calls SP the "salt-free version of
Fox Point Seasoning". No idea why they do that, it seems
misleading at best. I like Fox Point and wouldn't mind a
salt-free version, but SP isn't it. For me, probably the
most pronounced flavor difference in SP is the tarragon,
and while I like that herb, I like it _sparingly_. Ditto
dill. After this bottle of Sunny Paris is finished, I
think I'll stick to Fox Point.

Ariane

John D. Misrahi said:

I have never bought anything from Penzey's (yet...) but I
am wondering: what is the point of ordering these pre-
made designer seasonings? Is it cheaper than getting the
invididual components and making them yourself? I always
enjoy making my own spice/herb blends..or just adding
them one by one as I go along - it seems like half the
fun to me :-)

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Fox Point Seasoning: salt, shallots, chives, garlic,
onion, green peppercorns

Sunny Paris: shallots, chives, green peppercorns, dill
weed, basil, tarragon, chervil, bay leaf

Well, it would be pretty pricey if you had to buy all of
these ingredients, compared to just buying the blend. I'd
have to buy green peppercorns and chervil, no big deal. So
happens I have both of the above blends as well, but if you
prefer to make your own, why not. Have fun. Check out the
Penzey's catalog for ideas for mixes you might like.

nancy

True..but then what if you just want to add some dill to
something? I guess you could pick out a bay leaf or bits of
one if they were reasonably intact.

john

Quoted message said:

Well, it would be pretty pricey if you had to buy all of
these ingredients, compared to just buying the blend. I'd
have to buy green peppercorns and chervil, no big deal. So
happens I have both of the above blends as well, but if you
prefer to make your own, why not. Have fun. Check out the
Penzey's catalog for ideas for mixes you might like.

nancy

John D. Misrahi said:

I have never bought anything from Penzey's (yet...) but I
am wondering: what is the point of ordering these pre-
made designer seasonings? Is it cheaper than getting the
invididual components and making them yourself? I always
enjoy making my own spice/herb blends..or just adding
them one by one as I go along - it seems like half the
fun to me :-)

It wouldn't necessarily be cheaper for me. I'd have to
buy the components separately, and while I might like
using some Sunny Paris blend on food, I don't want to
mix up huge batches of it, nor do I want to be stuck
with leftover portions of herbs like chervil, which I
don't use very often. Not to mention that I'd have to
figure out proportions of spices/herbs, and I don't
always want to sacrifice the time that would take when
there's a much easier, reasonably priced alternative.
My time is valuable to me, too.

Also, it's important to note that people who buy the
blends don't necessarily buy _just_ the blends. I also
have bags from Penzeys of things I use often and
combine them myself: oregano, basil, bay leaves,
thyme, chives, etc. I do plenty of making my own spice
blends or adding them one by one as I go along. It all
depends on what I'm making and what my mood is.

Ariane

John D. Misrahi said:

True..but then what if you just want to add some dill to
something? I guess you could pick out a bay leaf or bits
of one if they were reasonably intact.

Eh? I'm not sure what you're talking about. If I just
want to add some dill to something, I'll pull out the
bag of dill I bought and add
it. Ditto bay leaf. There's no need to pick bits out of a
spice blend.

Perhaps I've misunderstood, but you seem to be assuming
that people who buy the spice blends don't have "real"
spices on hand. That's not going to be the case,
especially in this group!

Ariane

in article [email hidden], John D. Misrahi at
[email hidden] wrote on 4/14/04 2:02 PM:

Quoted message said:

I have never bought anything from Penzey's (yet...) but I
am wondering: what is the point of ordering these pre-
made designer seasonings? Is it cheaper than getting the
invididual components and making them yourself? I always
enjoy making my own spice/herb blends..or just adding
them one by one as I go along - it seems like half the
fun to me :-)

john

Nobody is making you buy anything from Penzey's. Nobody is
forcing you to buy any blends, Penzey's or otherwise.

The point of buying them, since you asked, is that some
people don't care to tinker with their own blends, they
like the "repeatability" of using a blend that is
consistent every time you use it. Sure, you can sprinkle
the individual spices or herbs on as you go, but there is
no way, unless you a) measure them individually and b)
write down the exact measurements, that you can make
something the same way twice. For some people, tinkering
ISN'T half the fun, it's too haphazard and otherwise not
enjoyable, for any number of reasons.

You enjoy making your own spice blends, go for it. Some
people don't. What's your problem with that?

It's not like Penzey's ONLY sells their blends. They sell
individual spices or herbs, and they sell their blends. I
happen to like some of their blends, because they use things
that I wouldn't think to buy or use in combinations. But the
bulk of what I buy from them is individual herbs or spices.

And frankly, sometimes, a blend is greater than the sum of
its parts. It would take too much experimentation to find
the right balance.

Bottom line is, no one is forcing you to buy anything.

in article [email hidden], John D. Misrahi at
[email hidden] wrote on 4/14/04 6:00 PM:

Quoted message said:

True..but then what if you just want to add some dill to
something? I guess you could pick out a bay leaf or bits
of one if they were reasonably intact.

john

Bottom posting is your friend, John.

Anyway, you don't have to buy JUST blends. If you use a lot
of dill, just buy some dill! Or parsley, or oregano (2
different kinds) or basil (2 different kinds)....etc.

Have you ever looked at a Penzey's catalog?

Before you criticize, maybe you should educate yourself.

True, true. I *do* like tinkering with things. My motto is
"if it ain't broke, I'm not trying hard enough " ;-)

Quoted message said:

can make something the same way twice. For some people,
tinkering ISN'T half the fun, it's too haphazard and
otherwise not enjoyable, for any

number

Quoted message said:

of reasons.

I don't have a problem with anyone buying anything, I was
just wondering- I just don't see the appeal.

Quoted message said:

You enjoy making your own spice blends, go for it. Some
people don't. What's your problem with that?

True again, I was looking through their site - they have
some very interesting stuff, though I could probably
find most of it if I was willing to spend the time
looking for it :-)

Quoted message said:

It's not like Penzey's ONLY sells their blends. They sell
individual spices or herbs, and they sell their blends. I
happen to like some of their blends, because they use
things that I wouldn't think to buy or use in
combinations. But the bulk of what I buy from them is
individual herbs or spices.

And frankly, sometimes, a blend is greater than the sum of
its parts. It would take too much experimentation to find
the right balance.

I know !

john

Quoted message said:

Bottom line is, no one is forcing you to buy anything.

Quoted message said:

Bottom posting is your friend, John.

oops, sorry,

Quoted message said:

Anyway, you don't have to buy JUST blends. If you use a lot
of dill, just buy some dill! Or parsley, or oregano (2
different kinds) or basil (2 different kinds)....etc.

Have you ever looked at a Penzey's catalog?

I was browsing through it, yeah, and they have a lot of
stuff. I wasn't trying to be nasty, sorry if it came across
the wrong way. That is the problem with the internet :-(

Quoted message said:

Before you criticize, maybe you should educate yourself.

"John D. Misrahi" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I was browsing through it, yeah, and they have a lot of
stuff. I wasn't trying to be nasty, sorry if it came
across the wrong way. That is the problem with the
internet :-(

FWIW, I didn't read any nastiness in your post at all, or
criticism. I didn't read anything for which you should have
apologized, though top-posting can be a bit annoying.

rona

--
"Do not meddle in the affairs of cats, for they are subtle and they will
[censored] upon your computer."
--Bruce Graham

Quoted message said:

FWIW, I didn't read any nastiness in your post at all, or
criticism. I didn't read anything for which you should have
apologized, though top-posting can be a bit annoying.

rona

--

Yup, I have learned :-)