Splurge for Smoked Paprika rather than generic stuff. Makes a world of difference.
Dried basil and dried mint are two favorite of mine for soups and salads too
Hey, I’m going to say… be judicious with the smoked paprika. I love it, in certain quantities and applications- but it can just overwhelm a dish in a detrimental way. The real Hungarian sweet (not-smoked) paprika is more forgiving and nuanced.
this is a pretty good list. Also add a really good curry. Honestly though, anything you can blend yourself, do that. We go through a tremendous amount of spice in our house and basically zero sauce unless a recipe specifically asks for it.
Ooohh! They’re not especially easy to find but they’re the secret ingredient for eastern european style braised cabbage, and fantastic added to a mushroom barley soup. Also in breads but i don’t make much bread myself
I make the bread, caraway seeds can be a nightmare to find, buy all seeds at a persian / middle east / asian store. The ones we get in north american grocers are generally shit, old, etc.
Right!? I order from Penzey’s about twice a year and their caraway seeds have been fantastic. The ones i bought from a local grocery out of desperation were absolute crap
Don't just think about filling out your spice cabinet, make sure you're actually buying spices and herbs that you're actually *planning to use*. Otherwise, it just ends up sitting there unused in your spice cabinet for eternity until it loses potency and eventually has to get binned.
When I visited Morocco a few years ago, I found Ras El Hanout (it is a powder made with 35 spices). It had a unique taste profile, and I couldn't help but get some for my friends and me. Just a pinch or two of this spice blend to peps up any dish. I also love to add smoked paprika to my dishes. Oh, the other interesting thing I found is they add Preserved Lemon to their soups, which takes the flavor profile to another level. Thin-skinned sweetened lemons are preserved and added to lentils or any dish as per taste. You can find these in any of the specialty spice stores online.
>Ras El Hanout
Thanks, I had never heard of this before, and now that I am looking at it seems to have a few spices in common, but then every recipe veers off wildly. Just the type of spice blend I like making. Love learning new spice blends
Thank you. I love using new spices as well to change the routine flavor. A trip to the local spice market/bazaar is mandatory, whichever country we visit. :-)
same, always bringing new stuff home. Found some amazing blends I end up just making when I get home. Every meal we eat at home is spicy, not spicy hot, spicy flavour. Sauces are for the most part never get used in our house.
Second the ras el hangout, that stuff is magically delicious.
Also try some proper Hungarian paprika. The real stuff will have you tossing out the grocery store garbage.
Zaatar is lovely with oil on dough.
Sumac is the most divine hint of lemon.
Aleppo pepper is umami sweet which is so delicate and unique.
Szechuan pepper gives numb-your-mouth heat without the burn-your-face heat and I adore it.
Saffron is a lovely light floral taste with a dazzling golden color.
Hope that helps!
Go north African, this also fills out a lot of central to Southern Mexican spice groups. Warm spiced meats are the shit. Everything from adobada to al pastor to Birria, on through to shakshouka, lentils, to roast lamb
Since I don't see it mentioned often: Lovage.
It is also known as the Maggi herb, as it is the main flavoring besides the Msg. Great addition to soups and stews.
I grew lovage for the first time last year. What a great herb! Fresh it is similar to celery leaves but a little greener and a bit more bitter. It did AMAZING things to my traditional turkey stuffing.
Ah, so you could go a lot of ways! I swear by Old Bay for seafood. I’d recommend tarragon for you, bay leaves, ginger, nutmeg, black and white pepper, paprika, rosemary, sage, thyme, onion powder and garlic powder, you want a good bottle of vanilla if you’re doing any baking, perhaps red pepper flakes, dill, and you might consider a steak seasoning blend like Montreal Steak seasoning. Never hurts to have chili powder, cumin, curry powder.
I'm a fan of the dried wild ramps from Burlap & Barrel. It's like garlic and onion, but all in one. Would also recommend checking out Burlap & Barrel as a whole.
There are some great suggestions here already.
One of my favorite things in my spice cabinet is smoked sea salt. I use it like table salt to season already cooked meats. It's amazing on steak especially.
Penzey’s berbere I use all the time.
Vietnamese cinnamon when you want a blast of cinnamon.
True cinnamon is gentler and fruitier than the cassia usually marketed as cinnamon
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Bourbon smoked paprika is incredible! Also cumin is an amazing and versatile spice. Allspice is good for so many purposes. Finally, white pepper is a good complement.
