I have a narrow, walk-in pantry and put up three small spice racks on one wall - right at eye level. Everything is easy to find now!
I buy tandoori masala from the indian grocery store to make grilled tandoori chicken.
Cool!
Use a lot of coriander and cumin together. Turkish oregano. Less dried basil these days. Aleppo pepper. Various chilis. Smoked salt. Spanish smoked paprika. Hot paprika. Sweet paprika. Zaatar. Never have used allspice.
Based on when I was with my parents…
Neglected: Mustard seeds. Anything you’d use them for is too complicated. And I don’t like mustard so I never used them.
Not sure what was used all the time by everybody, but everything I cooked either had cumin or paprika. Even things that ordinarily wouldn’t have them I’d often add a little paprika. My dad uses a lot of turmeric. My sister uses a lot of cayenne.
Coriander is cilantro. Well, specifically cilantro is corriander leaves.
^^ yes, but that is only the common name. They are actually two very different plants.
Cilantro = Coraindrum sativum
Vietnamese Coriander = Persicaria odorata
I don’t remember why I bought mustard seeds but that’s my probably never going to use again spice. I use an Italian blend in a grinder bottle a lot, also red pepper flakes and black peppercorns in a grinder.
I’ve been experimenting with Indian dishes lately. I bought Hot Madras curry powder and found the flavors to be very nice but that it was decidedly not hot. Anyone have a good suggestion for adding heat, but in a controllable fashion? I don’t want it to be crazy hot, just kind of hot if that makes sense.
I noticed the number of “grinder” choices in the spice aisle at the grocery store has really grown! I do have a couple that I like to use - Montreal Steak one from Costco that I use on beef and a Beer Chicken spice for chicken, pork, etc.
Thanks NYmomof2 for the link. I seem to use dry mustard and paprika a lot in dry rubs. The mustard is a little more versatile. I use it is a stovetop mac and cheese recipe I like to make in a hurry ( Alton Brown ) It’s a good, quick recipe and so much better than those boxes with powdered cheese like substance.
I use a lot of dried basil and parsley.Cumin, cayenne and curry get used a decent amount. What I don’t have is dried rosemary. I don’t think it works, and my plants outside live through the winter
@electronblue the easiest way to make a curry hotter is to add a little cayenne pepper. How much is up to you but in my experience if you are serving 4, somewhere between 1/4 tsp to 1/2 tsp. Will result in pleasantly warm, but not hot hot hot. I usually have jalapenos in my freezer, since my favorite local market packages them in groups of five, so I’ve taken to using 1/4 to 1/2 of them to jazz stuff up.
I have been finding jalapenos in packages of 5-7 in the 3 closest markets. If I go a little farther to Whole Foods, they’re loose. I can’t use 5-7 in a week! One market near us packages a lot of things - lots of fresh ginger in a plastic package, etc. It’s sort of funky when you buy it - doesn’t respond well to being packed in an airless container. One small market near us sells fresh bay leaves - they’re wonderful, and as time goes on they turn into dried bay leaves, so none are wasted.
SouthJerseyChessMom, what did you think of the Grain Brain book? I looked it up, because I definitely feel foggy if I eat sugar or white carbs. The difference from going off sugar is striking. I’m thinking of buying the book (although I already know that I should completely eliminate those foods from my diet).
^ not to be off topic for this thread! but HIGHLY recommend the book !!!
I read Grain Brain. Worth reading but I would recommend checking it out from the library and seeing if you want to own it. For me it reinforced what I already knew.
I forgot to mention the indispensable item: a grinder devoted solely to spices, no coffee.
Thanks, SouthJerseyChessMom and mom60! I’ve put the book, and the associated cookbook, on hold at the library. I’m first on the list for both, so I should have them soon.
Sorry for the mini-hijack!
I guess lemongrass is not really a spice (maybe a herb) but I really like the zing it gives to a dish. Need to find some ways to incorporate into dishes.
Cream of tartar plus baking soda = baking powder, in the proper proportions. The first two have a much longer shelf life than the latter. Useful when one discovers the b. powder is long expired.
