List of Spices – Caitlin’s Top 10

I think spices are one of the best ways to make simple food gourmet. Herbs and spices single-handedly create layers in a dish, evoke memories, and tell stories…Here are my favorite dried herbs and spices that I think everybody should have as a bare minimum in the cupboards:

Herbs and Spices

When I first started to learn my way around a kitchen, cooking methods were hard enough for me to learn and I didn’t want to ruin a dish by adding too much of a specific flavor. In culinary school, I suddenly had closet of nearly 100 different dried herbs and spices from which to choose to make each dish my own. It was there that I really began to appreciate the role that herbs and spices play in a dish.

I think spices are one of the best ways to make simple food gourmet. Herbs and spices single handedly create layers in a dish, evoke memories, and tell stories. I now have my own spice closet completely devoted to them – with probably as many or more seasonings than culinary school.

Favorite Herbs and Spices

Here are my favorite dried herbs and spices that I think everybody should have as a bare minimum in the cupboards:

• Dried, Rubbed Thyme When you buy just simple dried thyme then you’ll get dried little branches of thyme.  Buying it rubbed provides a finer powder form of the thyme. This way you don’t have to worry about straining it or people getting it stuck in their teeth. Thyme adds an earthiness to dishes that make them just the right amount of savory.
• Dried Bay Leaves I add 1-2 leaves to any sauce, stew, soup, braise I make. Adding dried bay leaves to a dish that will cook for an extended period of time will add depth of flavor. Make sure though to remove before you serve a dish because bay leaves are not good eats.
• Chili Powder There are various forms of chili powder: dark, smoked, dried etc. I usually buy dark chili powder. Chili powder doesn’t add any form of heat but it adds smokiness to a dish. You can also use Paprika for a similar effect.
• Cayenne I learned about cayenne in culinary school – it sincerely just adds heat to a dish. Cayenne is different than black table pepper. Table pepper hits you on the front of your tongue, cayenne hits you on the way down and doesn’t have a lasting sensation. I still, to this day, can’t handle a lot of heat but a pinch of cayenne when it’s not expected makes a dish a little bit more memorable.
• Coriander Coriander is probably one of my most used spices. Coriander is the seed form of cilantro but you wouldn’t guess that right away. It has a similar freshness to cilantro in scent but after it’s been dried also adds smokiness.
• Sage Dried rubbed sage is the perfect addition to any cold holiday. It’ll instantly warm up any dish and add a savory, earthy, deep note to a dish.
• Nutmeg I would say nutmeg is traditionally a sweet spice but I use it as a “secret ingredient” for different savory dishes. I can’t tell you how many different dishes people have loved and tried to guess what makes it so good, when the answer has been grated nutmeg.
• Cardamom This is a semi-expensive spice but I love adding it to sweet dishes along with cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground ginger. It has a clean scent and can be very pungent if used too generously.
• Dried Oregano/ Dried Italian Seasoning Dried Italian seasoning usually has oregano, basil, rosemary, and parsley (but it does vary). As a good Italian girl, it’s a staple. Dried Italian Seasoning is the beginning of our family’s pasta sauce, I rub it on whole roasted chickens, and put it to use as one of my favorite popcorn seasonings (topped with Parmesan cheese).

I used to believe that every spice had a specific dish to be used in or country it had to represent.  Not the case. Create emotions in dishes by using spices, and don’t be afraid to experiment a bit.  The next time you make Granny’s apple pie, add a little Chinese five spice; add a little cayenne to your bacon; try adding a little cinnamon and coriander to your ground beef.  Play with your food, experiment and spice up your culinary adventures.