Essential herbs and spices

shegirl

My most used are:

Rosemary
Oregano
Cumin
Corriander
Parsley
Paprika
Ginger
Cayenne
Cinnamon (can be used for baking AND meals)
Cinnamon sticks (as above -baking and meals)
Garlic Granules (perfect for use in coatings)
Chilli Powder
All Spice

Other essentials for me (not herbs or spices though lol):

Sea salt
Soy Sauce
Tabasco Sauce
Sweet Chilli Sauce
Cornflour

Oh,and you can never have too many tins of chopped tomatoes!

zippychick

we do have an essential herbs and spices thread

ill merge this later on

Zip

Elsewhere

I buy herbs in big bunches (cheap in ethnic supermarkets) and freeze them. Sometimes I chop them first, but some you can freeze as they are and just scrunch them into flakes in the freezer bag when they are icy and brittle.

You can get frozen garlic in big slabs, too, but it tends to stink out the freezer. Ethnic supermarkets (thinking mainly Indian here) are very good for cheap spices as well.

I don't use sea salt - I think of all the pollution in the sea and it puts me off. I reckon rock salt is better - after all, it's still sea salt, but from millions of years ago before we had a chance to pollute the planet!

DundeeDoll

I'd go for basil (tomato dishes), rosemary (good with chicken and in foccaccia), parsley if you like white sauce with fish, chilli flakes or powder, turmeric (kedgeree) and chinese five spice. But i agre, go look at suggestions for recipes you want to make. I'd also recommend going for more expensive ones cos a little of them goes further than the value ones. Add one to the basket each week and you'll soon have more than the basics. And if you need a giggle, watch the mike mcintyre herbs and spicesn skit 'i am five spice'

[Deleted User]

I just love the fact that I can jazz almost the cheapest dish up with a few pinches of herbs and spices I have over the years bought some tiny lock'n'lock boxes in which I keep them.I ddefinitely couldn't do without cinnamon (my favourite spice of all) also french and italian seasoning, tumeric, sage, rosemary, I used to grow it when i could garden and its so easy to grow I adore almost any seasoning and when I go to my sis-in-laws in faversham there is a farm shop called Macknades that smells gorgeous and their spices are to die for and not expensive either .
I even put cinnamon in my porridge and sprinkle some in my fresh coffee in the morning

ab.da54

and what foods do you make which include them?

I'm of the generation where we had plain meat and two veg but would like to try new things. My friend has bought me a box of spices and has agreed to help make something for a meal, but what do I make.

I'm a complete novice here so wouldn't be able to manage fancy things but am interested in what you use your spices for

Helen2k8

Depends which spices you have.

I tend to have rough categories, then throw things together within that.

E.g. I have "sweet spices" - nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, mixed spice. They go in winter soups (parsnip, squash)
Slow-cook chopped parsnip/carrot/butternut squash and/or sweet potato in chicken stock until very soft, blend, check consistency, add nutmeg, cinnamon, mixed spice to taste

"Hot spices" such as garam masala, curry powder, coriander, chilli...generally used in curries or to add kick to a stew
sometimes add a pinch of chilli to liven up a bolognese; or slow cook a goat joint with garam masala, curry powder

Then there are the herbs, when I want a more "European" flavour.
More goat, slow cooked with bay leaves, celery leaves, thyme, rosemary

If I'm not sure what I want, I generally start cooking (e.g. brown the mince) and then sniff the pots of spice and see what appeals today.

Lazy_Liz

Good answer Helen, covers so much.

I am pretty similar, I use lots of "curry spices" ground corriander, cumin, tumeric, chilli and paprika for curries and chillies. My mix for chilli is 1 tsp hot chilli powder, 2 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp cumin and 1/2 tsp corriander, 1tsp dried mixed herbs. (adjust according to your tolerance for chilli)

Ground corriander (as opposed to the leaf kind) goes in lots of north african and middle eastern dishes, humus, meat tagines. Good with carrots too.

Carraway goes with cabbage as well a being used in various eastern european breads and cakes.

Nutmeg in white sauce for lasagna and in egg and milk puddings eg custard tart and rice pudding.

A good starting point if you are unused to spicy food is chicken paprika. A chicken stew flavored with smoked paprika, its not hot at all but really flavoursome. I have recently made the Hairy Bikers "Hairy Dieters" recipe (sorry this isn't on the BBC website only in the book) but lots of versions on the web. Substitute ordinar paprika if the recipe says hot.

Good luck and enjoy experimenting.

Take_it_like_a_man,_sonny

I cube of Sugar and all things Nice. And some girls!

Thyme
Mint
Chives
Rosemary
Coriander
Parsley
Basil
Oregano
Sage

Tumeric
Chilli
Garlic
Ginger
Garam Masale
Cummin
Ground Coriander
Nutmeg
Cinnaman
Mixed Spice


Oh and known to do Gravy with Sage, Toenailed Onions and Jam!

Tish_P

I have too many spices because I keep buying obscure ones, then five years later throwing them away unused (Annatto seeds? Ajwain? Canarian Azafran?). The ones I use most often are cumin, coriander, cinnamon, crushed red chillis, but I also love saffron, sweet paprika and nutmeg.

I rarely cook without them. Cumin and coriander go in anything Indian or Mexican (and cumin gets sprinkled on cheese on toast). Paprika goes in tomato sauces for pasta. Cinnamon goes in cakes, obviously, but also is great in small quantities in lamb dishes like shepherd's pie. Nutmeg goes on steamed spinach, and in white sauce or anything creamy whether sweet or savoury.

Hope you enjoy experimenting!