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I'm curious about asafoetida. I know it's frequently used in Indian cooking...but what role does it serve in the mix of spices? And can you use it in other types of cooking, too?

Lime leaves? curry leaves? - have seen them in recipes, have no idea where to find them though.

Also, you forgot my favourite spice! cardamom :) BEST spice ever!

Another wonderful spice blend is adobo. It's very common in Puerto Rican cooking as a rub for meats. The variety I'm currently using contains: salt, dried garlic, oregano, and tumeric. It's fabulous.

I think you should note that you are speaking of coriander seed not coriander since the whole plant is used in cooking. The leaves and stems are known to us in the USA as cilantro, and the roots are commonly used in Thai dishes. It's important to figure out if your recipe is calling for the seeds used as a spice or if its calling for some other portion of coriander.

d4kk1tt3n - Lime leaves are usually found fresh in packages at asian markets or sometimes farmers markets. I have no idea about curry leaves, but I would assume that those would be asian market only since I've yet to see them.

d4kk1tt3n and Bobette- you can always get curry leaves at Indian grocery stores. They are easy for me to get now that I live in New York, but when I lived elsewhere they were hard to find.

acvaz- whats the adobo recipe? I work near a Puerto Rican restaurant that has amazing chicken. You can tell by the color that there must be turmeric in the marinade. Do you think its adobo?

I have to put in a vote for my favorite spice blend, Old Bay. It's meant for seafood and shellfish, but I use it in a lot of dishes. It's quite salty, though, so you have to be careful about adding salt later.

Ingredients:
CELERY SALT (SALT, CELERY SEED), SPICES (INCLUDING MUSTARD, RED PEPPER, BLACK PEPPER, BAY [LAUREL] LEAVES, CLOVES, ALLSPICE [PIMENTO], GINGER, MACE, CARDAMOM, CINNAMON) AND PAPRIKA.

(Sorry for the caps. Copied directly from the Old Bay site.)

Some other spices and herbs that are called for in a variety of recipes: Fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds and leaves, cardamon (black, white, and green), Aleppo pepper, sumac, kalonji (onion seeds), Ajwain, Caraway seed, Dried ginger, lemongrass, Dried Holy Basil leaves, Galangal, Juniper berries, Dried chilies, Peppercorns (Sichuan, white, green,etc)

In terms of spice blends that are missing, Togarashi, Seven Spice Blend,

I know the list can be endless but I would love to see a bit about spices and herbs that are beyond the ordinary.

Asafoetida is really pungent, reminiscent of both onion and garlic. When cooked, its taste mellows out. I personally find it very pleasant and use it in savory dishes for an additional layer of allium flavor.

My local Asian grocery carries fresh curry leaves.

Hey guys

Anybody knows where to buy similar spice jars, especially for the cork ?

Thanks

@kombinat47 - We got a set of jars with corks similar to what is pictured at the dollar store.

@gillsnthrills - It probably is! You'll probably have trouble matching the recipe exactly, unless you can sweet-talk the cook! Adobo can have just about anything in it. For the sake of convenience, I use Goya brand. I even put it on my tofu. :)

I was suprised to see tarragon being described as having a strong anise taste. I can't stand anise, but I absolutely love tarragon, and I never would have thought to liken the two.

Though I guess I shouldn't find my different sense of taste for tarragon too weird...I'm also one of those people who absolutely gags on cilantro.

sorry, turmeric is not a substitute for saffron. while they may be close in color, their subtle flavors is not at all similar. I can imagine my favorite saffron flavored dish - paella - made with turmeric instead. blech!!!

Check out Whole Spice Company. http://www.wholespice.com
They are local to the bay area. Will ship to your home or you can go to the Ox Bow market in Napa and have an amazing spice purchasing experience! It is family owned, by a husband and wife. The spices are very fresh and the price is great. All of the spices are stored in large glass containers, you hand over your list and the spices come flying off the shelf onto the counter in front of you. You fill each of your own spice bags. Some of the spices are available in glass jars. You can even e-mail in your order and they will fill it for you.

If you are near Seattle, World Spice on Western Ave, below the Pike Place Market, is the place to go. They literally have everything (I cannot imagine working with those scents everyday). If you need it they have it. If you didn't know you needed it, they have it. You need to purchase a minimum quantity, but aside from that it is a great resource.

I'm with onebravegirl on the tarragon. Also, why not mention chicken with tarragon - chicken broth, baked chicken, chicken salad ect calls for tarragon

Re the curry leaves, a lot of people think they are a mix of herbs, but.. they are the leaves of the curry plant. If you grow your own herbs, it's an easy plant to add, lovely grey leaves.

