Penny Lane

Spice vs seasoning

What's the difference between a spice and a seasoning? We all use them on a daily level, but what is the difference and is there a difference?

Jill

A spice is a vegetation product that has an aromatic or pungent to the taste quality which is used for flavoring while cooking. On the other hand, a seasoning is a mixture of several flavoring components such as sugars, salts and spices and/or herbs. Thus, a spice can thought of as a subset of a seasoning.

Chantal

Aye, a spice can be any of a range of ingredients, but seasoning is how we use them, especially in the context of marinades / prepping meats etc.

Deauna G

Wow... Learn something new every day!

Lilli-Belle Mason

Spice is proper spicy and seasoning is a little spicy or not spicy. And I don't use seasoning so much

Anonymous Cheese

A spice is the physical object that you are using to enhance the flavor of your particular object while seasoning is the act of actually applying it to the object. "I use salt as a spice to season my piece of chicken."

Lilli-Belle Mason

I agree Deauna G

Jill

I also think of "spice" as something I use when baking. "Seasoning" is something I would use when cooking. For instance: I would season my stirfry with ginger and soy sauce, but use ginger as a spice in carrot cake.

Jill

Tim - technically salt is a mineral used as a seasoning.