There Are Pandas, and Then There Are Pandas.
And this isn't either of them! The Pandas we're talking about here, are watches, not bears. And what got me thinking about them (again) was a link posted this morning by @cm.rook who pointed a few of us to the very attractive (and not terribly priced) Yema "Rallygraph" Panda which, in it's most traditional arrangement, looks like the one on the left, but can also be had in the version on the right: The model on the left is a true Panda, while the model on the right is called a reverse Panda. The reason for that distinction is clear--Panda bears, only come in the first arrangement. Now at this point, everyone should be thinking about the most well-know Panda, The Rolex Panda, which is actually a Daytona, and among Rolex Daytonas, the most famous of which is the Paul Newman Daytona, which was famous first, because it was Paul's, and second because it sold at auction for $17.8 million (US Dollars). The story of that auction is well-known so I'll only...
Nov 8, 2019
Cumin, raw, tastes very earthy with a tiny warm pepper-like bite. When it is roasted or fried (in either powder or seed form) the flavor profile changes quite a bit. Smoother, nuttier, and more rich flavors rise to the top and it become much more rounded than just raw cumin. The key, however, is to make sure you don't burn it!
If you're going to make a slow cooker meal using cumin, here's my recommendation: In a small sauce pan, heat some oil on medium high heat and then add your onions. When they're getting nice and soft and starting to brown up a bit, add your garlic if the recipe calls for it. Once it's started to get translucent, add your cumin and other spices. Turn down the heat just a bit and continuously stir. You're just looking to fry the spices a little bit, so maybe a minute (at most) of frying at this medium heat will be enough. Then add your water to the pot, or just use a spatula to scoop it all into your crock pot.
This step is often left out in a lot of recipes and it's so important!