Grating Cinnamon?

Judging by your use of the word "chemicals", and I don't aim to be rude, it tells me that you're not familiar enough from a textbook sense to understand that spice is a very specific group of what we colloquially refer to as spices.

Spices, properly, are a product of plants. But, they do not contain any of the plant matter that you're referring to. They are simply devices that contain oils, which are released once the matter containing them is broken down. If that matter is not broken down, then the flavorful oils trapped within will not be released. This is because the devices are not water or fat soluble, which would not allow them to preserve the oils trapped within. Being water or fat soluble is essential to effectively break down flavors during cooking. To do this, the flavorful oils must first be released.

Flavor from spices are released by either grinding. This can be done manually by grinding the spice across a grater such as a microplane grater or on the very rough side of your cheese grater box. Alternately, this can also be done using a multipurpose cylinder/can grinder; but these are commonly associated with illicit drugs today, and are rarely used in the kitchen.

Because spices have to be broken down completely, and grating is the most effective way to do this, the crushing action of the mortar and pestle is not ideal. A dedicated coffee grinder to use for spices is becoming more common in kitchens these days. These are able to fully demolish the delivery device in seconds, saving a great deal of time and effort over any other method.

Although herbs, which are not spices, do store the flavorful compounds in the plant matter you are referring to, these flavors are actually water and/or oil soluble. You can add dried herbs safely to any appropriate cooking method and the flavors will release regardless of whether or not the cells have been broken down.

If you were making a stew, for example, you may want to use the whole flakes of oregano or thyme to add to the appearance. If you're making apple cider, you'll want to use whole sticks of cinnamon because to avoid ruining the mouthfeel of tiny grinds in the liquid.

But if you're covering the outside of a chicken with dried spices, you'll achieve a much more flavorful end result by going with a fine grind and spreading it over the entire bird.

/r/Cooking Thread Parent