Favorite / most used spices / seasonings

[masraum]

Here's a random question for the group.

What are your favorite and/or most used spices/seasonings/herbs/flavorings?

I understand that many are like tools, you pick the right tool for the right job and a particular tool will not be the right tool for every job, but I suspect we all have things that we like more than others and/or maybe use more than others.

For instance, I would assume that garlic is a very popular addition. I do love garlic.

Somewhat along the same lines, Onion, but to me, that's almost more of an ingredient.

Also, if you have the ability to use fresh herbs, in most cases, I say, do it.

I'm sure Cilantro will be a love/hate thing. I think there's some genetic thing so that for some people cilantro tastes horrible.

For the dry spices, we get many of them at Penzey's Spices, and they are very good. I'm fortunate, that there's a Penzey's brick and mortar store just a few miles away.

On to my answer for my question.
Chili powder, I like chili powder. And right now I have some Chipotle Chili (not from Penzey's) that has more heat than regular chili powder. It's quite tasty. We made some hash the other day, you know, left over meat and starchy/root veggie type stuff. The chipotle chili is very tasty with it. Also, I'm pretty sure that I could eat chili all year round, I don't think of it as a purely winter thing. Chili is, of course, heavily spiced with chili powder.

I've got a coworker that's of Hungarian decent. He's was raised here, but his grandparents were from the old world, so they used A LOT of paprika. When I was younger, my only experience with paprika was as a decoration for deviled eggs. I have since discovered that there are many varieties of paprika and they all should have a lot of flavor. One of my favorites is smoked paprika (Specifically Spanish Smoked Paprika from Penzey's). Add a bunch to the ground beef when you make hamburgers, yum. It's also tasty on hummus and the hash that we just made.

Another favorite of mine is Cardamom. I haven't fully explored the uses of cardamom yet. It's used quite a bit in some of the Indian food that we like. I've even had cardamom ice cream (very tasty), and have started adding fresh fruit and cardamom to oat meal.

I'll also use cayenne powder when I want to add some heat, but not change flavor. You can add cayenne to LOTS of stuff. It's shocking how good it is in macaroni and cheese, for one.

THere are more, but these are getting a lot of use from me lately.

What about the rest of you guys. I know we have a lot of folks that like to cook.

[masraum]

Just another note that I thought was interesting, but had never thought about. When we go to Penzey's, they have 3 sections within the store, the seasonings section, the spices section and the herbs section. It makes sense when you think about it, but I had never thought about it before.

[Pazuzu]

Lawry's Season Salt.

No, really! Broccoli, wrap in tin foil tightly with lemon, Lawry's and beer, steam on the grill while grilling other things.

[Otter74]

I will take a slightly expansive view of what "spice" means to also include interesting, punchy flavor ingredients:

Aleppo pepper - it's fantastic, and I use like black pepper, so I use lots of it.

Pimenton de la vera - spanish smoked paprika, available sweet, bittersweet and hot. I have all three, like hot the best. Best "paprika" ever and I look for reasons to use it.

Berbere - an Ethiopian chile-based spice. I can get this locally, and also have some somewhat different (there's no one recipe) an largely-unground berbere from another place.

Harissa - this usually a paste rather than a dried spice. Moroccan red pepper-based spice, there are, as ever, different ways to make it. I have a couple of versions, both in refrigerated jars

Urfa pepper - this is another terrific pepper. Urfa pepper is a dark, smoky pepper from Turkey. I have flakes that I get locally, and paste that I got in Istanbul.

Speaking of Turkey, Turkish pepper and tomato pastes. You can get this in the US in jars, but it's not as good as what you can get for $$cheap$$ at a market if you happen to be in Turkey.

Za'atar - middle eastern (Egyptian, maybe); different ways to make it (surprise) but generally herbs like thyme and oregano with sesame seeds, sumac and salt

When I want chile powder, I make my own. Easy to get a dozen kinds of dried peppers from a Mexican market. toast in pan, add other ingredients, grind in coffee grinder.

Mint - dried, fresh, whatever. Dried mostly in Turkish stews, fresh in salads and etc.

Pomegranate molasses

Preserved lemons - these pack a fantastic amount of punch for their size.

For sweet-ish spices, I adore cardamom. I use green cardamom pods in savory stuff, too.

Parsley, mint, cilantro, basil, dill, chives growing in the back yard.

I am fortunate to have a terrific spice store near me in Chicago, a great middle eastern market on the north side, and other sources for more or less anything I can think of that I might want. All of the above may correctly suggest that I love (!) to cook and really, really like northern Mediterranean, north African, Levantine, Turkish, Sephardic, Persian, etc. food.

[wdfifteen]

I consider garlic and onions to be vegetables. As for seasonings, ground black pepper is #1, basil, marjoram, bay leaf, chili powder, cardamom, all get used a lot. I use a lot of dill in the summer.

