Mint in recipes...what kind?

[sandih]

There are many, many flavors of mint out there...when a recipe (like a mint pesto to be served with lamb chops) calls for mint, do they usually want peppermint, spearmint etcc....
There's chocolate and lemon and lots others. General rule?

[goodhealthgourmet]

unless the recipe specifies otherwise, spearmint - the one most commonly found in bunches at the supermarket - is the standard.

[sandih]

thx!

[MMRuth]

Is it really spearmint? I had no idea. I hate the flavour of spearmint in other things.

[Basilette]

Indeed, use spearmint for everything except maybe candy or desserts. Peppermint will give you an almost toothpasty flavor (there's nothing worse than a mojito made with peppermint! agh!) I find that you can usually get away with using orange mint or pineapple mint in recipes that call for spearmint, if you like those flavors and think they will complement the recipe. For lamb chops, I'd definitely stick with spearmint. Lemon mint tends to hint at the flavor of a cough drop - save that one for hot toddies!

[bnemes3343]

Wow, not sure where you shop, but at the grocery stores I go to, there is just one choice - "mint", generally sold by the bunch. Never seen any other choice.

[sandih]

I grow and use my own herbs. When you go to a nursery to buy herbs to plant, the variety is staggering.