cinnamon
The dried inner bark of the cinnamon tree, sold rolled into sticks or ground into powder; a warm, sweet spice used across both baking and savory cooking. Two distinct species are both sold as cinnamon: softer, more floral Ceylon and the stronger, sweeter cassia most common on supermarket shelves.
Buying guidance
Buy from a store with enough turnover that a newly opened jar smells strongly aromatic; a faded, dusty smell means weak flavor. Whole sticks hold their aroma longer in storage than pre-ground powder.
Substitutions
- Ceylon or cassia cinnamon in place of the other -- Ceylon is softer and more floral, cassia stronger and sweeter; either works, just expect a shift in intensity.
- Pumpkin-pie spice -- only if its added clove and nutmeg won't clash with what you're making.
Tips & common mistakes
Two different species are both sold as cinnamon -- the stronger, spicier cassia common on most supermarket shelves and the softer, more floral Ceylon -- and substituting one for the other in the same amount changes a dish's flavor more than most spice swaps do. A stick left whole in a long simmer stays tough and inedible no matter how long it cooks, so it needs to be fished back out rather than left in.
Storage
Whole sticks hold their aroma for several years at full strength, well beyond the roughly one year that's reasonable for ground cinnamon, since the bark's oils stay sealed inside the rolled layers until it's broken or ground.