toasted

I am being guilted because I have been lax in my posting...due mainly to my lack of inspiration other than griping about the office. So anyway....

This month in the watermelon issue of Saveur there was a little blurb about toasting spices. Now, I seem to remember lessons in culinary school about how ’you should always toast your spices because it releases the oils and cause the flavors to come out.’ And then I seem to remember a teacher saying, ’you should only toast the spices if you want them to taste toasted.’ I am proud of that teacher for going against the flow of the teachings being taught. But then again, I was proud of myself for lots of things.

Should or should you not toast spices prior to using?

And is it wrong to want to have things proven to you, before you believe them? I think that students and chefs should question the things that other chefs tell them at all times. Why do you do this? Why do you say that? It is not doubt...it a question of why...why...why.