to think Yotam Ottolenghi is wasteful with his spices?

[parakeet]

If you watched his cookery program last night, did you see how they were presented to him? A big pile of each spice, all next to each other, on some kind of Turkish-looking serving plate. He took a pinch from each one, to add to his dish. Thereby mingling them all together. Thereby rendering them useless (as all mixed up) and would have to be thrown away.

In the old days, someone like Deliah Smith would have had them premeasured out into separate little cups. I admit I don't usually watch cookery programs so is Yotam's method the in-thing these days? If so, I dread to think how much spice is being wasted on a national scale.

why would they be thrown away? what spices? masala is just spices blended together anyway?

But masala is presumably a list of carefully chosen spices, in select quantities. Not any old random mishmash.

I can't remember the exact list of spices but it happened three or four times in very divergent recipes. He just thinks it looks cool and authentic to heap them all together on the plate. But it's a waste, I tell you.

Oh, they're just doing it to make them look pretty, it's just a TV programme.

If you think about it, it's just as wasteful that Delia had all those little cups to wash up.

Don't most of us just shake spices out of the jars they come in as we need them? I really doubt anyone thinks 'shit, I'm watching Ottolenghi but I cannot hope to replicate his dish without a Turkish spice platter!'

Btw, 'masala' just means a spice mix - everyone's is a bit different and you can mix it up quite a lot. I've never seen anyone literally weigh out quantities for that. Or for Turkish cooking - my mate's mum is Turkish and she just does a pinch of this, a bit of that, as she feels like it.

Grrrr. the whole thing annoys me. Hate the whole "lets use loads of expensive shit from this piece of the world (where it's cheap as chips)" .
Doesn't matter if it's it seafood and chirizo or stuff that costs a fortune when you track it down to Waitrose (use within 3 days of opening).

Liked the chef in Red this month that did interesting things with ordinary lamb (griddled it) that used stuff everyone has (garlic and made a salsa).

I'm fine with mixing and I suppose my spices might al be a bit bastarded now.
Much better than the anal retentive measuring of teaspoons.
One and a half teaspoons of cumin...right!
having said that, I do adore Delia.

He is so dull to watch.

He's all a bit poncey and earnest for my liking anyway, regardless of his cavalier attitude to spice integrity. And whatever way Delia treated her spices, it was bound to be the right way because Delia is always right.

well

I went to his latest restaurant and had his spicy nuts as a nibble (fnar)

wthin HALF AN HOUR i was on the loo , having massive tummy upset

screw his spices i say

£75 of food down the shitter

I suspect it was his director or producer that wanted the spices presented that way. He probably had no say in the matter.