Add it to stir fried cauliflower (blanche the cauli for 5 minutes) to give some interest, it's not hot at all, a very nice mild taste, turns other ingredients light yellow.

How about dill? Just bought some fresh dill to make pickled carrot sticks and am not sure what to do with the rest of it.

laura123 -
I totally agree!! Saffron is saffron. Distinct from any other spice or herb. There is NO substitute! My Spanish ancestors would do 360s in their graves if paella was made with tumeric.

One of the best ways to develop new understandings of spices and herbs is to cook in different cuisines. I spent about a month in the Republic of Georgia, and highly recommend Darra Goldstein's book The Georgian Feast. Georgians use herbs in combinations I'd never experienced before: dill and cilantro and basil and parsley all in one dish? Turns out it's amazing.

My Syrian friend also got me into using allspice in savory dishes. I like it on roasted squash or with braised meat.

@courtneyllarson: I really like dill with scrambled eggs, or with mashed potatos, or in carrot soup. Or, as I said, mixed up with several other fresh herbs in a whole assortment of amazing Georgian recipes.

My go-to spice supplier is Penzey's. My husband and I do about one big spice order a year and get the rest locally if we run out or need something fresh or special.

Dill is lovely paired with salmon, and mashed potatoes.

These don't exactly belong in the cupboard, but what about basil and mint? With so many varieties, they're my favorite herbs for the summer, although I wish I can keep my basil plant alive for more than a few months...

For parties I like to put dukkah in a little dish next to a matching dish of extra virgin olive oil. Dip slices of bread in the olive oil, then the dukkah. Freaking delicious.

Asafoetida doesn't remind me of garlic and onions at all, it smells more acidic to me (if that makes sense?). I have a small amount that an Indian friend gave me from a larger jar. I only use a pinch of it in Indian cooking.

I just cleaned out my spice drawer and found I have nearly all the spices and herbs listed, plus some. I rely most heavily on dill, cinnamon, and cumin but use the others with some regularity. Also in my spice drawer is dried lemon and orange peel--not ideal, but good in a pinch.

I disagree that saffron is mostly for color. The taste is subtle, but unmistakable.
& big yes to Penzey's.

Turmeric does too have flavour! I use it to season 'scrambled tofu.' Brown an onion, crumble extra firm tofu over top, add turmeric to taste (fresh turmeric is very strong, so start with a small quantity!), some salt and pepper, and a bit of water (about a quarter cup for a full brick of tofu). Stir everything until the water evaporates and serve. I challenge you to say that turmeric has no flavour after you try this.

Warning: turmeric will turn all your wooden and plastic utensils yellow.

What about Italian Seasoning http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=36955006 or Meditteranean http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=37219679

asafoetida is also known as hing. It is used in indian cuisine often as a replacement for garlic and onions. It needs to be started in hot oil to really sing.

Curry leaves can be found in many spice stores or indian shops. You can often find it frozen. Don't buy too many at once as it doesn't last too long. There is no substitute for curry leaves, so if you can't find them just leave it out of the recipe.

Saffron cannot be replaced with turmeric under any circumstances, and its flavor is special. It may be mild, but it used with great effect in many dishes.

Turmeric is also not just used for color. It has a bold flavor that can be overdone, so start off with just a touch and go from there.

There are so many spices missing here from the common cardamom and chives to the not so common black cumin, fenugreek and nigella.

Penzy's is great. You can buy single herb/spice or blends. Check out the blends, they often are extremely wonderful

Kind of generic but I'm a huge abuser of cajun seasoning. It usually has some combo of garlic, onion, chili, and paprika powders, plus some other things depending on who makes it. It is FANTASTIC with savory dairy items, especially cheesy things from your comforting grilled cheese or mac'n'cheese to creamy garlic pasta and chicken. Sometimes I even put a little on my cottage cheese.

Lavender is another favourite. I use it with poultry. It adds a lovely depth without being too perfume-y. I make a chicken mushroom stew that handles lavender really well and I miss it if I don't put it in.

I use fresh cilantro a lot but have never really used coriander seed. What's the best way to use it?

I use a mix that's a must-have for any home-cooked Indian dish. You dry roast equal parts whole coriander seed and cumin seed for a few minutes in a frying pan, just until fragrant, then grind and throw into a jar.

Oh, and I loooove curry leaves. Fry them gently in a little butter and pour over potatoes, or use as a garnish for dal. Yummm!

Thanks for this guide!

@acvaz
I'm guessing there's annato in the adobo-that's what gives it a lovely burnished color.

