Needing some spice help

MrsMills712 · January 2011

Hey there.

Tonight I was standing in the kitchen staring at my spice rack we received as a wedding gift about 3 years ago and realizing that I had probably only used it a handful of times. That may be an exaggeration. I went through and smelled all 20 of them, but that was about the extent of it. I would love to use them, but don't know where to even begin.

I'm sure they are pretty typical as to what comes on those prepackaged spice racks, so I won't name them all.
I'm just looking for some help from the 'spicy' people out there

I'm guessing normal meals could be made so much better just by knowing what spice to add.

I guess I'm asking for your favorite spices and how you use them to season your meats, or favorite simple dishes.

I would appreciate any feedback, or links to websites that you have found helpful with this topic. Thank you so much

LuckyLeprechaun · January 2011

i put garlic and basil in almost everything. I LOVE tarragon on carrots, and rosemary is awesome on chicken.

I also have a bunch of spices I never use though...dill comes to mind...

RDTaylor13 · January 2011

for me, my favorite spices are garlic, rosemary, curry, chili powder, and dill is really good if used on fish (trout,and salmon specifically)

NoAdditives · January 2011

I use either garlic or garlic powder and paprika in a lot of foods. They're both great with potatoes/hash browns. When I make roasted potatoes I use garlic powder, paprika and Italian seasoning. I use garlic powder and poultry seasoning when I make a chicken breast. My husband uses rosemary and thyme on roasts; rosemary, thyme, paprika, garlic powder, and worcestershire sauce on steaks. Dill, garlic, carraway seeds and bay leaves are great in soups. Dill and chives are good in mashed potatoes. So is garlic.

puddles76 · January 2011

Try the website allrecipes. I believe you can search dishes by spices too. I'm a big Italian cooker so oregeno, garlic, basil, corrianded relaly help me out. Also you can search dry rubs for meat and I'm sure it will take a lot of what you have on the rack.

Carolyn72 · January 2011

If you are looking for an Italian dish, use oregano, basil, garlic, and onion. Mexican-inspired food would call for cilantro, garlic, chili powder, cumin, and onion. I roast turkeys and chickens by rubbing them with olive or veggie oil, then rubbing them with a combo of rosemary, thyme, sage, and a little salt. I agree with ronnyt13--dill is excellent on fish--you can combine it with a little lemon juice and it's killer on salmon!

You can google recipes using ingredients. If you want to experiment with basil, try doing a search for "recipe basil" and some will pop up--you can look at those and see if anything strikes your fancy, or see how they use the spice in that particular recipe.

Good luck! Feel free to message me with questions!

rawdefault · January 2011

Cumin goes well with pretty much anything - I even sprinkle it on sandwiches!

pechia22 · January 2011

A good combo is Rosemary,Thyme, basil, garlic, salt and pepper to use as a rub.

IF your spice rack is three years old my guess is that some of the spices have lost their flavor. They do go bad(Not bad to where you can't eat them, but just loose their potent flavor that they are loved for.

I would just suggest playing with different combo's and see what you like. try solo spices and also combos and make up some rubs.

Good luck!

AsaThorsWoman · January 2011

Dill is great on toasted italian bread or mixed with mayo on your turkey/fish burger

emmyvera · January 2011

I love cooking with my spices. A few years ago I only used a few but now I use more and more to add flavor.

You should just start experimenting with smell first then using some little by little. That is how I've learned to appreciate them more.

My favorite recipe with a bunch of spices are my roasted potatoes:
Cut up potatoes any way you like. Prepare a bowl with some olive oil and add in a pinch of salt, ground black pepper, rosemary, basil, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, marjoram, parsley and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Combine mixture with tots, bake in oven.......This combination of herbs really makes the potatoes pop!

My husband likes to add cumin to give a dish a bit of an Mediterranean flare.
I like to experiment with any green like spices in my Italian dishes. Like oregano, parsley, basil etc.

