Flavorings Category

Look for this in Southeast Asian markets.

This Japanese tofu is soft and creamy and it's the preferred tofu for shakes, dips, custards, puddings, and dressings. It's available either fresh in tubs or in aseptic packages that don't need refrigeration. When working with silken tofu, it's a good idea to make a dish ahead of time so as to allow the tofu to absorb other flavors. Don't freeze it.

This is a mixture of sugar and water that's brought to a boil and simmered for about five minutes so that the sugar dissolves and the mixture becomes syrupy. When it cools, it's used to make mixed drinks, liqueurs, baked goods, sorbets, sauces, and many other things. The thickness of the syrup depends upon the ratio of sugar to water used. Many simple syrup recipes call for equal parts sugar and water. For a thinner syrup, combine two parts water with one part sugar. Rock candy syrup, a heavy syrup used to make some liqueurs and mixed drinks, is made with two parts sugar and one part water.

This is made from sorghum cane juice, and Southerners sometimes use it instead of molasses to make things like barbecue sauce, baked beans, and gingerbread. Look for it in health food stores.

To make your own: See the Sour Cherry Syrup recipe on RecipeSource.com.

Soy sauce is made from soybeans that have been fermented and salted. It's used throughout Asian, with different regions producing quite different variations. Japanese soy sauce = shoyu is sweeter and less salty than Chinese soy sauce. Chinese soy sauce comes in light and dark versions. Lite soy sauce has 1/3 less sodium.

See the RecipeSource.com posting Homemade Spaghetti Seasoning Mix

This sweet and heavy brandy is based on sherry.

When first opened, sparkling wine becomes effervescent as bubbles of carbon dioxide gas escape from the liquid. It was first produced by Dom Pérignon in the 17th century, who cried out after sampling it, "Come quickly. I am drinking stars!" Champagne is perhaps the finest example of sparkling wine, and is named for the region in France where it's produced. The brand Dom Pérignon is considered to be the finest champagne. Sparkling wine and champagne are rated by their relative sweetness. The driest is brut, followed by extra dry, sec, and the sweetest of all, demi-sec. Sparkling wines are used to toast special occasions like weddings and the New Year, but they're also served before meals. They're especially nice with caviar.

These are small candies that are sprinkled on cakes and cookies.

This is Italian sparkling wine. Asti spumante is a well-known sparkling wine produced in Asti, Italy.

This is honey that's blended with pieces of the comb so that it spreads more easily. It's more popular in Europe than in America

The seeds of various squashes, like pumpkin and acorn squash, make terrific snacks. To prepare, wash the seeds, then blot them dry, and mix them with salt and butter. Spread the seeds on a baking tray and bake them in a preheated 325° oven for about 15 minutes.

This is a hot sauce used as a condiment by Thais and Vietnamese.

Asian cooks use star anise to give a licorice flavor to savory dishes, particularly those with pork and poultry. It's available whole or ground. Use it sparingly--a little goes a long way.

This is pure dried sugar cane juice. The dark color is due to the retention of molasses.

An artifical sweetner. A popular brand is Splenda.

Varieties: By crystal size: Regular sugar = fine granulated sugar = table sugar = standard granulated sugar = extra-fine granulated sugar is the standard table sugar we're all familiar with. Superfine sugar = ultrafine sugar = bar sugar = instant dissolving sugar = berry sugar = castor sugar = caster sugar dissolves more quickly, and is recommended for sweetening beverages, and for making meringues, cakes, soufflés, and mousses. To make your own, grind standard granulated sugar in a food processor or blender for about a minute. Baker's special has a grain size between standard granulated and superfine. Bakers use it in cakes because the fine granules improve the texture. Sanding sugar has larger granules that sparkle when sprinkled on baked goods and candies. Coarse sugar has a larger grain size than regular granulated sugar. It tends not to change color or break down at high temperatures. It's similar to (and often mistaken for) sanding sugar. By source: Beet sugar is derived from sugar beets, while cane sugar is derived from sugar cane. Both beet and cane sugars are 99.95% sucrose, but many bakers claim that the remaining .05% of trace minerals and proteins makes a difference, and that cane sugar performs better. Some cane sugar is processed using a by-product of animal bones, so some vegetarians prefer beet sugar to cane. Some manufacturers don't specify whether their product is beet sugar or cane sugar.

These are fun to chew on. They're available in the produce section either peeled (left) or unpeeled.

Look for this in Middle Eastern markets. Crushed dried sumac is called somagh.

Summer savory is milder than winter savory.

Sunflower seeds are nutritious snacks. They're often sold in their shells, which you're supposed to crack open in your teeth and spit out after you've eaten the kernel within. Shelled sunflower seeds are also available for the more fastidious, and for cooks who want to add the seeds to breads, salads, casseroles, and trail mixes.

Svanetian salt is a spice blend that includes salt, coriander, garlic, fenugreek, caraway, pepper and chili.

This has a pleasant anise flavor, and is the most commonly used basil in Thailand.

This is widely used throughout the Mediterranean region to make tomato sauces, pesto, and other dishes.

This brown sauce is made from sweetened fermented soybeans. Taiwanese cooks use it as a marinade or a condiment for meats.

This is similar to semi-sweet chocolate, only it has a bit more sugar. It can be used interchangeably with bittersweet and semi-sweet chocolate in most recipes. Baker's Chocolate calls its sweet chocolate German chocolate.

This comes as either red vermouth (rosso) or sweet white vermouth (bianco). It's used to make many cocktails, including Manhattans and Negronis. If you're planning to make martinis, you probably want dry vermouth.

This includes: Acesulfame K, Advantame, Aspartame, Saccharin and Sucralose.

This wine is called Syrah in Europe and America, and Shiraz in Australia. It's a dry red wine that's especially good with barbecued meats, sausages, strong cheeses, and spicy foods. Don't confuse Syrah with Petite Syrah.

Szechuan pepper salt is a mixture of Szechuan peppercorns and salt ground together to make a fine powder. See the Chinese Salt Recipe posted on RecipeSource.com.