Spices to Keep in Your Kitchen

You might be interested in cooking, or simply filling up your new spice rack. Either way, it's helpful to know what kind of spices and seasonings a good cook should have. As most know, it's important to start with the basics (which varies from one chef to another).

Salt and pepper to start. You may opt for kosher salt, or you may want a plain black pepper. There are many choices out there, and finding out which ones suit your taste buds best is a good starting point.

Garlic - salt or powder. This is generally a preference point when shopping, but most recipes will call for the powdered variety. The salt has a taste you might imagine - it's a bit saltier than the powder, and the granules are a little bit larger.
Most good kitchens keep both on hand.

Onion powder is another good thing to keep on hand. Recipes call for chopped onion, but if you have onion powder, you can usually substitute a bit of this. You can buy onion powder in small, medium, or large bottles, and I recommend purchasing a medium sized bottle, as you'll find yourself using it more than you might think.

The rest of the spices and herbs you might want to keep on hand are more for subtlety. Garlic, salt, pepper, and onions have very bold flavors and most people can identify them immediately. But for other recipes, like soups or breads, you might want to incorporate a dash of 'this', and a pinch of 'that'.

Curry - it comes in a paste, but get the powdered form. You will have many uses for it if you're interested in Indian cooking, but curry goes with anything. Couscous and rice noodles with a curry sauce make for an excellent lunch.

From there, buy small bottles of: rosemary, thyme, celery salt, paprika, nutmeg, allspice, parsley, cloves, dill, cinnamon, oregano, parsley, cayenne, cilantro, and red pepper flakes. You may find yourself needing more ingredients for more complex recipes, but these are a great starting point.

Once you've collected the spices you'd like to include in your repertoire, it may be a good idea to organize them by something you'll recognize. If you have the initiative, organizing them by alphabetical order will make it much easier to find the particular spice you are looking for. Since most spices come in near-identical packaging, there aren't many identifiers except for the title of each one. As your collection grows, you may find yourself pulling out your hair while trying to find the cumin, or some other ingredient. Another idea is to purchase a spice rack - one that is appealing to the eye, but functional. Many are available at home stores or online.