Stock your Spice Cabinet
I couldn’t cook nearly as well as I do without my well-stocked spice cabinet. There are so many more flavors you can give food when you have the necessary tools. Just salt and pepper don’t cut it for me. I like my food to have complex flavors that give my taste buds something to think about.
One thing you should know about me is that I almost always cook according to taste. In high school Anatomy and Physiology we performed a taste bud lab and I found out that I am what is known as a “SuperTaster.”
Because I can experience certain flavors with more intensity than the average person, I’ve learned to taste as I go. When I’m following someone else’s recipe I’ll usually start with half the amount of hot spices, and add according to my tastes. Sometimes I’ll want more than the original, other times I might want less.
I find that I’m especially sensitive to cayenne. While I might want 3 dashes in the whole dish, Eric would be happy with 3 dashes just in his portion. But other “hot/spicy” flavors don’t bother me as much.
A few months ago I shared this post: Kitchen Tip: A Well Stocked Spice Cabinet and mentioned what my favorite holiday baking spices were. We’ll, we’re not in holiday baking mode anymore so I’ll share some of my other favorite spices.
Favorites from my Spice Cabinet
- Cardamom (Recipe: Cardamom Citrus Coffee Cake)
- Chili Powder (Recipe: Quinoa Taco Salad)
- Coriander (Recipe Orange Thai Beef Skewers)
- Garam Masala (Recipe: Indian Butter Chicken with Basmati Rice)
- Curry Powder (Recipe: Coconut Chicken Curry Soup)
- Ground Cumin (Recipe: Cumin-Lime Pork and Pineapple Quesasdillas)
- Nutmeg (Recipe: Muffins That Taste Like Donuts)
- Smoked Paprika (Recipe: Smoky Black Bean Soup)
I was able to try some of these and a few more from SpicesInc.com. I liked the spices so much that they’re offering a great giveaway for you too so you can get that spice cabinet of yours all stocked up.
If you have any doubts as to what you should have in your spice cabinet, be sure to check out my FREE PRINTABLE Spice Cabinet Inventory. You can download it HERE or by clicking on the above image.
Before you enter the giveaway PLEASE read the rules.
Giveaway Prize (1 winner):
Your very own customized spice set!
Value: $20 – 45, depending on your selection
Giveaway Requirements:
- Head over to SpicesInc.com and choose any 6 spices, herbs, seasonings, chiles or extracts, then name your spice set and tell me why you picked that selection.
- You may NOT enter using multiple email addresses. Automatic disqualification.
- Additional entries must leave a separate comment.
- Contest ends April 21, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. EST.
- Contest open to US States only.
- Winner will be chosen by Greg, the owner of SpicesInc.com based on creativity.
Giveaway provided by SpicesInc.com. I received a selection of spices to sample, but otherwise was not compensated for this post.
Don’t forget to leave me your worst kitchen disaster story here: Your Worst Kitchen Disaster – SPILL IT! for a chance to win a $115 Pampered Chef Pizza gift set. Your comment will help me with the Pampered Chef Blogger Blunders contest.
Lee says
Thanks for the intro to SpicesInc! I would choose cardamom powder, mace, chipotle chili powder, KC BBQ rub, Spanish Sweet Paprika, Adabo Lime Rub, and Lemon Peel. Cardamom for cookies, coffee, and Indian dishes and chipotle is hard to find in my stores. Also would love to do ribs like they do in KC. I’d call it Around the World in 7 Days Collection.
Mrsblocko says
Wow this was really hard to pick just 6!
1. crystalized ginger: I love to eat this stuff like candy!
2.Ghost chile: I’d get this one for my uncle who loves them.(yikes!)
3.Grains of paradise: I saw them on Good Eats when he was making apple pie and have wanted to give them a try.
4. Granulated Honey: We are huge fans of honey.This looks like a fun spice to play with for grilling.
5. Himalayan pink salt: I’m not sure what I’d use this for, but it’s another one of those things I’ve wanted to test out because it was so different. Plus it’s pink!
6. Nigella seed: I’ve been seeing more bread recipes that call for this as a topping. I’ve never seen it before and was curious to try it out on some flatbread.
Christopher Sorel says
oh I am just thinking about the spice for the summer BBQ season. BBQ spiced summer would contian deep south dry rub, organic garlic flakes, Malabar Black Peppercorns, Cumin Seed Powder, Hawaiian Black Salt and 18 spice chicken rub.
These will make my BBQ this summer rocking tasty
Jackie says
Saigon Cinnamon, Sweet Basil, Organic ground cumin, Medium curry powder, Saffron, Garam Masala
I use cinnamon on my banana with almond butter on an English Muffin for breakfast, and I best their cinnamon is better than the stuff I’ve been using.
My mother is Italian, and when I cook I use a lot of basil.
My BF and I love cumin, and I put it on a lot of chicken dishes. I love the way it smells when I get home from work when I use it in the crock pot all day.
Curry is one of my favorite flavors, and I want to start cooking it more!
We love paella, but I never cook it. With saffron I’ll be able to try it out.
I have never actually owned garam masala before, but I see it all the time in curry and other Indian recipes. I’d like to try it out!
