Scientists have been studying the popular spice, nutmeg, for a long time. Thus far they’ve found 13 proven health benefits, including its ability to relieve pain, soothe indigestion, relieve insomnia, and improve brain function. Research shows it protects the liver, can relieve depression, improve cholesterol levels, regulate blood pressure levels, and alleviate oral conditions.

But this brown-colored spice is best known for how it enhances many foods with its rich flavor. Countless recipes and dishes call for it in combination with other spices like cinnamon, cloves and ginger. While it’s more common to use nutmeg in seasonal dishes during the fall and winter, it lends itself well to experimenting and bold creativity. In fact, nutmeg has a reputation for being a miracle-working spice!

If possible, use freshly grated nutmeg over the packaged ground variety. The flavor difference is remarkable. And be sure to store it in a cool, dry place away from heat and light (as you do all your herbs and spices).

If you haven’t yet, try nutmeg on vegetables such as sweet potatoes, red potatoes, carrots, pumpkin, winter squash, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and spinach. Along with nutmeg, add a pat of butter, olive or coconut oil to the vegetable for an intensely flavorful combination. Our favorite soufflé recipe calls for nutmeg in combination with the spinach and cheese.

While fruit tastes and looks wonderful all by itself, a touch of freshly grated nutmeg kicks up both flavor and visual appeal. Sprinkle nutmeg onto raw or cooked apples, bananas, peaches, nectarines, pears, pineapple or mango. Cut up several fruits to make a mixed fruit salad, dust the fruit with nutmeg, and squeeze a little fresh lemon evenly onto the dish.

And then there are breakfast foods—they can be a meal no matter what time it is. Using fresh nutmeg on them greatly enhances the flavor of quiche, scrambled eggs, omelets, pancakes, French toast, and muffins. Sprinkle it on while the food is warm and freshly cooked or baked. This gives the spice a chance to seep into the dish. Another tasty application is on a bowl of warm oatmeal, quinoa, or cracked wheat mush.

You can add a special twist to various drinks by sprinkling freshly grated nutmeg over them. This surprising spice, when paired with cinnamon or powdered cocoa, gives a kick to a mug or cup of hot coffee, hot chocolate, hot tea, eggnog, or cider. You don’t need to measure -- just gently add to taste. And I added a smidge to a glass of sparkling water yesterday and really liked the combination. This experiment showed me that nutmeg can stand alone.

Finally, desserts, the use nutmeg is best known for. It goes great not just in dessert recipes, but also ON them AFTER they’re baked. Fruit pies, cakes, custard and cookies are all good candidates.

In fact, when you sprinkle nutmeg evenly over the dessert soon after you take it out of the oven, you’ll find the nutmeg’s flavor is brighter and more distinct. Using nutmeg in this way can even allow you to reduce the amount of sugar or other sweetener in the recipe because it adds a sweet-tasting flavor all its own.

Since I’ve been strongly promoting “freshly grated” nutmeg, I thought I’d end with some suggestions as to the best graters available (as reviewed by www.bestreviews.com):

The best of the best is the Cuisinart SG-10 electric spice and nut grinder. It has durable, stainless steel blades and a heavy-duty motor. The lid is a push-top, for easy on and off control. The bowl holds a little more than 1/3 cup, and there’s extra storage space in the lid. It has non-slip rubber feet, has a dishwasher-safe lid and bowl, and grinds a large variety of large hard nuts and spices more finely than hand-cranked grinders. The negatives are its price ($35 on amazon.com) and its stainless steel container is not air tight (finely ground spices blow into the bottom of the unit and land on the counter).

BEST REVIEWS found the second best choice to be Cole and Mason’s hand-cranked mill. They liked how the acrylic body allowed them to see what was going on with the nutmeg as they grinded. It holds 4 to 6 whole nutmegs and the serrated stainless steel blades and powerful claw ensure a fine grind. It has a clever lift and delivery system that guarantees the next nutmeg will drop into place and keeps good pressure on the nut while grinding. The drawbacks? It may not totally grind the nut down and its price ($24.99 on amazon.com).

The third choice, the Microplane 46020 premium hand grater, speaks for itself, and would be my choice. It’s only $12.13 on amazon.com, and handles anything and everything you want to grate. Its drawback? You have to grate by hand…oh well. The miracles this spice works is worth the extra effort to grate it by hand!