Best Used Spices In Cooking!

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  • CoryIda
    CoryIda Posts: 7,870 Member
    And above all else, my personal kitchen wouldn't be complete without cayenne pepper. Seriously, I love this stuff. I tried to set my Facebook relationship status as "In a relationship with Cayenne Pepper" ... but it wouldn't let me.
    It wouldn't let you because Cayenne Pepper is ALREADY in a relationship with ME.


    Oh, and I also use a TON of chili powder and quite a bit of garlic and cinnamon (but not those last two together - ewww).
  • Allie_71
    Allie_71 Posts: 1,063 Member
    I taught cooking classes for a few years and for a starting pantry, I'd always suggest, as far as dry spices:

    Soups - dried oregano, tarragon, thyme

    Stuffings/dressings - sage, celery seed, poultry seasoning

    Chili - cayenne, chili powder, cumin

    Indian - cardamon, turmeric, good curry powder, cinnamon.

    And for every day use - dried garlic powder(not garlic salt) dried onion powder, good (not stale) black peppercorns, kosher or sea salt.

    Hope this helps :)
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,423 Member
    The spices I use most often would be:
    - smoked paprika (it adds a lot of flavour and richness, and it a great addition if you like things like chorizo, as it gives some of that flavour with a whole lot less cals)
    - Ground cumin
    - Ground coriander
    - Ground cinnamon (for savoury as well as sweet things)

    And one that I don't use so often (it's expensive!) but that is fantastic, is saffron. I made a chicken and apricot tagine recently and the saffron adds so much sweetness and flavour and aroma, it's magic.

    A few things that aren't spices but that add soooo much flavour: lemon zest, balsamic vinegar, fresh basil, coriander, parsley.
  • mrs_deg1983
    mrs_deg1983 Posts: 157
    I love anything Garlic.
  • Lainnee
    Lainnee Posts: 61 Member
    Great thread...saving!
  • _hi_hat3r_
    _hi_hat3r_ Posts: 423 Member
    mrs dash
  • kitinboots
    kitinboots Posts: 589 Member
    My mum sent me a Harissa spice mix grinder over a year ago. I use it on everything (I recommend it on popcorn) and as it has such a strong and spicy flavour I only need a bit and the jar is still almost full over a year later!
  • Laura_beau
    Laura_beau Posts: 1,029 Member
    It really depends on the dish/cuisine you are cooking. I adore cooking, and always have plenty of herbs/spices and seasonings. It's best to invest in several different cook books which explain the culture/cuisine and how to cook with the spices. Here are a few ideas:

    Greek Cuisine (souvlaki skewers, beef stifado, greek salad, meatballs etc)
    Oregano
    Mint
    Dill
    Lemon juice
    olive oil
    cinnamon
    Garlic

    Indian Cuisine (Curries, Daals, biryanis) Btw this is a short list- there are thousands of herbs/spices used in Indian cookery this is just a list of the most popular/common.
    Chilli
    Ginger
    Garlic
    Coriander seed/Ground coriander
    Fresh coriander (Cilantro)
    Lime juice
    Cumin seed/ground cumin
    Mustard seed
    garam masala
    turmeric
    cardamom pods/seeds
    fenugreek/methi

    Thai/Vietnamese cuisine- (Thai curries, soups, salads)
    Garlic
    Chilli
    Ginger
    lime juice
    lemongrass
    mint
    basil
    coriander/cilantro
    fish sauce
    shrimp paste
    tamarind
    palm sugar

    Spanish (Paellas, stews, tapas)
    Garlic
    Parsley
    Smoked paprika (Pimenton)
    unsmoked paprka
    Saffron
    lemon juice
    ground almonds

    Italian (Pasta dishes, meat/fish stews/ salads/ pizzas)
    Garlic
    Basil
    Chilli
    olive oil
    oregano
    parmesan
    mint
    lemon juice
    sundried tomatoes

    English (the widest used UK products in my cupboard)
    Stock cubes (Veg, beef, chicken, fish, ham, pork)
    Salt & pepper
    worcestershire sauce
    tomato puree
    parsley
    sage
    Chives
    rosemary
    thyme
    Mustard
    Ketchup!

    French:
    Garlic
    wine
    tarragon
    parsley
    mustard
    pepper
    saffron

    Moroccan: (Tagines, cous cous, meze)
    Garlic
    Preserved lemons
    lemon juice
    parsley
    cinnamon
    cumin
    ground coriander
    rosewater
    chilli
    mint
    coriander (Cilantro)

    Mexican: (Taco's, chilli's, burrito's, stews etc)
    Chillis (Loooads of varieties of fresh & dried)
    Cayenne pepper
    cinnamon
    Thyme
    saffron
    orgeano
    garlic
    lime
    coriander (cilantro)
    cumin
    paprika
    cocoa/chocolate

    Carribean (Curries, jerk meat, stews/soups)
    Chilli (Especially scotch bonnet)
    ginger
    Pepper
    lemon
    lime
    thyme
    allspice
    nutmeg
    cloves
  • Laura_beau
    Laura_beau Posts: 1,029 Member
    Bump
  • TGKvr
    TGKvr Posts: 123 Member
    Absolute must-haves in my kitchen or I'll go into convulsions:

    Garlic powder, sea salt, kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, cayenne pepper, ground mustard, onion powder, basil, oregano, allspice, thyme, paprika, white pepper, marjoram, rosemary, parsley...

    I have a thousand more (one of my food cabinets is nothing but spices, oils, and vinegars), but I'd say those are my go-to staples.
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