Spices - Manning,IA

Virtually.

I have all the American spices, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, and Indian spices. I've decided it's too much. I loved experimenting for years, but am sort of done with that phase now. Wish you were close, I'd give it to you.

I always have: salt, pepper, cumin, corriander, oregano, basil, dill, dry mustard, white pepper, chili powder, whole nutmeg (I only grate fresh as needed) cinnamon, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, cajun seasoning, fennel seeds, celery seeds, allspice, ground ginger, sage, thyme and rosemary in the cupboard.

I buy the following fresh as I need them: basil, parsley, cilantro, tarragon, rosemary, thyme and sage. Sometimes fresh works better, other time dry is best.

sea salt
black pepper
cayenne pepper
bay leaves
chili powder
cumin
cilantro
basil
oregano
rosemary
file
dill
garlic powder
onion powder
paprika
Tabasco
vanilla
cinnamon
ginger
fennel
sage
Worchestershire sauce
soy sauce

There is a store near me called Penzy's Spices. It is a foodie's dream. They have very high quality spices, and they give you so many ideas on how to use them. You can order all of their stuff online. If you sign up for their catalog, they will give you coupons for free spices. And any time I order something online, I also get bonus spices thrown in. I love trying new flavors! Their catalog is always full of recipes using all of the Penzy's spice blends. You might want to check them out.

Ohhh, too many to type out. I like making curry from scratch, tex mex or new mexican mex, italian, greek food like moussaka etc. I love trying new recipes. To start learning to spice things up just start trying out all kinds of recipes you have never made before. The moosewood cookbook is where I started in my 20s. I'm now in my 40s and just go look online - you can find every recipein the world there. I love using fresh herbs whenever I can bc they really add a nice flavor. I love spicy foods although I have to make sure my kids have something non spicy to eat. Have fun trying new recipes!

I prefer fresh herbs/peppers whenever possible, so I grow some (oregano, basil, rosemary, jalapenos, bell peppers). I just moved the herbs inside for the winter. I'm hoping they survive, but if they look like they aren't going to make it, I'll chop them up and freeze them. I buy fresh garlic all the time. It's so much better than what you get in a jar.

In my cabinet, I have salt, pepper, seasoning salt, cumin, red pepper, chili powder, nutmeg, lemon pepper, thyme, and maybe a couple of others.

I have 60 to 80 different spices in my cupboard and spice rack. I've never actually counted them. Then I also have some spices that are combinations of other spices. I have very few spices that have "salt" as the first spice. Lemon pepper's first ingredient is salt. Canadian Steak Seasoning's first ingredient is salt. Salt is the listed first for Jambalaya seasoning, Canadian Chicken seasoning, Taco spice, Turkey rub, Powdered chicken bouillion.

Salt being the first seasoning means there is a higher percentage of salt than any other ingredient. The more salt, the higher your blood pressure, for most people. In my case, IF I eat one serving of McDonald's french fries, my blood pressure will climb 20 points within an hour.

Why so many spices? Think of a band and an orchestra. Now imagine the 1812 Overture being played by a band. Now imagine the 1812 Overture being played by an orchestra. If you have 4 or 5 spices you have a band at your command. If you have 50+ spices, and know how to use them, you have an orchestra at your command.

Good luck to you and yours.

I'm in Texas so; cumin, oregano, chili powder, red pepper flakes, also rosemary, thyme, sage, white pepper, and paprika.

Basil, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, bay leaf, dill, coriander, cumin, ground ginger (I also have fresh in the refrigerator), chilli pepper (2 types), crackled red pepper, black pepper, white pepper, dry mustard (hardly ever use), celery seeds, sesame seeds, cinnamon, nutmeg (hardly use), caramom (use only at Christmas time for cookies & glugg), cream of tarter (used only for 2 recipes) garlic powder, oinion powder. I also have spice blends: jerk chicken, Montreal Steak, Montreal Chicken, Paul Prudhomme cajun, Old Bay. I finally threw out the tarragon becuase I just didn't like it - and finally gave up on thyme since i used such a tiny amount it didn't make sense to buy more. I also have baking stuff that I don't think of as spices - baking soda, baking powder, vanilla, unsweetened chocolate, etc.