Callie says
My spices would be called Callie’s-can’t-wait-for-summer-set
It would include:
1. The All American Dry Rub (b/c it isn’t summer without ribs)
2. Manzanillo Mexican Seasoning (for shrimp on the grill to go into shrimp tacos with delicious cool avocados and lime)
3. The Deep South Dry Rub (b/c I’m a Carolina girl after all)
4. South Australian Flake Salt (to put on watermelon and garden fresh tomatos–yum!)
5. Vanilla Beans (b/c once August comes and the peaches are here we’ll be whipping out that ice cream maker and peach/real vanilla ice cream is heaven)
6. Paella mix (b/c I used to live in Spain and summer’s lend themselves to late late night dinners of paella sitting around with friends and glasses of wine and loving on each other and exclaiming over the fresh seafood)
Yum, I’ve now made myself hungry.
Rita says
First, thanks for the giveaway and for turning me on to Spices Inc. I had no idea they were there and I am blown away by how reasonable the prices are! There are two things my children and I have vowed to do this summer: make more ice cream and use our wonderful charcoal grill/smoker. We were going through a divorce last summer and found little energy to enjoy each other or cook summer meals. This summer, I will be at home due to layoff and we have dubbed it our summer to reconnect. Sticking with the ice cream and grilling theme, our choices are: Madagascar vanilla beans, crystallized ginger, espresso rub, 18 spice chicken rub, salt free Thai spice, and smoky citrus salt. I have always wanted to make vanilla ice cream with real vanilla beans, but could never afford them. Spices Inc has come up with some really cool sounding rubs/spices for grilling. They should make our budget cuts of meat and chicken special. Pick Me! Thanks:)
Kristina G. says
Oh my – why have I not heard of this website before??? There are so many that I want that it’s difficult to list just six. I would get course sea salt, ancho chile powder, Jamaican jerk seasoning, cumin and blackened seasoning. I live in an area where I don’t have a huge selection of spices so it’s great to have a place where I can get those things now!
MsBrownBird says
My six would be habanero flakes, cinnamon, basil, buffalo wing, thai seasoning, and apple pie. Because I love, love, love spicy food, but I cannot resist a sweet cinnamon-y apple pie.
And really, who doesn’t love basil.
Marcella P. says
My current favorite spice set? Smoked paprika, cinnamon, coriander, nutmeg, vanilla extract and dried chiles – and I’d name it Portuguese Essentials! Thank you!
Michelle says
My 6 would be: thyme leaf, ground cumin, Habanero Chile Seasoning, Oregano, granulated garlic, and Coarse Sea Salt. These are what we generally cook with the most. We cook mostly Mexican and Caribbean type foods.
Cathy says
I went to spiceInc.com and was blown away by the wonderful selection .Its like cooking heaven.While there I looked over the selection and tried to pick things that I thought would be fun to try or where some of my favorite favors.I chose the Himalayan pink salt as it sounds delicious and has other minerals with in the salt which is a bonus .for my second choice I chose the Zahtar spice I picked this because I love middle eastern food from my time spent in Iraq and Kuwait.For my third pick I chose the Cajun rub hot heat we love Cajun flavor in my house and the heat is an added bonus.For my fourth pick I chose Sweet Tweetie we like chicken and BBQ and usually try different spice combination s or BBQ sauces sometimes making our own so this was something we really want to try this one it sounds delicious.for my fifth choice I chose Pumpkin pie spice pumpkin pie spice is a great mix for me because for one I like pumpkin pie but I also would use this in cocoa and other baking and cooking recipes.My sixth and last choice was the salt free Thai spice I chose this because for one I like Thai food but I also like the variety of spices in this particular spice and thought I might use it for different recipes as well .I am looking forward to ordering from this company soon as now that I have seen the selection I am excited for new recipe creations.
Thank you .
Chris M. says
Cumin, smoked paprika, wasabi, long pepper, lemon white pepper, and habanero hot salt. Name of my set would be “Intrigue and spice.” Thanks!
Kristi Damon says
My pantry “must haves” include: basil- love it! I put it in everything Italian plus a lot of other recipes. I love the smell, lemon pepper is a must have for broiled or grilled fish, nuts of any kind go in everything from pasta to sweet treats ( and a hand full while cooking is pretty nice, too), garlic- fresh or jarred is also necessary for so many main dishes and I’ve even fancied up some mashed potatoes with it, ginger/nutmeg/cinnamon/cloves are a staple for holiday baking. Nothing exotic in my must-haves but maybe I’ll win some 🙂
heather says
Pink Himalayan sea salt, dried New Mexico chiles, cacao nibs, asafetida, Herbes de Provence, vanilla beans — a selection that showcases my love of baking and cooking ethnic dishes.
Cheers,
*Heather*
Blake says
My spice mix? Totally Blake. Because for those who know me they would look at the spices I picked and think “Yep. That’s totally Blake.” I picked Organic Garlic Powder, Saigon Cinnamon, Organic Ground Cumin, Organic and Fair Trade Cocoa Powder, Organic Chipotle Power, and Organic Vanilla Beans. This mix creates a perfect blend of my sweet and savory needs, and hey, maybe some combinations of the two. In the end, it’s Totally Blake.
SandyN says
My 6 would be sweet basil, cinnamon, organic parsley, italian seasoning, ground black pepper, and allspice.
I like the Top 25 Spices Every Kitchen Must Have Spice Set because my spice cabinet needs a serious overhaul, and these would be a good start for me!