The same way you did.
And smell can be even more powerful. Think of how a smell can bring back a memory of a moment that happened years ago.
When I teach aspiring cooks I always insist they taste their work as the recipe progresses. I have them taste its components (like the spices), but I have them smell everything--even things like mayo, lemon juice, or cider vinegar--I really mean everything. And I have them do it each time the open that mayo jar, every time they unwrap the parmesan for grating, each time they pull the caramelized onions off the stove (and if they've added herbs or spices or wine or whatever to the onions during the cooking, then they've smelled each item before it was added, and then they smelled the onions after each addition cooked a bit and contributed its essence. It becomes second nature after a while. I have done this for so long I scarcely notice I'm doing it.
Two major things (relating to food) are possible as a result. The brain has an amazing ability to remember and compartmentalize sensuous experiences, but particularly those involving smell. The first (perhaps obvious) thing is that with experience smelling what something is supposed to smell like when fresh, you can immediately recognizes when it's 'off', spoiled, or just old.
The other (perhaps less obvious) thing is that as you build a repertoire of smell (and to some degree taste) experiences, you learn to 'taste' in your head. It's mostly the smell that does it though. Example: Earlier today I read a recipe for 'cowboy' beans that included dark coffee. This is not something I've included in my version before but I could immediately 'insert' this mentally into my version (and I like it).
I work on upwards of two dozen recipe 'projects' at a time. But 90% of my recipe development takes place while I'm on the road or otherwise out of the kitchen. It's smell memory that makes this possible. If you've an interest in cooking add this tool to your arsenal. I guarantee it will make you a better cook.
A note on dried spices and herbs: I buy from Penzey's and a couple other sources because their quality is so good. Their quality is good because it's what they know, they source themselves, and because they sell so much I can be assured that it's fresh. This can't be said about warehouse stores and discount chains where their products might have spent months in a distribution center or were purchased already well past their prime, or both.
Though, for the sake of freshness, I prefer to buy in the quantities I'm likely to use within a few months at most, if you prefer to buy in larger quantities, remove what you think you'll use in the next several weeks or so and vacuum-save the remainder.
