Essential herbs and spices

mummysaver

Not strictly a spice, well not one in any sense of the word, but I always have powdered garlic - v cheap in lidl - great for just adding a bit of extra flavour if needed! Yes, I know its not hard to chop up garlic, but the powdered stuff is also good for sprinkling on meats when you're grilling them!

Stephen_Leak

purpleivy wrote: »

That looks very ornamental, but not very MS. Are the pots airtight?

You can get a masala dabba (it means "spice box") for a lot, lot less than in the link: that one just came up first with a decent picture. The inner lid keeps the stuff in the little pots (I wouldn't recommend shaking it violently though) and the main lid is like on a cake tin. You can get them on eBay, but the cheapest place is in an Asian food shop, because they are such an everyday item.

I keep some of each of my Indian curry spices in mine and top them up from the jars. I just love the smell when you remove the lid and the sight of the bright colours of the chilli and turmeric against the warm browns of the garam masala and the cumin. It's another part of the pleasure of being involved with your food, instead of just putting another plastic tray in the microwave.

Lefs

Hello! I'm new to all of this, but have decided to make a concerted effort to cut down my expenses because I now have student debt to pay off and a wedding to save for.

I love to cook, and a lot of the posts on this board have given me a lot of ingredients, but I was wondering one thing...

When it comes to cooking cheaply, what herbs and spices do you use on a regular basis? Where is the best place to buy them cheaply? And what ones could you not live without?

I'm forever seeing recipes that are really cheap, but contain things like this that I don't have and don't seem to work as well when I cook them without.

Help is much appreciated!

Thanks.

becky_sleaf

If you want dried herbs & spices then go to an asian supermarket. We have one at the bottom of our road & it is so much cheaper than buying in your normal supermarket!

Pink.

Hi Lefs,

Welcome to MSE :hello:

The herbs and spices I use most are garlic, parsley, coriander, rosemary, basil, oregano, mixed herbs, black pepper, paprika and chilli. I grow a lot myself but I've read that others find aisian supermarkets the cheapest place to buy them. Unfortunately we don't have one nearby.

Rather than rush out and buy a lot at once it might be best to buy a different one every week and perhaps experiment with using it.

This earlier thread may help you:

Essential herbs and spices

I'll add your thread to that one later to keep the replies together.

Pink

hayden

becky_sleaf wrote: »

If you want dried herbs & spices then go to an asian supermarket. We have one at the bottom of our road & it is so much cheaper than buying in your normal supermarket!

definately -try chinese supermarkets as well -the price difference can be huge

for some of the basics find a friend with a Costco card perhaps

:j

Welshwoofs

I get big tubs of spices from Makro or Costco, but Asian supermarkets are great if you have one near you.

My Essential Spices
Cumin, Coriander, Chilli, Turmeric (all essential for currys!),Paprika, Ginger, Cinnamon, Black Pepper Corns, Garam Masala, Mustard Seeds

My Essential Herbs
Rosemary, thyme, basil, tarragon, sage

Stephen_Leak

Agreed with the Asian supermarket -

Herbs - start with the basic "mixed herbs" and then add parsley (fish and English dishes) and basil (tomato).

Spices - for curries, chilli, cumin, garam masala, turmeric. Chilli and cumin are also used in Mexican cuisine, eg. chilli con carne.

I've just bought a tub of mixed spice, as I'm going to be having a go at apple pie to deal with a glut of apples.

maddriver

From Chinese supermarket I buy Dried Garlic (1KG bag lasts ages), Dried Crushed Chillis (again lasts ages, think that too is a 1KG bag), Curry powder, Pureed Ginger.

From Asda Coriandar leaf, Mint, Cinnamon, Cumin and Rosemary. Oddly enough until this thread I've never thought to price check at the Chinese supermarket. Coriandar at least ought to be cheap there.

Any and quite possible all of the above can end up in a stirfry, dependant on my mood and inclination at the time of cooking. I also have set recipies for stews, curry and chilli con carne that use the above to varing degrees.

nesssie1702

You could always grow your own fresh herbs and have them in pots on your windowsill in the kitchen. I always have some parsley, basil and coriander on the go.

If you want to try small quantities of dried stuff, I find that Morrison's have a good range and their prices aren't too expensive