RoadDog · January 2011

3 Years old? Throw them all in a jar, mix them up and use them as a rub for BBQing. Then, go out and buy your spices fresh each time you need them. Keep some around for a while -- but most are losing their flavor.

skinnywithin · January 2011

love cumin on pork!! its yummy and I put it in my chicken salad. gives it a great new flavor

cjnorman · January 2011

Rubs are a great way to use spices here are a few from the radio program Splendid Table http://splendidtable.publicradio.org/recipes/rub-guide.shtml

But if you listen to Splendid Tableyou already know that Lynn says the first step is to taste the spices. You won't kow what to use them for if you haven't tasted them. Smelling is not enough. Honestly 3 year old spices may be the best ones to taste. Fresh spices may be too intense. If they taste like nothing throw them out and buy new.

CakeFit21 · January 2011

3 Years old? Throw them all in a jar, mix them up and use them as a rub for BBQing. Then, go out and buy your spices fresh each time you need them. Keep some around for a while -- but most are losing their flavor.

Yep! RoadDog is right, get rid of them. Spices should be kept for one year max. Get new ones then go here:

http://simplyrecipes.com/

A great blog with real recipes of real food. Lots of options to expand your palate and great pics to help you decide what looks good enough to eat. The variety is amazing and it is not written by a Chef, a woman who cooks with her family, (her dad mostly) and then blogs about it. Some of the recipes are complicated and fancy, but there are so many that are easy. Stuff that you've probably eaten is restaurants, but never cooked at home. Recipes from every cuisine and you'll have lots of opportunities to use all of your beautiful new spices!
Happy cooking!

catcrazy · January 2011

I use LOTS of herbs and spices. My staples being garlic, cayenne pepper (ground red pepper to some), coriander leaf (cilantro, chinese parsley) oregano, marjoram, sage.......ah right I have lots of staples!

Garlic and Cayenne, I use on most things to be honest, cayenne is brilliant for spicing up sweet dishes too

Indian style curries just wouldnt work without coriander. I make my own curry pastes from all the herbs and spices, no shop bought mixes or powders for me.

I buy the 3 above by the pound, I use so much of it!

Marjoran oregano and sage go well with minced meat dishes (ground meat) and any Italian style dishes.

Dill is good with fish but go easy the first time, its not to everyones taste. I prefer dill in pickles!

Carraway seeds use sparingly in casseroles and soups, too much and you get aniseedy flavour

As already stated, 3 years old spices and herbs might not be the best, some are ok but if the herbs are more grey than green get rid, there will be very little of the original taste left. Spices fair better than herbs if they have been kept airtight.

Just found this as my list could go on forever!............ http://www.nowpublic.com/health/uses-herbs-and-spices

jr1985 · January 2011

Spices not only add a LOT of flavor to food, but they also have a lot of health benefits too! sprinkle cinnamon on fruit, to help boost metabolism, almost any pepper based spices also bood metabolism, Sage, mint both help with memory, Ginger helps upset stomach's... check this out for some more health benefits. http://www.smithandtruslow.com/health_benefits.php

poisongirl6485 · January 2011

I am a spice junkie. My mom heavily seasons everything (and I mean with spices/herbs, not salt) so I've acquired a taste for...well...FLAVOR in my food!

For anything savory, I always put garlic and onion powder, pepper, and a sprinkling of California Seasoning (blend of garlic salt, parsley, and pepper I believe).

I use paprika frequently...not a HUGE flavor kicker, but it makes the dishes a pretty color and adds a little depth.

For Italian dishes I always use sweet basil and oregano and italian seasoning mix (kind of a mixture of those two things plus pepper I believe), in additional to my main staples above.

For poultry, tarragon and rosemary are nice.

Dill I use in any seafood.

Cilantro I LOVE in Mexican dishes. Fresh preferably.

My mom always orders her spices in bulk through Penzey's and will put some in a jar to use everyday and freeze the rest to keep them fresh.

Needing some spice help

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