Sauces
How to bloom spices in oil
Cook ground spices briefly in hot fat to wake up their flavor before adding liquid. (Blooming gelatin means soaking it in cold water first.)
Step by step
- After the onions and garlic soften, add the spices to the hot oil.
- Stir constantly for 30 to 60 seconds.
- As soon as they smell strong, add the liquid or tomatoes to stop the cooking.
How you know it's done
The spices smell toasty and fragrant and look a shade darker.
Common mistakes
- Leaving them too long, which turns them bitter.
- Adding spices to a dry, very hot pan where they scorch.
Simmerbee recipes that use it (1)
In those recipes the word is underlined in the steps; tap it for the short version. In hands-free cook mode, ask “How do I bloom?”
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