With more than two hundred varieties of garden mint found in home gardens, deciding which to use is a matter of taste, but consider this rule of thumb. Use spearmint for warm dishes and peppermint for cool or uncooked dishes. By and large, these basic varieties of mint are interchangeable in recipes if you don’t have the choice. Reserve specialty mints like chocolate, orange, or pineapple mint for recipes where the leaf is used whole or as an edible garnish where unique taste can be fully appreciated.
