Spice Up Your Kitchen


Every good kitchen needs a little added spice.  Building a recipe box involves building up a bit of pantry inventory.  A huge part of every pantry involves seasonings and spices.  But there are so many different ones to choose from.

Where do I start?

Never fear, a budding cook is here to help determine the top 12 spices every beginner chef needs.  As my favorite culinary student, Hillary Harris, says,
“Without spices, your food is bland, and bland food leads to a bland life in my opinion.  Everyone needs to know how to properly season their food.”


1. Salt and Pepper

Salt and pepper are widely used in most recipes.  It is important to remember that salt comes in a variety of sizes and textures.  I would highly recommend choosing one brand of salt and using it continuously.  Not only will this keep flavor in your recipes consistent, but you will be able to know how much to apply by experience rather than measuring it out for each cooking endeavor.

Pre-ground pepper is fine, but nothing beats whole peppercorns ground fresh in your own kitchen.  It has been proven that grinding your own pepper allows for a more flavorful spice.




2. Bay Leaves

Bay leaves are a base for many stocks, stews, and soups.  They tend to hold a woodsy flavor and are known for being slightly perfumed.  Always remember to remove them before serving.


3. Cinnamon

The perfect addition to both sweet and savory recipes, cinnamon is widely used in North African, Middle Eastern, and Asian dishes.


4. Nutmeg

A key ingredient in warm, baked goods, nutmeg is known for its soft, herby presence in a variety of dishes.  I have also heard that it is an excellent addition to sautéed spinach.


5. Ground Ginger

Warm and fragrant, ground ginger is a widely used alternative for fresh ginger, which tends to clump and burn when cooked.  Ginger is known for its presence in Asian food and baked goods.


6. Ground Allspice

Bakers know that this is a staple for their pantry.  What they may not know is how delicious a dash of ground allspice can be roasted/grilled pork and chicken.


7. Roasted Cumin

This is a fairly new marketable spice.  The idea of roasted cumin is that it eliminates the task of toasting and grinding cumin seeds.


8. Crushed Red Pepper

You only need a pinch of this ingredient.  A tiny bit packs a big punch of heat for any dish.  You may have commonly seen this (or use it yourself) on pizza, but it can also be a wonderful garnish for other snacks such as mango.


9. Chili Powder

This spice is, of course, used in chili recipes, but is also found in almost every Mexican and Southwestern dish.  Some chili powders use salt, but most consist of paprika, cumin, and ground dried chilies.


10. Paprika

According to CookingLight,
“[Paprika is] available in sweet, hot, and smoked.  Get all three.”

11. Sesame Seeds

Commonly used to top muffins and other pastries, sesame seeds add a nutty flavor to any dish.  To help boost their flavor, try toasting them in a dry skillet until golden.


12. Garlic Powder

This may be my absolute favorite spice.  Fresh garlic is sometimes preferred but can burn easily if used on high-heat.  For grilling spice-rubs and coatings, this is the garlic flavoring of choice.  According to Mark Karns, an avid backyard griller and newfound Traeger Master,
“Garlic goes with everything.  The powder is perfect for pork and beef rubs.  I use it all the time when making meat for dinner.” 

There you have it, 12 ingredients to spice up any recipe.

Comments

  1. I really enjoyed your blog post. It seems so professional, and it reminds me of a clickbait article. Would be interesting on how you marketed this through social media.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This post was really cool because I want to try to cook more, but beyond salt and pepper, I really don't know what spices to use and when so I'll have to grab some of these next time I go to Wal-Mart.

    ReplyDelete

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