Do you use a bouquet garni to flavor your soups? If so, try tucking them into a tea ball instead of cheesecloth.
We came across this idea at Williams Sonoma – it's so simple and obvious, but we'd never thought to try it. Cheesecloth and muslin bags are great, but this is a good alternative. Plus, it's reusable.
We found a few other tea infusers that could work well with spices too, including a couple of heart-shaped versions. A little cheesy, sure. But it could be a cute little Valentine's Day gift for a tea or spice lover.
- Mesh Tea & Spice Balls, Set of 2, $10 at Williams Sonoma
- Cuisipro Tea Infuser, $12.99 at Chef Tools
- Heart Tea Infuser, $2.50 at Daisy Days (minimum 24)
- Heart Shaped Tea Ball 2", $3.95 at Baxter Tea Company
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I love this idea -- I have no idea why I never thought to do this before
i have a dedicated mesh tea ball for this purpose. it works great! i first used it when natural unbleached cheesecloth was not fine enough. thought i was so clever...
This is a great idea! I never thought about this either but sometimes needed something to add herbs and spices to a dish. Thanks a lot for sharing!
Delikatissen
I've actually used this to not only flavor soups, but also rice!
You know how when you make indian rice you add a bunch of spices? I hate having to take them out at the end: using the tea ball saves you the trouble!
Yes, a very sensible idea! Those mesh tea balls always fall apart on me after a few pots of tea,though. I need to find a different sort.
I also do this with the spices when I make hot cider.
I will definitely give it a try. I did not know what to do with my tea ball since I bought a tea infuser that fits on the top of the teapot.
Great tip, i just ordered some exotic tea from Teaflection and can't wait to add this to my recipes