[red-beard]

I use a mixture of Cumin, Coriander seed, Onion Powder and Black pepper. Generally used as a beef seasoning for grilling (Steaks and burgers)

[javadog]

That's a question with dozens of answers. It depends on what you cook. After a while, you tend to use fewer spices and more fresh, dried or preserved ingredients.

I cook a lot of:

Mexican, which uses dried chiles, oregano, achiote, sugar... fresh herbs like cilantro and epazote.

French, which uses more fresh herbs than spices... parsley, tarragon, chervil, basil, marjoram.
Italian is similar to French...

Asian uses a vast array of herbs and various preserved ingredients, plus endless sauces and condiments.

All use garlic, all the members of the onion family, etc.

Salt and pepper are the two most common spices I use. I have about every common dried spice that is available, but seldom use any of them. Indian cuisine probably uses more spices than most other cuisines.

JR

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Otter74

I will take a slightly expansive view of what "spice" means to also include interesting, punchy flavor ingredients:

Aleppo pepper - it's fantastic, and I use like black pepper, so I use lots of it.

Pimenton de la vera - spanish smoked paprika, available sweet, bittersweet and hot. I have all three, like hot the best. Best "paprika" ever and I look for reasons to use it.

Berbere - an Ethiopian chile-based spice. I can get this locally, and also have some somewhat different (there's no one recipe) an largely-unground berbere from another place.

Harissa - this usually a paste rather than a dried spice. Moroccan red pepper-based spice, there are, as ever, different ways to make it. I have a couple of versions, both in refrigerated jars

Urfa pepper - this is another terrific pepper. Urfa pepper is a dark, smoky pepper from Turkey. I have flakes that I get locally, and paste that I got in Istanbul.

Speaking of Turkey, Turkish pepper and tomato pastes. You can get this in the US in jars, but it's not as good as what you can get for $$cheap$$ at a market if you happen to be in Turkey.

Za'atar - middle eastern (Egyptian, maybe); different ways to make it (surprise) but generally herbs like thyme and oregano with sesame seeds, sumac and salt

When I want chile powder, I make my own. Easy to get a dozen kinds of dried peppers from a Mexican market. toast in pan, add other ingredients, grind in coffee grinder.

Mint - dried, fresh, whatever. Dried mostly in Turkish stews, fresh in salads and etc.

Pomegranate molasses

Preserved lemons - these pack a fantastic amount of punch for their size.

For sweet-ish spices, I adore cardamom. I use green cardamom pods in savory stuff, too.

Parsley, mint, cilantro, basil, dill, chives growing in the back yard.

I am fortunate to have a terrific spice store near me in Chicago, a great middle eastern market on the north side, and other sources for more or less anything I can think of that I might want. All of the above may correctly suggest that I love (!) to cook and really, really like northern Mediterranean, north African, Levantine, Turkish, Sephardic, Persian, etc. food.

Wow, cool list. I'd like to eat what you eat. I may not like it all, but it sounds like there would be lots of interesting and tasty stuff.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by red-beard

I use a mixture of Cumin, Coriander seed, Onion Powder and Black pepper. Generally used as a beef seasoning for grilling (Steaks and burgers)

Cumin, that's a good one. Also used in Chili and I put it in hummus, very tasty stuff.

Can't believe that I left the black pepper out.

[Gogar]

This went on every animal at my house when I was little. I still like it for beefy stuff.

[bivenator]

My least favorite would be tarragon. I can not stand anything with this spice.

[arcsine]

Penzeys Galena St Rub is da' bomb.

Got lots of other stand-bys such as:
Herbs de Provance; great with sauteed veggies
Peri Peri from Tom Douglas
Alder smoked salt

[stomachmonkey]

Fresh ground pepper.

It's all one needs.

[red-beard]

Originally Posted by bivenator

My least favorite would be tarragon. I can not stand anything with this spice.

Funny. I like Tarragon, especially in soup. But I cannot eat anything cilantro. Which is funny because "coriander" is the cilantro seed.

[sand_man]

Originally Posted by javadog

Salt and pepper are the two most common spices I use. I have about every common dried spice that is available, but seldom use any of them. Indian cuisine probably uses more spices than most other cuisines...

This for me as well.

[Otter74]

There is! Look up Yottam Ottolenghi's food to get a first-order idea.

Originally Posted by masraum

Wow, cool list. I'd like to eat what you eat. I may not like it all, but it sounds like there would be lots of interesting and tasty stuff.

[rusnak]

Put this in your flour mixture when you make fried chicken. It'll be the best fried chicken you'll ever have anywhere.

[Alan A]

I use a lot of turmeric in soups and stews.
Adds color and flavor.

[imcarthur]

Szeged paprika is the one. Table salt. Sea salt. Coarse salt.

On the herb list: Thyme for stews. Rosemary for tomato sauce. Sage for stuffings & saltimbocca.

Ian

[rwest]

Garlic powder and dill weed on buttered new potatoes.

Plus not only is dill weed a good spice, it is a "great" insult word!