Which Spices do you find essential in cooking?

I looooooooove Penzey's.


Well, you know what you like to cook best, the different type of foods, so I'd check Penzey's different pages for ideas.

I buy from Penzeys.com too. I don't buy many of their blends but I do study the list of ingredients for them and then make my own blends based on the ingredients they used. I make a powdery blend and then store it in old spice jars.

My last big order from them was more than a year ago and I bought a large quantity of herbs and spices. I've stored them in the freezer and refill my herb bottles as needed. So far, they remain very fresh and I still have half the quantity I originally purchased. I've saved a great deal of money from not having to buy herbs in grocery stores.

I ordered a bag of each of all the usual herbs and spices: Dill, rosemary, oregano, thyme, basil, marjoramm, minced garlic, sea salt, peppercorns, bay leaves, spearmint, whole cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground ginger, and corriander seeds.

I also bought three blends from them: pickling spice, chili powder and tandoori powder.

I'm hooked on Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning.
I sprinkle it on everything from beef to fish to poultry to salad.
I'd sprinkle it on my cornflakes. If I ate cornflakes.

Good list, Butrflynet. I might add tarragon.

I like different chiles, and given where I live, pick them up inexpensively at local market mexican/new mexican food section.

Maybe this year I'll try some fresh herbs indoors. This business of frost/snow is all new to me..

I bought a Penzey's pepper mill a few years ago (the small one) and remain happy with it.

I'll usually use only fresh herbs ... and freeze-dried, if fresh isn't available or I want to add some different flavour.

So I got the usal stuff like flat and curly leaf parsley, chives, basil, rosmarin ... as fresh herbs. And about a dozen others in the freeze-dried version.

The fresh is considered by me as "essential".

in the summer we have three large pots with herbs on the patio .
in the winter mrs h makes do with what's available .
fresh ginger - sparingly ! - and curry - sparingly ! - are often put to use .

for today's sirloin potroast mrs h used portwine , bit of soya-sauce and lots of sourcream - the neighbour's dog very much approved of it when i dunked the dogbiscuits into the gravy first

in soups i like LOTS of celeriac for flavouring .
mrs h always obliges .
hbg

Well, in California my back hallway was herb drying headquarters..
I ended up keeping just a few bottles of this and that spice - nutmeg to grate or cardamon or pepper.
But here I'm still a dope re growing season and the freezing or burning hot/no shade, or dry windy weather - not to mention getting my sandpile all compost amended.
And, fresh herbs in the store are expensive for my budget. So... my fresh herb preferences have some adapting to do.

Paprika. I use it on chicken and fish when I'm roasting or sauteing.

for soups and stews i'm a big fan of basil and bay leaves

i also add some basil to scrambled eggs

like a bit of tumeric in rice (especially basmati), adds a nice yellow colour

Garlic, cilantro, chipotle pepper powder, kosher salt, whole peppercorns, rosemary and basil. We use other stuff like sage but not too often.

cilantro, cilantro, cilantro, in almost anything, rocks. well, with the possible exception of chocolate--Target's after Christmas sales had one leftover bar of cinnamon coriander chocolate, which I got, since I'm a cinnamon head too, but it turned out to be, to put it mildly, strange./and another vote for Tony Chachere's (it used to be billed as just "Creole", but then Cajun cooking took off and the last thing of it I got still called itself creole, but had added a "Cajun" in a little comic-strip-style explosion burst on the side of the container). Also good on almost anything that can use a little punch--definitely on chicken.

Spice racks are as personal as libraries.

My brother told me about the little marketing ploy used by Tony Chachere when Cajun cooking became popular back in the 90's and for the longest time instead of printing new labels, they slapped a sticky "cajun" label over the word "creole". Well, cajun cooking is no longer so trendy and Tony Chachere is back to being simply Creole seasoning.

THE essential spices

go away. I'm mad at you.

howcome?

you know why...

I want you to say it...

I won't.