Dang, no one mentioned Lawry's Seasoned Salt. Some other brands call it "soul seasoning". When you're broke or if you culinarily challenged salt, pepper& lawry's is all you need to make a decent meal edible and yummy.

@Sandygluck

Entirely possible. The blend I use has tumeric.

I have to jump on the saffron bandwagon here. Saffron's flavor is subtle and most distinct from any other spice including turmeric. Given that it is so expensive, I doubt that anyone who cooks with it seriously would add it just for color. If you wanted the same color (but not flavor) best to make annnato oil by sauteing the annato in your oil of choice (in quantity) and then cooking with the infused oil. If you invest one time in medium to high quality saffron and make something like paella, you will then find out what you've been missing, because the aroma of even a small amount of the premium quality is a revelation.

tumeric great in green or yellow split pea soup, besides the flavor brightens the color to near fluorescent

If you're not sure what a spice might taste like, smell it first. Its a good way to figure out if it will work in your dish or not.

Glad turmeric is represented so well here, its my favorite spice.

For commercial blends, I LOVE Bad Byron's Butt Rub.

Where is long pepper? Avocado leaf? Ezapote? Sumac? Yuzu powder? I wish this had gone beyond common spices to really give us something to explore...especially when it was advertised as "every spice."

I've grown to love adobo lately. It is great on everything from eggs to meat. Goya adobo seems to be mostly salt, garlic powder and turmeric but they make several different variations. Penzey's makes a good adobo, and it has no salt.

Perhaps someone can clear up some confusion I have about Za'atar. I saw Tyler Florence use some on his Food Network show and it was a bright green blend but the stuff I got at Penzey's was decidedly brown. Are there different kinds of Za'atar?

I can also vouch for Penzey's... WONDERFUL stuff. I have a whole cabinet full of spices from them.

No lavender, no rose hip, no summer savory? Wow, are you all ever missing out.

allspice has tons of uses -- its often used in making pancetta. when making italian and don't want to spend the bucks on pancetta, just flavor your pan with some pork fat and allspice.

I'd love to hear more information about lavender, rose hips, savory, etc.....I don't want to miss out, Ailsling! Do tell, please :o)

like a lot of people commented, turmeric is no substitute for saffron. Besides paella, a lot of Persian and North Indian savory & sweet dishes rely on safron for its distinct flavor.

About the curry leaves - you can buy them from Indian grocery stores and dry them. They dry really well & when you need to use it, crush them between your fingers. Crushing them brings out the flavor & hides the leaves so you don't have to pick on your dish to remove the leaves.

Garam masala - I just grind cardamon, cinnamon & cloves. It gives a richer flavor than when mixed with cumin & coriander (plus, you can stock cumin powder & corriander powder separately giving you more versatility)

For all the turmeric lovers, can I suggest a delicious drink that is so soothing when you have a bad cough or a sore throat. Heat a glass of milk, add 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder, 1-2 tsp of honey, give it a good stir and then let the turmeric settle a bit. And enjoy. Alternatively, make a reduction from fresh turmeric boiled in water and add to the milk and honey.
Also great when you're feeling sore. Turmeric has proven antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties.

Good starter list. I briefly considered sprinkling Hing in my ex-husbands car. You can not get the aroma of it out, and your whole cabinet will smell like hing if you do not seal and double seal the jar, but I digress...

How about Lemongrass for Thai cooking, that seems essential.

And South Indian cuisine the mustard seed is pretty much a must.

For cardamom in Indian food, there are green cardamom and brown. Definitely a must for any kitchen to at least have cardamom for making delicately flavored desserts, chai, Turkish coffee and many many Indian dishes

I disagree with this post's characterization of saffron. I agree with the other comments--turmeric is not a substitute for saffron (unless the only thing you're looking for is a yellow color). Also, saffron does not have a subtle flavor! I have eaten (and prepared) a number of Persian and Indian dishes where the saffron is incredibly strong (and adds amazing, intense flavor) because it has been added to the dish generously. Some people may think the saffron is subtle because western cooks use a tiny amount due to its high price. Saffron has historically been prized for its delicious (and strong) flavor--that's why it is so expensive in the first place!

Also, curry powder is a western invention--I assume it was created as a way to easily cook Indian food. As a South Asian myself, I have never cooked using curry powder (and have never heard of it in any authentic cooking). If you want to make authentic South Asian food, and are looking for a combination of spices, stick to garam masala!

Dill is great on homefries or roasted red potatoes.