I have European and Indian foods spices in my cabinet. Since there are now only the two of us I do far less cooking- often freezing the leftovers for other days. Indian grocery stores have many spices at much cheaper prices than other stores. Also- advice to pitch 6 month old spices is never followed by most cooks- I asked Indians (who use a lot of spices) and they do not follow any of those guidelines.
Many years ago I travelled out of town with a gourmet cook acquaintance to a spice shop. I couldn’t get excited about the particular spices, especially at the prices- the peppercorns I bought went unused. For those of us with pedestrian taste buds most brands will do.
I dislike cilantro (although I love coriander- leaf vs seed)- one of those flavors that ruins dishes for me- so I always substitute parsley. I also will offend gourmet cooks since I most often substitute dry versions because I can’t justify buying fresh and having too much spoil between uses. I suppose I could cull some unused spices from my shelves.
Here’s a tangent/hijack…
I found that those round rotating 10" trays are wonderful for my spices. I keep many that came in 7 oz bags in reused large grocery store plastic containers with the shake/spoon dispenser lids. In the past I used larger plastic containers but these are easier to use- especially for H who adds a bit of this and that to his dishes (eg peas that I can’t stand). I have seen wooden shelf inserts and other spice rack holders that seem to be way too wasteful of space. I own (courtesy of my M in law) a 7 spice metal container (round with the little metal bowls and a small spoon) often used by Indian cooks but since I never used just those and not every day it wasn’t practical for me. I keep a semblance of organization with least used spices on the second shelf and every day used ones on the bottom shelf in a cabinet next to the stove. Grab a measuring spoon from the drawer and reach for the spice- no need to move to get the spices when cooking. Tea masala is in the coffee/tea cupboard on the other side of the stove, however, with those items.
Anyone else miss the days when we could cook a lot and have it disappear? Now the effort for two of us often isn’t worth it- hence the freezing. But some items don’t freeze well and the effort for small batches is too much work (and measuring small spice quantities hard to not grossly over/underdo).
We hauled many kitchen items when we made our downsizing, long distance move. Big kitchen and room to store things (that came with the great house, something I had been willing to compromise on). When I become elderly (60 is old, 80 is elderly) I figure I’ll downsize again and get rid of seldom used items. For now I might use something once a year or so and having space it is worth keeping them. So many items one used all the time when raising a family (even just one child)- eg 2 cupcake/muffin tins, assorted cookie sheets, other baking pans… Fancy dishes and serving items that used to be used at least once a year but we no longer get fancy or entertain. When we moved we (finally) gave away two extra silver tea sets that were wedding gifts I didn’t know how to return (out of town gifts from who knows which stores). Today’s brides aren’t in favor of those so I never did regift them. Much more casual lifestyles. Thank goodness we opted for stainless “silverware”- a modern set still only used for fancy occasions. Now that we are not prone to losing silverware (bought a second set of everyday years ago when I discovered a shortage of teaspoons- a one stage son learned to get his own yogurt and throw away the empty container, and his spoon went with it). Plus- when the set I bought for son when he went solo for a college apt came with 16 teaspoons I only gave him 8 to match the other items.
I’ve got one boomerang kid, (temporarily we trust!), so right now I’m having trouble remembering to get enough milk and the like. Thankfully he’s not the picky eater and he wants to learn how to cook, so he’s fun to have around.
I use a lot of cumin and cajun seasoning. I love the smell and taste of cumin and probably go overboard with it sometimes. I grow most of my herbs which I can pretty much do here year round- basil, parsley, cilantro, mint, oregano and rosemary- and use all of them often, especially cilantro and basil. I usually use fresh garlic. Other must haves are cinammon- I like the Vietnamese variety-, lots of pepper, nutmeg, and allspice, chili powder, red pepper flakes, and cayenne pepper. Oh, and Old Bay seasoning. I’m not a fan of curry powder- for some reason I just don’t like the taste. I have cream of tartar and dried mustard but don’t use them all that often.