I love to add herbs (leaves) and spices (ground seeds) as they add marvelous depth to foods. Any soup or stew I make gets a bay leaf, parsley, rosemary, celery seed & sage. Any italian food gets basil, oregano and parsley - sometimes rosemary. Salads and vegetables get either dill or basil, sometimes sesame or celery seeds. I love cinnamon in baking & oatmeal. It's not bad in coffee either. Whenever boneless chicken breasts are on sale buy alot, slice thin and grill - but I always add either Montreal or Jerk chicken spice mix after spraying with Pam then after they're lightly grilled they go in freezer bags in the freezer. Quick & easy lunch & dinner options (over salad, in pasta, on a roll, etc.) did you know that adding some unsweetened chocolate into chili gives it a meaty depth that no-one can figure out? For a huge crockpot use one cube, for a smaller amount use half a cube.

Get yourself, or ask for Christmas, a good, all purpose cookbook. As much as I go online these days for recipes or ideas, the old fashioned cookbok provdes the basic foundation of what you need to know and have on hand and how to make basic meals. Then you add variety as you get comfortable with the recipes.

Have fun with it!

<gets up off the couch with the laptop, walks to kitchen, opens pantry....>
the regulars:
garlic powder
salt
pepper
oregano
italian seasoning
grill mates-hamburger
grill mates-chicken

then there are about 40 other ones that were bought for a one time use like:
ground mustard
poppy seed
ground cumin

Allspice
Basil (although I usually use frozen or fresh)
Cardamom, Curry, Cumin, Coriander, Cloves, Cinnamon
Dill (rarely)
Fennel seeds
Ginger, dried, Galangal
Marjoram, Mace, Mustard powder (Regular, chinese)
Nutmeg
Oregano
Pepper (white, black)
Rosemary
Saffron
Tarragon, Thyme, Turmeric

In the herb garden - sage, basil, rosemary, thyme, marjoram, oregano, cilantro, parsley, mint

I have way too many spices to list. I have 2 double decker "lazy susans" filled with spices (all alphabetized :). Plus I have a shelf with liquid type seasonings like soy sauce, srirachi, different vinegars and oil types. And 1 door shelf in the fridge with things like Thai chili paste, hoisin sauce, etc. I cook from scratch and I love trying different recipes.

My main spices-herbs are salt, pepper, basil, parsley, garlic, onion, rosemary, cinnamon, ginger. I don't experiment too much outside of those. I go fresh as much as I can.

What helped me to learn to use individual spices was that 1. I like the taste of freshness, and 2. I typically do not like my foods to be pre-mixed. If you want to branch out and learn how to figure out your own spices, start by reading the ingredients in your seasoning salt and then buying them individually. Then, practice putting them together.

I use cayenne pepper instead of black pepper in my scrambled eggs because the black pepper makes them look dingy. That required me to learn how much red pepper to use in my cooking. Sometimes instead of granulated pepper, I chop jalapeno.

Just start playing with it.

Yea on your baking. I'm a good cook, but baking is not my thing at all.

Pepper, salt and Garlic powder are a good start, Cayenne pepper, basil, oregano, thyme, those are handy too. Question is what do you make a lot and what do you like on your food when you go out?

boy. we must use at least 60 different kinds, far too many to list. We use the usual suspects, and then we have lots of curry, asian and mexican spices.

I have everything. My favourites are seasoning blends like Greek seasoning, Montreal steak spice, Montreal chicken spice, poultry seasoning, taco seasoning, souvlaki seasoning, pumpkin pie spice and lemon pepper. I love Victorian Epicure parties...

Thyme is a lovely herb for veggies and meat. Cumin for anything southwestern or hispanic, along with cayenne, which I use in teeny amounts. Rosemary is great with roasted veggies. Bay leaves add something to soups and stews, as well as stewed beans. Fresh garlic is a pain to cut but boy, does it give nice flavor. Same with ginger. Smoked paprika is kind of cool, too. Oh, and oregano! I never make anything italian without it!

I do a fair amount of Indian cooking, which requires cumin seed, coriander, turmeric, asafoetida, mustard seeds, and others, but you need to know how to roast those spices in order for your dishes not to turn out bitter.

Do you have cinnamon?

Thanks for the post. In the past couple years I have started teaching myself how to cook better and it's fun to think about what's inthe cupboard! :)