What Are Some Good Spices to Experiment With?
Good Questions

Q: After reading the question involving inexpensive cookware for a college student, I was inspired to send along a question.

My best friend and I are college students and roommates. We want to get more creative in the kitchen and we are trying to figure out good spices to have around that are fun to experiment with and easy to work with on a college budget. Does anyone have any ideas?

Sent by Samantha

Editor: Samantha, we think that spices are actually one of the easiest and most frugal ways to really amp up your cooking! A few well-chosen spices are a great way to expand your cooking repertoire and try new things.

First of all, take a look at this guide to pretty much every spice in the cupboard:

• Quick Guide to Every Herb and Spice in the Cupboard

Browse through there and see if anything really grabs you!

Our suggestions: We love smoked paprika's smoky, complex flavor. A pinch can deepen meatless stews and soups. We also like whole cumin a lot. It has a wonderful warmth and toastiness; try pan-frying a little bit of whole cumin, then throwing in tiny bites of meat and cooking and serving it all together. And finally, play around with whole spices as well as ground spices. Freshly ground cinnamon is so different from the bottled stuff. Buy a few sticks and grind them, then sprinkle over your morning oatmeal. Delicious!

As far as frugality goes, do look for spices in the bulk section of Whole Foods or your local co-op. Or buy them from Asian or Indian markets. The baking aisle of your local grocery store is the last place you should ever buy spices; they are usually overpriced, and not as fresh as the ones you will find in bulk bins.

Readers, do you have suggestions for ways that Samantha can use spices to experiment and play around in the kitchen?

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(Image: Emma Christensen)

Comments (23)

One of my favorites is Cardamon. It's good with many meats and desserts.

I buy all of my spices online. I have to plug savorspiceshop.com after using the most amazing vanilla bean I've ever had from them this weekend (super plump and sticky with some of the white powder on the outside). You get a short description of the spice where it's from and how it's used and in some cases recipes. You can order small quantities so you can sample and they won't go bad. Maybe some cardmom or grains of paradise, or a couple of chile powders (the korean chilie threads are very cool). They have some good spice blends there too.

Ditto on buying bulk. Don't worry if you don't have a Whole Foods in your city--even some of the non organic groceries carry bulk spices. They are CHEAP (mostly under 50 cents) and great for experimenting.

I also love Penzey's Spices--definitely worth checking out, especially if you have a store nearby. http://www.penzeys.com/

Just to give you an idea:
I just returned from the store where I purchased Za'atar blend in the bulk section. I paid 50 cents for something that's about the size of the tiny McCormicks. A "large" bottle (think the size of a normal McCormicks) would have run $8-10.

I'm using thyme more and more often. I love basil, too - but prefer it fresh so I grow my own. Which is another cheap option if you have a sunny window anywhere in your place.

Try putting cinnamon on savory dishes--lots of Middle Eastern recipes use it this way, like kibbee. I like to sprinkle cinnamon and allspice on chicken breasts before I grill them. That, with a little hummus and pita bread and a salad with feta...easy and yum.

Ethnic markets are a great source of bulk, inexpensive spices. My favorite is my local Indian grocery.

i highly recommend thyme and rosemary. excellent on so many things from chicken to potatoes and can even be used in sweet/savory baked goods!

smoked paprika, smoked salt, star anise, curry leaves, mustard seeds, dried Mexican chiles, coriander seed

Tarragon!

of course, it all depends on your taste - I like cumin on nearly everything (try it in scrambled eggs! or brownies! on fruit!). Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger; chili powder, paprika, tumeric, bay leaves...

There are several blends I reach for often as well -- Italian seasoning, garam masala, cajun seasoning (like Tony Chachere's); I have a BBQ grinder form Simply Organic that is delicious, and something called Tsar Dust that is sooo tasty on roast vegetables...

@Sousani - good one! Tarragon for sure. I put some in blueberry pancakes the other morning and it was amazing.

I have to agree with cardamom - it goes with meats and sweets. Cardamom is my go to when I want to really make something special. I even add it to my egg mix when making french toast.

Spice in the bulk section can actually be 1/10th or more the price of buying prejarred spices.

garam masala and turmeric on eggs!

@Sousani & @manjar - I agree with tarragon too! It really added so much depth to a bisque I made last week.

I agree with trying out some recipes with cardamom. I found a delicious looking recipe for apple cardamom muffins and another one for cardamom granola bars, both on allrecipes.com

http://rachelsrecipebox.wordpress.com

I get crushes on certain herbs and spices. Currently, that would be with cumin seeds and Morton & Bassett's Herbs de Provence mix. I've been using the cumin seeds to flavor winter greens and the Herbs de Provence on practically anything. This morning it was the seasoning on some sauteed mushrooms. It's fabulous on roasted potatotes too.

My most used are cinnamon, red pepper flakes, and cumin. But to each his own!

Thank you all for your great comments, I'm excited to get cooking!

Penzeys is a great source for spices too. If you have one near you, you can actually smell everything before you buy it to give you some idea of whether you like it or not. And you can buy half jars.

My absolute must haves in my spice drawer are tarragon, parsley, dill, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder and cumin, plus a little cinnamon for the baked goods. Mind you I have a jillion other spices, but if I am out of one of those 7 items, it prompts an immediate trip to Penzeys.

Curry powder is another great one, good on popcorn, and for jazzing up things like egg salad and tuna salad. We also like it on pork chops or chicken.

I didn't know about buying in bulk from the fancy stores being cheaper... nice!

I love:

Rosemary (potatoes, soups, chicken).

Ground coriander (has a lemony snap) with pork, chicken, veggies (I use this as my secret ingredient for baked pork chops and it rocks with a bit of brown sugar)

Celery seed (licorice/celery - sounds weird) great in salads like tuna or chicken and would be interesting to experiment with in savory dishes

Basil, Bay leaves, cinnamon, parsley - very versatile spices

My most-used spices are:

bay leaves (so cheap, and adds depth to anything from rice to marinades to soup)
cinnamon
paprika (I think sweet is most versatile, but hot and smoked are yummy too)
ginger (preferably fresh, just mince or grate it)
coriander (whole seeds)
cumin (whole seeds)
cardamom (whole green pods)
saffron (a little goes a long way, and it's way cheaper if you buy Mexican saffron from a Latin supermarket. You can sometimes substitute turmeric, which is even cheaper)
ground cayenne

If you have a good stock of basic spices, including salt, black and red pepper, herbs, and "sweet" spices, you can make your own spice blends - curry powder, tandoori, grill rubs, the sky's the limit. Don't waste money on expensive pre-made blends!

It's worth buying whole spices and grinding them yourself in a cheap coffee grinder (don't use the same grinder for spices and coffee). You'll save money over the long term by buying in bulk and only grinding what you need (whole spices stay good for years).

You can also change up the flavor of whole spices by grinding, pan-roasting, or both. You'll essentially get 4 flavors out of the same spice if you have those techniques under your belt.

And if you don't have a brown thumb like me, grow some herbs in pots (be sure to put them in a sunny spot). Italian parsley, cilantro and basil are my top three, but a lot of people also love rosemary, dill, oregano, and mint (plant mint separately, since it tends to take over other things). Oregano is the only herb I ever buy dried, and it's very versatile.

I fry up mustard seeds and use them for a variety of dishes. I wanted to share a video I just shot that features a tempering process where you fry spices including mustard seed and then pour it over a yogurt dish. enjoy!:

http://abcdsofcooking.blogspot.com/2010/02/my-first-cooking-video-radish-raita.html