Mace and Cardamon substitutes?

[emilycat]

I'm planning to make the Rum Sweet Potato Flan that appeared in a past issue of CL, but when I went to the store yesterday to gather my missing ingredients, I found that cardamon was $9 and mace was $7. Normally I wouldn't mind spending so much on spice, except that they didn't even come in smaller containers, and I rarely bake. My grocery bill is already sky-high, so I wondered if you all had any substitute suggestions. Would it ruin the taste if I used maybe cloves and nutmeg (or something else)instead? I'd love your input. Thanks! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[Ohioan]

emilycat, you might be able to substitute nutmeg for mace (mace, after all, is the outer covering of the nutmeg), but cardamom has a distinctive taste all its own, kind of citrus-y and sweet. I sometimes spice my basmati rice with cardamom when I'm making Indian dinners.

I just checked Penzey's, and they have the small plastic jar (1.2 oz) of ground cardamom for 3.09, or the larger glass jar (2.4 oz) for 6.19. Of course, you also have to pay for shipping, but if Penzey's has a lower price than the one you saw in your store, you may be able to find a still lower price in some other local store.

Cardamom does come in handy for lots of things. It's wonderful in baked goods, curries, rice pudding, and even dark-roast coffee. In fact, Turkish coffee is usually served with a whole cardamom pod steeped in the brew. (Penzey's has the whole pods, too.)

Hope this has helped more than frustrated you! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif

Cheers, Phoebe

[Vanessa]

Hi. Hope this chart helps for your flan or other recipes. Also take a look in your local health store since mine has spices and since you can get a small amount its cheaper.

Spice Substitutions :

Allspice: Cinnamon; cassia; dash of nutmeg or mace; or dash of cloves
Aniseed: Fennel seed or a few drops anise extract
Cardamom: Ginger
Chili Powder: Dash bottled hot pepper sauce plus a combination of oregano and cumin
Cinnamon: Nutmeg or allspice (use only 1/4 of the amount)
Cloves: Allspice; cinnamon; or nutmeg
Cumin: Chili powder
Ginger: Allspice; cinnamon; mace; or nutmeg
Mace: Allspice; cinnamon; ginger; or nutmeg
Nutmeg: Cinnamon; ginger; or mace
Saffron: Dash of turmeric (for color)


[This message has been edited by Vanessa (edited 10-28-2000).]

[emilycat]

Thanks so much for your suggestions! I think I'm going to look around at Whole Foods, and maybe some other stores, for the smaller container. It sounds like I'd definitely use it more than once. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif
Em

[MaryH]

Emilycat,

Also check any mediterranean delis or Indian stores, if you have any in your area. They use cardamon and you can usually find it for cheaper there. In Arabic, cardamon is referred to as "hale" (sounds like bale of hay) - phonetic - so try that if they don't know what you're talking about.

[Ralph]

Originally posted by emilycat:
Thanks so much for your suggestions! I think I'm going to look around at Whole Foods, and maybe some other stores, for the smaller container. It sounds like I'd definitely use it more than once. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif
Em

Whole Foods is a great place to check. The one here has dozens & dozens of dried & ground spices & herbs in huge jars for bulk purchase; you can buy as much or as little as you want!
I've only been to the one here, but these bulk spices are on the back wall in the health & beauty department. Whole Foods seems like the type of chain where all the stores are designed similarly.
Vanessa's suggestions are great; also try the Cook's Thesaurus (switcheroo.com). Good luck.

[Beth]

I second looking in health food stores and ethnis grocers. Since someone else had checked Penzey's, I went to The Spice House. Their advantage is that they sell smaller quantities in some of the spices than Penzey's. They have 1/2 oz of cardomom for $1.50 and 1 oz of nutmeg for $1.49. The mimimum shipping charge is $4.95 (I think that covers orders up to $19.95), and they charge a service charge on orders less than $10, so you only come out ahead if you have some other things to order. Try ginger and nutmeg if you have them (you could even use fresh ginger from the produce dept.), and go from there.

[emilycat]

Thanks, everyone, for your suggestions...I went to Whole Foods today and found cardamom for $3.50. The same size was $8.99 at Harris Teeter! Wow, what a price difference. I wonder if it was simply because the pricier brand was Fancy McCormick's?

[Susann]

Emily-I have to add my two cents here. I recall that you live in the Dunwoody area. If you are talking about the Dunwoody Harris Teeter, I have noticed that a lot of their stuff is priced higher than other places-just my humble opinion. You may also find spices are lower priced at the farmers market (of course, you probably now have enough cardomom to last you 20 years!! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif )

[emilycat]

Susann,
I keep hearing people talk about how wonderful the farmer's market is, and I don't know anything about it! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/frown.gif (I moved here just two months ago) I feel like I'm missing out on a great resource...could you enlighten me? http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif
Em

[Susann]

Emily-To paraphrase Shakespeare, "Get thee to a farmer's market!" (sorry-couldn't resist!!)-you will LOVE it. There are several around here...
a)The International f.m. is on Peachtree Industrial. It is probably the closest, but not my favorite.

b)Dekalb f.m. is one that a lot of people love (can't give you directions bc I don't go there very often).

c)My personal favorite is Harry's. There is one in Alpharetta and one in Gwinnett. I think they are both about the same distance-wise from Dunwoody, but this time of year, I go to the one in Alpharetta bc the trees are so beautiful. It is off of exit 10 on 400. Do NOT get it confused with Harry's In a Hurry-big difference.

Going to the farmer's market is my weekend treat-I think you will enjoy it a whole bunch! Enjoy!!

[emilycat]

Thanks, Susann!
I think I've made plans for next Saturday! Maybe I'll see you there! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif