Guest Adviser: Make Your Own Seasonings, Rubs, and Spice Blends

If all goes as planned, Sundays will be reserved for a Guest Adviser's Tips and Tricks.  First up is Bob, with his tips on making your own seasonings, rubs, and spice blends.  Please give the man a warm welcome.  He's shy.  

Bob's Tips and Tricks:  We usually make our own spice mixes instead of buying pre-made seasoning packets.  This is helpful for a number of reasons:

1. It's cheaper.
2. Recipes can be adjusted for allergies, medical conditions, and taste.
3. Mixes can be stored for multiple uses in ziplock bags, small containers, or my favorite, plastic deli meat containers (washed and re-used).
4. You control the spiciness (is this even a word?).
5. Less odd chemical additives.
6. It's cheaper.

Some example links to rub and seasoning recipes are listed below.  These are not my recipes and my hat is off to the original authors who put them together.  I have successfully used these exact recipes or variations of them for years:

• Taco Seasoning
• Steak Seasoning [editor's note: I can't wait to try this]

Most rub and seasoning recipes are nothing more than combinations of spices that you can mix at home with your own ingredients.  These spices can be bought online for additional savings if you're feeling froggy.  I have used the following site, but there are many like it:

• Spices for Less

One note of caution:  Spices are light and often ordered by weight. Be careful or you can wind up with enough bay leaves to last several hundred years for a very reasonable price.  Ask me how I know…