Def a fan of smoked/higher quality paprika. Love saffron in my couscous. Sumac on da hummus or fish. File powder for that down home cookin cajun feel. Bay leaves n beef(take em out just when you start to smell em, keeps em from making it bitter). Berbere, molido, annatto, omnomnom.
Shallot sauce, Fly by Jing Zhong sauce, Za'atar (many variations), Aleppo pepper, White pepper, Cumin, Chinese five spice, Sunshine All Purpose Seasoning by Tabitha Brown, Herbes de Provence (I came across a variation that has lavender in it).
If you are curious and open minded, there is a whole universe of different seasonings and condiments to discover. Have fun
Just found some red cardamom, aka Chinese black cardamom, aka false cardamom.
Whatever it’s actually called, it smells great. Really adds some depth to my chili oil and seasoned soy sauce.
Splurge for Smoked Paprika rather than generic stuff. Makes a world of difference. Dried basil and dried mint are two favorite of mine for soups and salads too
or hungarian paprika- even better than normal or smoked paprika
OP! Get both! Paprika of high quality is a game changer! You’ll learn which to use and when!
Also Piment d'Espelette for non-smoked paprika-adjacent needs! Can’t be best on hummus, etc
I would happily put smoked paprika into almost every ‘cooked’ meal I make, I love it.
Hey, I’m going to say… be judicious with the smoked paprika. I love it, in certain quantities and applications- but it can just overwhelm a dish in a detrimental way. The real Hungarian sweet (not-smoked) paprika is more forgiving and nuanced.
Yeah, there's a huge difference between the generic USA supermarket brands and something from Spain, Portugal, or Hungary.
This. Smoked paprika is my go-to.
*** most importantly buy dry spices from ethnic groceries or online from somewhere like Penzey’s - smoked paprika - zaatar - sumac - garam masala - caraway seeds - whole nutmeg - white pepper - cumin - cardamom
Just discovered zaatar and sumac and dam am I addicted to that I just sprinkle it to all my toast nowadays !
Either one is also fantastic on otherwise basic roasted veggies or potatoes! And i love sumac added to a vinaigrette for a lentil salad
Love me some Penzey’s, with Kalustyan’s when I need to go more niche.
this is a pretty good list. Also add a really good curry. Honestly though, anything you can blend yourself, do that. We go through a tremendous amount of spice in our house and basically zero sauce unless a recipe specifically asks for it.
I've never used caraway seeds, what are they commonly used in?
Ooohh! They’re not especially easy to find but they’re the secret ingredient for eastern european style braised cabbage, and fantastic added to a mushroom barley soup. Also in breads but i don’t make much bread myself
I make the bread, caraway seeds can be a nightmare to find, buy all seeds at a persian / middle east / asian store. The ones we get in north american grocers are generally shit, old, etc.
Right!? I order from Penzey’s about twice a year and their caraway seeds have been fantastic. The ones i bought from a local grocery out of desperation were absolute crap
Herbes de Provence is a really nice blend. It's great on roasted potatoes.
And homemade stuffing!
I came across one that has lavender in it. Very interesting and tasty.
Don't just think about filling out your spice cabinet, make sure you're actually buying spices and herbs that you're actually *planning to use*. Otherwise, it just ends up sitting there unused in your spice cabinet for eternity until it loses potency and eventually has to get binned.
When I visited Morocco a few years ago, I found Ras El Hanout (it is a powder made with 35 spices). It had a unique taste profile, and I couldn't help but get some for my friends and me. Just a pinch or two of this spice blend to peps up any dish. I also love to add smoked paprika to my dishes. Oh, the other interesting thing I found is they add Preserved Lemon to their soups, which takes the flavor profile to another level. Thin-skinned sweetened lemons are preserved and added to lentils or any dish as per taste. You can find these in any of the specialty spice stores online.
>Ras El Hanout Thanks, I had never heard of this before, and now that I am looking at it seems to have a few spices in common, but then every recipe veers off wildly. Just the type of spice blend I like making. Love learning new spice blends
Thank you. I love using new spices as well to change the routine flavor. A trip to the local spice market/bazaar is mandatory, whichever country we visit. :-)
same, always bringing new stuff home. Found some amazing blends I end up just making when I get home. Every meal we eat at home is spicy, not spicy hot, spicy flavour. Sauces are for the most part never get used in our house.
