You might think of spices as culinary accessories—nice additions to well-cooked food but not necessary ones. But a steak, even if rosy-red inside and buttery-tender, is something much better when salted to its middle and coated in cracked peppercorns that enhance its browned crust. Burnished roasted vegetables on your plate become more enticing with a sprinkling of an eye-catching, fragrant spice-and-nut mix. Spices are much more than accessory: They bring food to life, providing warmth and aroma to dishes; they elevate even a salad to a multidimensional masterpiece; and they introduce us to the flavor profiles of cuisines of the world. Adding spice is the simplest way to take a dish beyond basic, and we think that knowing techniques for doing so is an important part of cooking well, just like knowing how to sauté or roast. In this cooking class, we’ll build on the principles we discussed in the All About Spices course and dig deeper into how to use spices to achieve maximum flavor in your cooking. We’ll discuss how salt can transform your food - not just season it. Then we’ll show you how to mix and match spices to create flavorful spice rubs at home. We’ll show you different ways to apply spices for extraordinary, confidence-building results. Finally, we’ll show you that there’s life for spice beyond dry rubs. We’ll use spices in simple and more complex infusions for flavored oils to elevate your meals.