I received a bottle of mustard seed for Christmas. Could you please tell me what I do with this?

Our company's name relates to mustard for several reasons and the fact that mustard is so important in foods.

The yellow mustard seed is the same as the white seed and is used for American style mustards which are not near as pungent as the brown or black seed.

The brown seed is sometimes referred to as Asian and are combined with the white seeds to make English pub mustards which have a little more bite that the American "hot dog" mustard.

Brown seeds are also used whole for pickling and spice mixes where whole seeds are needed. Black mustard seeds are actually a third species but have been practically replaced in most uses by the brown seed due to economic reasons. Brown mustard seeds are the basis for Chinese and the English dry mustard such as "Coleman's".

I have included these paragraphs above just for background information on mustard seeds...

Making your own mustard is an option but practically, there are so many great ones already on shelves etc, I would use the gift for other purposes. You do not mention how big of a jar you received so if you have a huge amount , then perhaps making some of your own "Revoy's Perfect Pub Mustard" would be a treat.

Mustard seeds work well in making pickles, specifically the bread and butter style. These are easy to make and this summer you might try that. Even zucchini makes a good pickled vegetable and gardens seem to have an abundance at times even showing up on one's front porch from a generous neighbor.

A lot of marinades call for mustard seeds as well, such as corned beef, ham rubs, etc. Try adding a few crushed seeds into your next butter sauce (beurre blanc) for an added zing on a piece of grilled fish or chicken.

Thanks for writing and I hope that I have given you some help or at least inspiration to dig deeper into your possibilities.

From Barbara via the Internet

Click Here to Read More Questions and Answers