Spiceology and Hell’s Kitchen Released a New Line of Spices, and Now They’re My Go-To Blends

If there’s one thing I love about cooking, it’s layering spices. Unfortunately, I’m not always perfect at it, and not to mention it’s time-consuming. So having spice blends in my pantry is definitely game-changing.  

Luckily Spiceology heard my cry because this leading spice and flavor company recently announced a collaboration and new product line with Hell’s Kitchen — the popular cooking competition show hosted by Gordon Ramsay. Each blend is like an homage to the show and its most viral moments, as well as a few of its well-known dishes (there’s even a blend named after Chef Ramsay’s famous Beef Wellington). 

While the spice containers are covered in phrases you can actually hear Chef Ramsay saying in your head — like “Bloody hell!” and “Good job, now piss off!” — the famous chef isn’t actually involved with the partnership or the creation of the line. But, like any other fan who spends time in the kitchen, you can bet I heard him yelling throughout my taste test. And with labels that look more like a periodic table than spice drawer contents, it was clear that the magical chemistry of cooking was about to happen. 

To begin, the five varieties of Hell’s Kitchen spice blends from Spiceology have the cheekiest of names: Sir Wellington, Where’s the Lamb Sauce?!, Vampire Killer, Smashing Salmon (a nod to season 16, episode 4’s raw fish smackdown), and Under the Sea. Each of them has their own go-to complementary food suggestion, so I did what I was told. Because that’s what you do if you want to survive in Hell’s Kitchen. 

It didn’t take me very long to discover the Hell’s Kitchen spices are potent. Just twisting off their tops and my nose was immediately met with a strong blast of the blends. Luckily, the flavors didn’t end up being as overpowering for the tastebuds (although Vampire Killer’s garlic is no joke). 

I started with the line’s signature blend — Sir Wellington — with flavors of mustard, mushroom, and shallot that gave off an earthy horseradish linger. I sprinkled this on a simple potato and pork dish to allow the flavors to come through, and they certainly did. The spices added an extra earthiness that I thought would also be great for deepening a sauce or a gravy. Next up was Where’s the Lamb Sauce?!, which I used on steamed asparagus to hopefully give it a punch. Named after one of the most meme-able moments and quotes from Hell’s Kitchen (season 1, episode 2), this herbaceous blend features mint, tarragon, chives, rosemary, oregano, marjoram, and parsley, finishing with a sweet balsamic powder and molasses. Truth be told, I couldn’t really taste the mint and the spice was almost too “chunky.”

Vampire Killer — the garlic and Parmesan blend — was also way too strong for my liking, but family members enjoyed it on their popcorn. Smashing Salmon was easily my favorite — a palate-pleasing blend with an acidic miso flavor and strong umami taste derived from soy and shiitake mushroom. It also offered up a surprising kick from lemon and ginger making it the perfect blend to sprinkle on top of my noodle bowl for a quick hit of Asian taste. Also, with a bit of East-meets-West, Under the Sea is a colorful sweet and spicy blend of maple and Korean chili flakes that I dashed onto a slice of toast topped with homemade vegan ricotta to add a bit of heat. Mission accomplished. 

These spices will more than likely win out over most of the spices in my cabinet, when it comes to upping the ante. They were priced right, tasted freshly blended, and the flavors mingle easily with my favorite dishes. So would I use these spices again? Yes, chef.

Each 3.1-ounce jar can be found for $9.99, while the 19.4-ounce options are priced from $25.99 to $27.99. You can also enjoy the full range in a sample pack for $41.95.