Spice it Up!

At several points in my life I’ve tried my hand at becoming a better cook. I’ve purchased cookbooks, asked family and friends for tips, and opened my mind to trying new tastes for my meals. Somehow, though, none of it has ever stuck with me.

One problem I have is my terrible memory for “cooking stuff.” While I can name a few dozen spices and herbs, no matter how hard I try I can’t remember what each one adds to a dish! Yes, I’ve used a lot of basil, cumin, rosemary, dill, and so many others in my cooking. In fact, I have a drawer full of little jars, sitting there, waiting to be added to my food. Unfortunately, my brain has no idea when to use them. Instead, I diligently follow recipes and let the cookbook authors guide my hand. 

So when I started seeing various pictures of spice related puzzles popping up on my social media, I figured it would be fun to do a few and share them with my friends. It doesn’t matter that I can’t properly season my food without a roadmap, right? Who cares? Because while I won’t be making a feast for my tummy, the puzzles I put together will create a feast of tasty images for my eyes.

First up on the table was Spice of Life, a stunning, colorful offering from Playful Pastimes. I’ve done a couple of puzzles from this company, and just love their images and piece quality. If you’re not familiar with them, you should know that they are a Canada-based company that, according to their website, “donates proceeds from all puzzle sales to mental health and brain research.” A fun puzzle supporting a great cause - it’s win/win. 

Spice of Life by Playful Pastimes

I followed up with another spicy puzzle, this one from Anatolian. If you’re a regular reader, you know that this is now one of my favorite brands. I’ve completed eight or nine from their collection, and have never been disappointed in quality. Titled Herbal World Map, this is another colorful entry in the spice category. My photo doesn’t do it justice, but it gives a good idea of piece shape (varied) and fit (good).

Herbal World Map by Anatolian

My final entry for the month took me nearly a month to complete. Once in a while something happens in real life that keeps me away from puzzling for a bit, and this was one of those times. I did finally finish it up, though, and I have both a warning and a helpful hint if you decide to take it on. I’ll put both of them below the image. From Educa, I give you Herbs and Spices.

Herbs and Spices by Educa

Warning: The contents of the bowls aren’t hard, but the spaces around them will definitely take some time. There’s very little variation in piece shape, so patience is key.

Helpful Hint: The pieces are cut in a mirrored grid. If you count X pieces across from the top left edge, and Y pieces down from the top, that piece will be the same shape as the one that is X pieces across from the bottom right edge, and Y pieces up from the bottom. This can help you fix false fits you’ve made. I caught five of my own in my endgame!

And there you go - a trio of fun & challenging puzzles guaranteed to spice up your puzzling. They won’t, however, help you progress as a chef, an unfortunate fact that I suppose I’ll just have to live with.

Happy Puzzling.

Phil (aka Puzzle Buster)