The Basics
Let’s lay the groundwork for which humble yet essential ingredients will form the backbone of your spice cabinet for culinary exploration. While you will definitely need more than these few basic spices, these will be the easiest for making memorable meals unlocked through seasoning. Here’s a list of a few absolutely essential spices to start with.
Salt: Of course, when it comes to basic spices, you can’t beat salt and pepper. While salt is not officially considered a spice, it is such an essential seasoning in almost every type of cooking and baking, that we feel it’s important to mention. It serves not necessarily to make a dish salty, but to heighten the flavors of every other ingredient in the dish, as it does here in our recipe for Classic Beef Stroganoff perfectly. There are many types of salt available. Sea salt, kosher salt, flaky salt, table salt, and many more each have distinctly different qualities and are worth exploring.
Black Pepper: Where there is salt, usually there is black pepper. Unlike salt, black pepper is considered a spice. It adds a piney, citrusy flavor, aroma, and bite to many dishes.
Red Pepper Flakes: If you like a bit of heat in your meals, having red pepper flakes on hand, with it’s clean flavor and assertive spiciness is the way to go.
Thyme: Thyme is a must have spice in any kitchen. It’s one of the most versatile spices with citrus, mint, woody, and floral notes. Dried thyme is fantastic for elevating a variety of dishes, including pasta, soup, roasted vegetables, pizza, sauces and proteins like chicken, fish, pork and beef.
The Baker
Whether you only bake for the holidays or find yourself up to your elbows in cookie dough on a daily basis, your spice cabinet deserves to be an essential part of your baking pantry. Looking for inspiration? Check out our collection of baking recipes.
Cinnamon: Cinnamon is a beloved baking spice that most of us reach for at the same time as we are pulling out our electric mixers. It has a complex flavor, with sweet, woody, slightly sour, spicy, and citrusy notes. From cinnamon rolls to apple pie, it’s hard to imagine baking without it.
Vanilla: While most of us think of vanilla in the liquid extract form, that extract actually comes from the vanilla bean, which falls into the spice category. Vanilla adds richness and extra flavor to everything that you make. The extract is commonly used in most baked goods, but vanilla in bean form gives extravagant flavor to ice creams, pastry creams, sauces and many other desserts.
Nutmeg: Nutmeg is a warm spice with slightly nutty, sweet, woody flavors. It comes pre-ground, but we prefer the whole seed form, as the flavor is more fragrant, to be grated into pies, cakes, and cookies.
Ginger: Ground ginger is extracted from the dried roots of ginger and provides a subtle earthy spice and warm aroma to some of your favorite baked goods, like gingerbread cookies, spice cakes, and pumpkin pie.
Spicy Food Lover
If you can handle the heat, there are definitely some must-have spices for cooking that you’ll want in your pantry at all times. Each promise to ignite your senses and elevate your culinary creations as you embrace the thrill of heat and discover how these fiery seasonings can add a kick to every bite.
Red Pepper Flakes: There is almost nothing that a dash of red pepper flakes doesn’t make better, especially if you like your food hot. Use a pinch or two of the flakes to boost the flavor of other ingredients like the enchilada sauce in our Easy Beef Enchiladas recipe.
Cayenne: While red pepper flakes can vary in heat, ground cayenne peppers are a reliable source of fairly intense heat. Used carefully, a pinch of this ground spice can add a little heat, but also heighten the flavors of other ingredients, like it does in our Spicy Peanut Chicken recipe.
Chili Powder: Unlike chile powder, which is a ground spice made from just one dried chile, chili powder contains other ingredients like oregano, paprika, pepper, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and/or salt too. It’s perfect to use as a dry rub on grilled steak or to bring flavor and heat to your favorite chili recipe.
Smoked Hot Paprika: While a little less common, this spice, typically produced in Spain, is made by grounding peppers that have been dried over an oak burning fire. The result is an essential spice for anyone who likes a little smoke with their heat. Use it in your favorite BBQ spice rub or in soups, with beans, or in stews.
International Cuisine
When we say, “There’s a world of spices out there!” we are referencing spices that are used in cuisines all over the world. Here’s a few commonly used around the globe.
Cumin: Cumin is a seed found in recipes all over Latin America, the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and Asia in everything from Indian curries to Mexican enchiladas. Cumin brings a warm, earthy, and complex flavor with hints of pepper and citrus.
Oregano: While oregano is often thought of sprinkled over pizza, it’s also included in many Mediterranean and Latin American dishes like marinara sauce and chimichurri. It has a slightly pungent, spicy, “this is Italian” flavor into any dish.
Coriander: You’ll find ground coriander seeds in everything from Middle Eastern falafel to Moroccan chicken kebobs. Coriander adds a citrusy, floral note to a dish.
Dill Weed: Dried dill weed is used frequently in Scandinavian, Greek, Slavic, and Turkish cooking. It lends it’s warm, grassy aroma with hints of anise and lemon to dishes like Scandinavian grilled salmon, yogurt sauces or Greek marinated shrimp.
