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Mixed Spices for Seasoning

A blend of dried herbs and spices for seasoning.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 8 ingredients
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Why it works: Marjoram and thyme match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,225 recipes. Both carry terpineol, which smells pine, woody. The science ↓

Mixed Spices for Seasoning

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Dry the herbs before use.

  2. Roughly pound the spices.

Dry the mixture

  1. Place all ingredients between two sheets of white paper.

  2. Fold the sides tightly to prevent evaporation.

  3. Put in a warm place to dry completely.

Finish and store

  1. Pound the mixture quickly and sift it.

  2. Store in tightly corked bottles for use.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Marjoram + thymetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together2,225 recipes

    Shared aroma: terpineol (pine, woody).

  2. Basil + marjoramtop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together688 recipes

    Shared aroma: terpineol (pine, woody).

  3. Nutmeg + clovetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together8,686 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  4. Basil + thymetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,768 recipes

    Shared aroma: terpineol (pine, woody).

  5. Nutmeg + marjoramtop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together687 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Nutmeg
Adds warm, aromatic flavour to the spice blend.
Mace
Contributes a delicate, aromatic warmth similar to nutmeg.
Cloves
Provides strong, pungent aroma that dominates the blend.
White peppercorns
Adds sharp, pungent heat to the mixed spices.
Sweet basil
Contributes herbal, aromatic flavour to the blend.
Thyme
Contributes earthy, herbal aroma to the blend.

The step that matters

Drying the mixture completely. If the herbs and spices are not fully dry, moisture remains trapped in the blend, which can encourage mould and cause the powder to lose aroma and clump. Drying before pounding and sifting keeps the mixture fine and stable in storage.

Swap the mace

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (nutmeg, clove, basil, marjoram, thyme):

  1. Winter savoryfits better
  2. Allspicefits better
  3. Sagefits better
  4. Macethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against nutmeg, clove, basil, marjoram, thyme. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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