Spices in a tube?
I was just at the market and saw spices in a squeezable tube, like garlic, parsley and I'm not sure what else, has anyone ever tried these and are they any good? And what is it exactly?
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17 Comments:
I did once and they were lousy.
bessfour at 6:56PM on 10/26/08
Bleh!
izatryt at 7:25PM on 10/26/08
I used the Lemon grass one once for Thi coconut curry soup. I guess it was ok but there were so many other ingredients so I dont know if it would have made a difference.
joanpieroni2 at 7:59PM on 10/26/08
my market was out of fresh basil once and in a weak moment i actually bought the tube, DON'T THEY ARE A WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY!
huneybumper at 8:05PM on 10/26/08
I admit I have a tube now... the flavors aren't as fresh and strong as fresh herbs, but I don't hate them. I"ve used it only on pasta with an oil based sauce - I think it was better than just using some dried basil or oregano, but not as good as a handful of fresh leaves. It is convenient though....
nalega at 8:34PM on 10/26/08
sun dried tomato paste in a tube is good to have around, but the other stuff i would avoid.
cybercita at 9:04PM on 10/26/08
This is great. I have been pausing at the tube spices for about a month wanting them. I am glad to know mainly don't bother. I love cyber's sun dried tomato idea as I rarely use them so it seems like a better way to store it.
love2cook at 9:45PM on 10/26/08
I use the ginger in a tube for stir fries and other Asian dishes. Of course it's not better than fresh, but it gets the job done. I wouldn't use the parsely or cilantro or any others though-I think they would be too gooey.
JessMess at 10:38AM on 10/27/08
Yeah, I would try to avoid them as well. Imagine beautiful parsley and basil added with all types of preservatives so they could last a long time. I tried it and the taste was bad, felt like I was eating plastic.
However tomato paste in a tube is excellent, so I think it depends on the delicacy of the ingredient.
uayrout at 11:31AM on 10/27/08
anchovy paste in a tube is good at a pinch, sundried tomato paste is good, but the herbal stuff and ginger etc, don't taste like the real thing at all - not horrid, just not authentic.
snowmoonelk at 11:41AM on 10/27/08
The cilantro is useless I can tell you that. I was despairing because I can't get through a bunch of cilantro before it goes seriously funky so I bought some in a tube. Uh, no. Not good. So I then went to my Turkish neighbour and we agreed to split a bunch every other week. We plan our "cilantro meals" accordingly and no waste!
I do admit to using jarred garlic and ginger occasionally. They are OK, but really fresh is better on both fronts and they do keep. I think those purchases can be chalked up to laziness on my part.
Maureen at 11:42AM on 10/27/08
plunge freshly bought cilantro, leaves down, in a jug of cold water, and keep in fridge. Or, wash, and roll up in kitchen roll, then in damp newspaper and keep in fridge.
snowmoonelk at 11:53AM on 10/27/08
Egads, people, I'd have to be trappped in the Ethiopian desert to buy such a product! Witless from every possible angle: culinary, environmental ... etal.
crsommers at 11:57AM on 10/27/08
Egads, people, I'd have to be trappped in the Ethiopian desert to buy such a product! Witless from every possible angle: culinary, environmental ... etal.
x/carol
crsommers at 11:57AM on 10/27/08
@Maureen - make a paste! That's a great way of storing fresh herbs (keeps in the fridge up to a month, in the freezer - up to a year), and I do it with cilantro, basil, dill and parsley.
Roughly chop and process 2 cups of leaves with 1/3 cup good olive oil (depending on your food processor, you may need a touch more oil) until you get a paste and either freeze it in ice-cube trays (my cubes are rather large, so I individually wrap each cube in plastic wrap and then 6-7 cubes together in tin foil, for long-term storage) and/or store in a small glass jar (marmite and Colman's mustard jars are perfect for it!). Because of oxidation, the top will be dark green, but it doesn't affect the flavour one bit.
You just add a teaspoon (or half a teaspoon, or as much/as little as you want) to whatever you would add fresh herbs to - fresh salads, pasta, sauces, soups, etc. If frozen - take a cube or two out, throw them into a small glass jar, let defrost in the fridge and use (although if using for a soup, you could just toss a frozen cube into a pot, it'll be the same)! This way, you don't waste herbs and the flavour is all there. I actually picked a couple of pounds of each dill, cilantro and basil at a local U-Pick farm (I couldn't help myself, the prices were ridiculously low - $0.80 a pound, and each pound makes 6-8 very generous bunches) and processed them this way.
brooke29 at 12:17PM on 10/27/08
@brooke - thats the solution i've been looking for! i knew your could freeze them but could never figure out how!
i already do something similar with ginger - i peel and grate the whole thing, then pile it all into a long snake like shape, and wrap in plastic wrap (like cookie dough but much thinner). that goes in the freezer and I can easily slice off an inch or so to throw into a soup or stir fry when i need it.
nalega at 12:41PM on 10/27/08
The only thing I like buying in a tube is tomato paste. I've got tons of recipes that require just one or two TBS of the stuff and I hate opening a can and wasting most of it. A tube, rolled properly like toothpaste (that's another thread...) will last in the fridge for a very long time...
Spices and herbs are generally so easy to process and use, who would find the need for such frivolous packaging? I guess wasting half a bunch of fresh parsley or other herb might be an issue but it looks like we all just learned how to avoid that in the future!
czken at 3:33PM on 10/27/08