Pantry guide
Best Old Bay for home cooking
What Old Bay is for, which kitchens use it, and where to find a jar worth cooking with.
Why cooks start here
Celery seed, paprika, and bay — the Chesapeake tin that seasons a whole coastline.
In the International Cuisines books, Old Bay is not decoration. Add it where the recipe puts it: early if it needs fat and time, late if it is perfume.
Taste Old Bay before you empty the spoon. Fresh jars smell like themselves; tired ones smell like dust. Buy the smallest amount you will finish.