Curry leaves are at not all Indian grocery stores and I've had the experience of someone trying to pass off bay leaves to me as a substitute so be careful. Lived in NYC (very easy to find) Pittsburgh (easy) and the Bay Area (hit or miss) so I think they're reasonably easy to find in most communities with an Indian population. There really is no substitute for their fragrance esp when fried in butter, yum! Lime leaves are in most Chinese markets, and all Thai and Vietnamese markets. Never seen them in the Korean stores. The good part of going to ethnic groceries is you find all sorts of crazy wonderful stuff, so maybe worth exploring for those who aren't from other cultures. With some of the spices there's a difference between ground and whole, particularly cumin and shouldn't be used interchangably as the flavors are different.

On another note, with all the great salt out there, maybe we could cover salt?

I grow and dry most of my own herbs and a few spices but, when I need to buy, I use Penzey's and also SF Herb (because those are the two closest to me). At SF Herb it's in bulk but I bottle it up and share with others (because their bulk prices tend to be super cheap). Penzey's Vietnamese cinnamon is unbelievable, super fresh, I'm absolutely addicted. My favorite spice blend right now is Baharat (also called Boharat or Bahara'at depending on the country, I make mine with some of the dried organic red rose petals from my garden) - for vegetarians - baharat with lentils, rice or quinoa, and caramelized onions makes a great dinner option (and even tastes fine at room temp the next day for a brown bag lunch).

If you're looking for lime leaves also try Philippine grocers because that's where I found mine (until I bought a kaffir lime tree).

LOVAGE - no one seems to know this one, not even my area (gr.Cleveland OH) Penzeys. My senior neighbor grows this flat parsley-cilantro lookalike that has a wonderful celery flavor that holds up even when dried. It adds a subtle flavor to eggs or fish, dishes that might use a celery flavor but not the pieces (sauces), or when you run out of celery but want the flavor (soup, dips)...
plus add me to the cardamom fans (baba ghanough...)

well, turmeric cannot be substituted for saffron since they both are unique and have different fragrance & taste. Turmeric has to be used in moderation - a few pinches. It has been used in Ayurveda. We as Hindus, rub turmeric on our new clothing on Tamil new year's day. In a household it serves as an antibiotic as well.

Beyond their extraordinary smell curry leaves are believed to promote hair growth and considered an essential herb for skin & blood as well.

So if you've recently purchased the container, you might want to use a light hand, or add a bit more if the herb is older. When possible, use fresh ingredients to gain the most flavor.

If you're grinding your own spices instead of using pre-ground, you might use a bit less than the recipe calls for, as fresh-ground spices are more flavorful than pre-ground.

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Whenever I see fenugreek I am reminded of staying in my in-laws' house and finding a jar of it that dated back from before I was born! After I pointed it out, they revamped their spice collection.

No Beau Monde? C'mon!

You know how some people can't suffer the tiniest bit of cilantro in a dish? I'm like that with turmeric, I find it terribly bitter. I WANT to enjoy it because it's so good for you, so I'm working up to it.

Agree on the lavender. I had the best devilled eggs at a party once, and the hostess revealed that they had herbes de provence in them. I wouldn't know how to use it otherwise, except maybe in shortbread cookies.

My seasoning blend vote is for Cavender's Greek Seasoning. It is perfect for just about everything - meat, poultry, fish and veggies. It is my primary go-to seasoning.

Sorry if this is slightly off topic but are there any tips for ancho chili powder? I bought some on a whim... can I substitute it when a recipe calls for regular chili powder or cayenne pepper? Could I make it into a rub? Thanks!

@EvaInNL Curry leaves as far as I know are green in color and are mostly used in South Indian cooking, not sure which variety has grey leaves...
The plants can even grow up to be 8-10 foot trees (We have one).

I'd like to know more about Berberi (or Berbere)!

When I was in India it was common to see street vendors slice up a firm, fresh fruit (say, a guava) and sprinkle it with some kind of masala before giving it to the customer. Does anyone know what spice blend they typically use? It was so good but I didn't think to ask at the time.

Awesome list! It would be neat seeing this info printed on a card and have it hanging in the cupboard.Free Registry Repair

Sumac is delicious sprinkled over sliced onion and sweet butter spread on lavash. So simple yet so satisfying. A maui onion makes this especially good.

@engineergirl It must have been "chat masala". You can purchase this from any indian store. I have a box of chat masala and the ingredients mentioned in it are: rock salt, dry mango powder, cumin, black pepper, mint leaves, dry ginger, black salt, red chili, caraway, clove nutmeg, asafoetida, pomegranate seeds and coriander seeds. Phew some list that is. I just buy this one

Thanks for this great list - but I must point out that you're missing the single spice that can stand alone: salt, in all its glorious varieties! From kosher salt to fleur de sel, a pinch or a good sprinkling makes a huge difference in savory and sweet foods.