282662 Tue Jan 24 14:02:13 -0800 2006 6 31 Home Cooking 0 1506946 If a recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of whole cumin seed - what would that be ground? I only have ground cumin - would I still use 2 tablesppons? Tue Jan 24 14:02:13 -0800 2006 0 suzy 1 1506954 Measuement from whole to ground spices is the same. Two Tbs of cumin seed will measure out to two Tbs ground. Tue Jan 24 14:15:33 -0800 2006 1506946 0 tyler 2 1506969 That seems counterintuative for several reasons. First, the volume yield would vary based on humidity and on how finely the spice is ground. Second, a seed has a lower surface to volume ratio than the ground product would. I would expect the ground product to be of a different volume-- just look at table salt vs. kosher salt. 1 tsp of one is not the same as 1 tsp of the othere, simply because of the size of the grains. The mass, or weight, would remain constant--not the volume. Tue Jan 24 15:14:41 -0800 2006 1506954 0 Two Forks 3 1506971 Your reasoning is sound. Why don't you try it as a science experiment at home and report back? Tue Jan 24 15:27:21 -0800 2006 1506969 0 tyler 4 1506994 Or you could think of it this way... since the whole seeds are round there is space between each seed in the measuring cup. When the seeds are ground there isn't the extra space in there, so it will take up less volume. Its like when you get a full bag of potato chips that have been crushed. It is still the same weight but takes up much less of the bag. Tue Jan 24 16:17:26 -0800 2006 1506971 0 Evan 1 1506983 I'd cut back on the ground cumin by about a fourth (down to 1-1/2 tablespoons) and then adjust to your liking. Tue Jan 24 15:58:10 -0800 2006 1506946 0 JK Grence (the Cosmic Jester) 1 1506984 I think that the answer is "less," assuming that you have reasonable quality, fresh ground cumin. Now, if it is grocery store cumin, and it is old, you could use the same amount as the ground loses flavor over time. Ideally, you want to toast whole cumin, and then grind it before adding it to the dish. When you grind, you increase the surface area exposed to the liquid or whatever for the most taste transfer. If the recipe wanted you to add WHOLE cumin to the dish, you may want to use much less. Whole cumin doesn't have as much surface area compared to ground, so unless you are simmering for a very long time, you wont get all of the flavor. Think of grinding coffee in the grinder - it isn't a science experiment. When you grind it up, you reduce the void space, so the overall volume is reduced. You want to grind it to increase the surface area exposed to the water so your coffee will taste like coffee instead of water passing over whole coffee beans. And old ground Folgers, kind of like old ground cumin, doesn't taste as well. Tue Jan 24 15:59:08 -0800 2006 1506946 0 rudeboy