paprika
Ground dried red peppers, ranging from mild and sweet to hot depending on the peppers used, prized as much for the red color it adds as for its flavor in rubs, sauces, and stews. Smoked paprika is made from peppers dried over wood smoke and tastes distinctly different from sweet or hot paprika -- it's a separate flavor decision, not just a heat level.
Buying guidance
Check which type is called for -- sweet, hot, and smoked paprika aren't interchangeable, since smoked paprika brings a barbecue-like flavor sweet paprika doesn't have at all. Buy a small container and use it within a year; paprika fades in both color and flavor faster than many other ground spices because of its higher natural sugar and oil content.
Substitutions
- Sweet paprika plus a pinch of cayenne, in place of hot -- lets you control the heat separately from the color.
- Smoked paprika -- adds a distinct smokiness; only use it in place of sweet paprika if you want that smoky note.
- Ancho chile powder -- deeper and slightly fruity, a reasonable stand-in for sweet paprika in stews and rubs.
Tips & common mistakes
Paprika's natural sugars mean it scorches and turns bitter faster than many other ground spices if it hits a very hot, dry pan or hot oil -- add it off the heat or into fat that's only warm, and let it cook briefly before other liquid goes in, rather than searing it first.
Storage
Paprika's red color comes from light-sensitive pigments, so a jar left on a sunny windowsill or an open spice rack visibly fades to brownish-orange faster than most other ground spices, even before the flavor is noticeably gone. Keep it in a closed cabinet rather than an open rack, and expect it to be past its best within a year even stored well.