One great cookbook: 'Mastering Spice' by Lior Lev Sercarz with Genevieve Ko

The small delights of good spices put to buzzy use

Book cover of 'Mastering Spice' by Lior Lev Sercarz
Fresh spices are the start of skillful home cooking
(Image credit: Penguin Random House)

Oh, the woeful, oft-regaled tale of the pantry loaded with jars of dusty spices. Ground nubbins of paprika, cumin, sage and black pepper that have moldered into flavorless, colored molecules.

The opening salvo of spice shop owner and author Lior Lev Sercarz's book "Mastering Spice" is mighty: "I sometimes stage a spice intervention when someone asks me to evaluate the state of their spices," he says. "You can do it yourself at home too. Put all your spices out on a table. Smell them, taste them. If they still have a strong smell and taste like something, keep them. Otherwise, toss them. They're just powder." His is a fresh, entitling way to think about how to use — and discard — one of the most potent tools in the kitchen arsenal.

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Scott Hocker, The Week US

Scott Hocker is an award-winning freelance writer and editor at The Week Digital. He has written food, travel, culture and lifestyle stories for local, national and international publications for more than 20 years. Scott also has more than 15 years of experience creating, implementing and managing content initiatives while working across departments to grow companies. His most recent editorial post was as editor-in-chief of Liquor.com. Previously, he was the editor-in-chief of Tasting Table and a senior editor at San Francisco magazine.