Advices on Spices

Spices are just nice and do add spice, transforming ordinary homemade meals to culinary masterpieces.  They are also dense storehouses of many nutrients and protective antioxidants.  It does make perfect sense to learn the basics of spice usage.  Let the following pieces of advice help you.

12 Essential Spices You Should Stock Up On

Having many kinds of spices holds the promise of a rainbow of flavors and aroma on our foods.  But there are spices which are universally considered as the 12 most basic ones, the essential dozen so to speak.  In alphabetical order, these are:

1. basil
2. garlic powder
3. minced onion
4. chili powder
5. ground cinnamon
6. dill weed
7. ground ginger
8. oregano
9. paprika
10. rosemary
11. thyme
12. vanilla extract
 

Optional Spices

On top of these 12 essential spices, there are some pantry spices which you might want to add to your pantry spice rack if you are particularly fond of certain types of foods.

• Italian cooking:  fennel, crushed red pepper, Italian seasoning
• Asian cooking:  sesame seed, crushed red pepper, curry powder
• Mexican cooking:  cumin
• Baked products:  allspice, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, poppy seeds
• Holiday cooking and baking:  whole allspice, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, paprika, poultry seasoning
 

Rules in Adding Spices to Foods

1. Use spices to enhance and complement the natural flavors of food.  Do not use too much of a spice or too many spices at a time that the natural tastes of the food cannot shine through.
2. For spices which do not come in dispenser bottles, use a dry spoon to remove the portion called for.
3. Do not sprinkle spice directly onto the steaming pot.  The steam rising from the pot will create moisture on the spice jar which could cause spoilage.
4. Leaf herbs such as oregano, basil and thyme should be crushed in your hands just before adding them to foods in order to release the full flavor.
5. Some herbs are best added at the start of cooking in order to blend the flavors.  Other herbs are best added during the last minutes of cooking as the flavor quickly dissipates in heat.  In general, ground spices and herbs have to be added into foods last.
6. For uncooked foods such as salad dressings, let the herbs stand in vinegar for some time before adding in the oil.  Alternatively, you can also heat briefly the liquid and the seasonings so as to marry the flavors together.
7. How much spice to add depends on many things—individual tastes, types and amounts of foods.  As a rule, it is quite safe for most palates to start with ¼ teaspoon per 4 servings, per pound of meat or per 2 cups of sauce. 
8. Red pepper has the uncanny characteristic of intensifying its flavor with time.  Thus, you may have to add red pepper in small increments only.