How to Use Cloves
The Bold Buds
Pungent | Sweet | Bitter | Peppery
Cloves are deep, dark, and dramatic—sweet, smoky, and medicinal at the same time. A single bud infuses dishes with intensity, from baked goods and braised meats to spiced drinks and masalas. They demand restraint but reward richly.
COOKING TIPS
- Cloves are deep, dark, dramatic, sweet, smoky, and medicinal all at once. Their warmth carries weight, adding both richness and brightness thanks to a unique balance of heat and cooling camphor notes.
- They belong to the family of sweet spices alongside cinnamon, nutmeg, and mace, but their uses are as much savory as sweet. Medieval cooks prized them for flavoring meats, and today they still shine in lentil soups, root vegetable roasts, and barbecue rubs.
- Cloves are very potent, so always start small and adjust to taste. Just one bud can transform baked goods, braised meats, spiced drinks, masalas, or marinades. For more subtlety, pair cloves with other complementary spices to soften their dominance.
GRINDING
- Whole cloves deliver the fullest flavor because their volatile oils—especially eugenol and caryophyllene—evaporate quickly after grinding. Once ground, cloves lose much of their aromatics in just a few days, so if your dish calls for powder, grind them as needed.
- When grinding at home, you can separate the bud (the rounded head and petals) from the woody stem for a softer, sweeter flavor; the stem is hotter and more astringent. Cloves are dense and fibrous, so use a sturdy electric spice grinder for a fine powder or crush them in a mortar and pestle and remove the big pieces prior to use.
- Avoid grinding large amounts—prepare only what you need for immediate use.
INFUSING
- Unlike many spices, toasting cloves is generally not recommended. It can drive off their delicate top notes and amplify bitterness. Instead, release their flavor by adding them whole early in cooking so their essential oils have time to diffuse from the bud, then remove before serving.
- Clove’s main flavor compounds are oil-based and do not dissolve well in water, so they shine when infused into fats, dairy, or alcohol. With that said, you can see how potent cloves are by dropping a single bud into tea; its natural sweetness and warmth come through even in water, reducing the need for sugar.
STORING
- Whole cloves are among the longest-lasting spices when stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry, dark place. Their hard, protective structure helps lock in their essential oils, often retaining high quality for 3 to 4 years.
- Ground cloves, however, deteriorate rapidly—both in flavor and medicinal strength—and should be bought in tiny quantities and used within days. For peak freshness, buy whole cloves and grind as needed. If you find yourself with a large batch of ground cloves, you can slow flavor loss by storing it in the freezer in a tightly sealed container.
Beef Rendang