Jonathon If you use a coffee grinder, do have a totally separate one for spices. Your family will attack if you use the same one used for grinding their coffee. Also, if you buy spices whole, bloom them first (roast until fragrant), then grind. Your taste buds will be rewarded.

twilliams Do remember this: If you do it from your heart, the stressed feeling will always be there. Even the best athletes/cooks in the world have that fuzzy feeling in their gut before any event. They’ve realized it comes from caring. When they lose that feeling, so does their game. Also, your worst efforts are usually the best for 98% of others. So, go out there and enjoy yourself. It will promote a bunch of quiet around the table. That’s what you’re after in the end.

TexLaw Agree with the large batches comment. I’m blessed to have a Vitamix for those jobs. But, before that time, the food processor did a fine job. I only use the coffee grinder for small jobs.

bocephus If you’ve had it for a long time, then you can remove the C19 edge. There’s actually science behind your dilemma. Bottom Line: It’s all in your taste receptors and it’s in your DNA. As an example: It’s the same reason some people hate cilantro and others are wild about it. It’s not good or bad. It’s just different for some and it appears you own it. Here’s one of many articles explaining the phenomena. https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/cocktail-party-physics/tasters-choice-why-i-hate-raw-tomatoes-and-you-dont/ . Note: Our little group researched “taste differences” because of a dividing line in the amount of heat that one can tolerate. Since we discovered the reason (outside of any medical issue), we only pick on others in the group because we like them. Not to be mean.