1.   Crush dried herbs with your fingers before adding them to dishes and, for maximum flavor, grind whole spices just before you use them.

2.   For Asian Mixture, finely grind all spices in a spice or electric grinder.

3.   For better flavor, they say, use kosher salt and freshly ground spices -- cumin, nutmeg and allspice, for instance -- as well as black pepper.

4.   Grind whole spices in a small food processor, coffee grinder, pepper mill or mortar and pestle.

5.   Grind spices along with paprika and a pinch of salt in a spice grinder or coffee grinder.

6.   The traditional recipe calls for roasting and grinding spices, mincing fresh herbs like cilantro and epazote, and roasting and peeling chiles, among other things.

7.   To grind the spice, the bottle is inverted and the grinder rotated back and forth.