Pre-ground spice blends are convenient and quietly stale. Toasting and grinding your own is a revelation.
Open a jar of pre-ground curry powder and then toast and grind your own, and the difference is almost embarrassing. Whole spices hold their volatile oils until you break them; ground spices start fading the day they are milled. A blend you make this week tastes like a different ingredient entirely.
It is also easier than it sounds. Toast whole spices in a dry pan until they smell fragrant, cool them, and grind. A cheap dedicated grinder pays for itself in a month of better cooking, and you can tune each blend to your taste -- more cumin here, less heat there.
Start with one blend you use often, make a small batch, and store it airtight away from light. Once you taste the difference, the dusty supermarket jars lose their appeal for good.