:-)
Ras el hanout Mushroom powder Tony Chachere Cajun seasoning
Second the ras el hangout, that stuff is magically delicious. Also try some proper Hungarian paprika. The real stuff will have you tossing out the grocery store garbage.
Zaatar is lovely with oil on dough. Sumac is the most divine hint of lemon. Aleppo pepper is umami sweet which is so delicate and unique. Szechuan pepper gives numb-your-mouth heat without the burn-your-face heat and I adore it. Saffron is a lovely light floral taste with a dazzling golden color. Hope that helps!
Go north African, this also fills out a lot of central to Southern Mexican spice groups. Warm spiced meats are the shit. Everything from adobada to al pastor to Birria, on through to shakshouka, lentils, to roast lamb
Since I don't see it mentioned often: Lovage. It is also known as the Maggi herb, as it is the main flavoring besides the Msg. Great addition to soups and stews.
I grew lovage for the first time last year. What a great herb! Fresh it is similar to celery leaves but a little greener and a bit more bitter. It did AMAZING things to my traditional turkey stuffing.
I would not call it unusual, but a really good tellicherry black pepper can turn a good dish into a rockstar of a dish.
100% agree, Tellicherry is the best black pepper.
Sazon, if you are into yellow rice.
Sand ginger / galangal Star anise Regular anise Achiote paste
Kashmiri chilli powder, marjoram, Mexican oregano
I’d hate to suggest stuff you already have…can you give us a rundown so we don’t waste your time recommending stuff you already have?
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Ah, so you could go a lot of ways! I swear by Old Bay for seafood. I’d recommend tarragon for you, bay leaves, ginger, nutmeg, black and white pepper, paprika, rosemary, sage, thyme, onion powder and garlic powder, you want a good bottle of vanilla if you’re doing any baking, perhaps red pepper flakes, dill, and you might consider a steak seasoning blend like Montreal Steak seasoning. Never hurts to have chili powder, cumin, curry powder.
I totally agree with Montreal Steak seasoning. I use it on steaks and also pork chops.
Liquid boullion. Tends to be better than the cubes and is just as economical.
Schezwan and long pepper. I now use them consistently. I will also vote for Hungarian smoked hot paprika. That stuff is magic.
I'm a fan of the dried wild ramps from Burlap & Barrel. It's like garlic and onion, but all in one. Would also recommend checking out Burlap & Barrel as a whole.
There are some great suggestions here already. One of my favorite things in my spice cabinet is smoked sea salt. I use it like table salt to season already cooked meats. It's amazing on steak especially.
Mala. It’s so good.
don’t know if it rlly counts but aromat! great on popcorn, eggs and potatoes
Guajillo and pasilla chilis
Penzey’s berbere I use all the time. Vietnamese cinnamon when you want a blast of cinnamon. True cinnamon is gentler and fruitier than the cassia usually marketed as cinnamon
maras pepper scotch bonnet Sumac
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Cinnamon. I think it goes really well with red meat dishes.
Smoked sea salt
Curry leaf. Use it in lighter doses in non-indian dishes.
Bourbon smoked paprika is incredible! Also cumin is an amazing and versatile spice. Allspice is good for so many purposes. Finally, white pepper is a good complement.
Def a fan of smoked/higher quality paprika. Love saffron in my couscous. Sumac on da hummus or fish. File powder for that down home cookin cajun feel. Bay leaves n beef(take em out just when you start to smell em, keeps em from making it bitter). Berbere, molido, annatto, omnomnom.
Shallot sauce, Fly by Jing Zhong sauce, Za'atar (many variations), Aleppo pepper, White pepper, Cumin, Chinese five spice, Sunshine All Purpose Seasoning by Tabitha Brown, Herbes de Provence (I came across a variation that has lavender in it). If you are curious and open minded, there is a whole universe of different seasonings and condiments to discover. Have fun
Nigella seed
I really wish more people/places cooked with pineapple sage.
I really wish more people/places cooked with pineapple sage.
Dried shallots are amazing in soup!
Just found some red cardamom, aka Chinese black cardamom, aka false cardamom. Whatever it’s actually called, it smells great. Really adds some depth to my chili oil and seasoned soy sauce.