The Exact Difference Between Seasoning And Spice

When you want to stock up on your pantry essentials, you'll probably head over to the cooking aisle in a supermarket, where you'll see spices and seasonings on the shelves. Something you may think is a spice could be a seasoning, or something that seems like a seasoning might actually be a spice. With this Mad Hatter double-speak about which is which, let's cut to the chase about the exact difference between both. All spices can be any part of a plant, except for the leaf. Berries, stems, seeds, buds, bark, and roots are examples of spices. Herbs are derived from the leaf, and so technically, they're not considered a spice or seasoning. By this narrow definition, dried oregano or basil is not a spice, while turmeric is.

Seasonings represent a much broader category and can be a dry mixture of spices, herbs, salt, and sometimes sugar, or it can be a wet sauce like soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and sriracha. Labeling can be helpful in determining that what you're buying is a seasoning — like Italian seasoning or Cajun seasoning — but it's not always consistent, as is the case with Herbes de Provence, which is considered to be a seasoning because it's a blend of several different herbs. And, yes, if you're wondering, a dry BBQ rub is also a seasoning, and spices can also be classified as such due to the broadness of the term.

Another difference between a spice and a seasoning is how you use each in cooking. A spice is a single ingredient that adds a particular flavor and aroma. Since a spice can be a seed, berry, or other non-leaf part of a plant, it will have an essential oil that's released when crushed or ground. A spice is added at the beginning of a recipe, which allows its flavor to permeate as the dish cooks. Whole spices take longer to affect a recipe's taste, so they should be added sooner than ground spices. You can also augment the flavor of some spices — like cardamom and cumin seeds — by toasting them first in a skillet. 

A seasoning is most often used to improve a recipe's flavor after it's cooked, but it can also be added during cooking in small amounts. Many seasoning blends have salt, so use these sparingly, bit by bit, and frequently taste what you're cooking to ensure your finished dish isn't overly salty. Seasonings can also be applied before cooking, like a barbecue rub on a steak, so its flavors can penetrate the meat. 

Spices and seasonings eventually lose their potency over time, so it's best to avoid purchasing them in bulk, like Costco's popular seasonings. Consider how much you would reasonably use in a few months' time, and purchase a smaller amount instead.

Air, heat, and moisture leach flavor and color from all spices and seasonings, even if you store them properly away from the oven and not on the kitchen counter. Check your stock of spices and seasonings every three months for those that are ground and every eight to 10 months for those that are whole and test their appearance, aroma, and flavor. If they don't look vibrant, lack scent, or taste bland, it's probably time to replace them. But you don't necessarily have to toss the old spices and seasonings in the trash. There is an ingenious way to use expired spices that you may not be aware of, but there are a few ways to bring them back to life when cooking.

Before adding an expired spice to a recipe, you can rejuvenate it a bit by briefly stirring it in heated oil in a skillet. When you catch a whiff of the aroma it once had, add it to your dish with the oil, which will also now be lightly flavored with the spice. Similarly, you can reinvigorate wimpy-tasting seasonings by heating them in a dry skillet over medium-low heat and stirring them until aromatic, making sure they don't burn. When cooled, you can either use the seasoning then and there or funnel it back into its bottle for (not too far into the) future use.