FOOD: Mustards hold potential to change up cooking

Good old mustard. One of my favorite condiments in the world; I have at least three different open jars at any given time.

Yes, it’s amazing on sandwiches. Burgers. Hot dogs. Pigs in a blanket.

But there’s more to the world of mustard, and once you start exploring it, your cooking world will pop open in exciting ways.

Mustard appears in my daily cooking in amounts large and small. I use it in everything from macaroni and cheese to salad dressing to sauces to marinades. It adds brightness, acidity and dimension to all kinds of dishes.

The mustard plant is a member of the brassica family, which includes broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower. Its leaves are edible, usually cooked, as are its flowers. But it’s the seeds that are the base of the condiment we know and love. They are blended with water, something acidic (like vinegar or lemon juice), sometimes wine or beer or another liquid,