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Paprika

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When you guys call for the use of Paprika in your recipes, what kind are you using. I know nothing about spices, but I assume there is a difference in the $5 stuff at Sam's and the $20 stuff at the speciality food stores.
 
Mike, I think Paprika is one spice that you can buy at Sam's and feel ok about it. I just bought a container at Costco. Paprika has kind of a flat taste that serves a little bit as a base for your rub and serves a lot for the color. Other, more experienced posters may disagree, but I think as long as it's no more than 1 year old, 2 years at the absolute most you are ok.
 
There is a difference in types of paprika. According to:

http://www.culinarycafe.com/Spices_Herbs/Paprika.html

Taste and Aroma
Paprika ranges from sweet and mild to hot. American Paprika is the blandest, while Hungarian Paprika has the greatest range of flavor.

History/Region of Origin
Paprika, as a member of the capsicum family, is indigenous to the Western Hemisphere. The pepper is grown widely and takes on a slightly different flavor depending on local soil and climatic conditions.
 
Hi, yes there is a difference, however for q'ing just make sure you have fresh not real old paprika. I'm culinary grad and the use of paprika in certain recipes can make a diff, but not here. Just make sure it's not real old.

Good Q'ing

Chach
 
Mike,
I tried several brands for all my cooking and q'ing and found the Papa brand Hungarian paprika in sweet or hot is the best I could find without spending to much. Kroger has it in the DFW area.

Ines,
Where did you go to culinary school?
 
Steve, Hi, I went to Des Moines area community college. It has one of the finest if not the best culinary arts schools in the mid-west. I interned at Des Moines Golf and Country Club. However we didn't have a course in Q. /infopop/emoticons/icon_frown.gif

Good Q'in

Chach
 
I like the Hungarian paprika the best....good spices do matter. I tend to lean towards the spicier side on this one. Sweet is good but I love the heat.
 
A couple of weeks ago on "America's Test Kitchen," a PBS show done by Cook's Illustrated Magazine, they did Smoked Salmon - not cold smoked salmon (a la lox), hot-smoked salmon...actually used a weber kettle to do it. The show was relatively decent, they make a few mis-steps on the web site that they didn't make in the actual programme.

The show was actually excellent, and one segment was spent discussing the components of their simple dry rub - including paprika. They indicated that they conducted a taste test including hungarian, spanish, normal and organic Caligornian, hot Hungarian and regular old McCormick's paprika on rice and in stew. The winner was Hungarian Sweet, the clear loser was Hungarian Hot, which most people found overpowering.

I agree with previous posts - I think having "fresh" paprika of any kind is more important than necessarily paying more, with ground herbs and spices, the volatile oils rapidly decay with age and it ends up tasting like peppery sawdust. Also, keep ground herbs/spices away from heat and light - on top of the stove is probably the worst possible place. In a cool cupboard, stored in an air-tight container is good - and while it may be tempting to buy in bulk, it's not always a good idea if it can be avoided, since they lose potency quickly, even in whole form over time.

Some references...
Americas Test Kitchen - Smoked Salmon (you might have to register, I did a long time ago...)

Good Eats - Spice Capades - Alton Brown's show all about spices - very good stuff
 
Dwain,

Great post....Just got down looking at the info on the American Kitchen site.....definately one worth bookmarking. Thanks.
 
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