Cooking/Spice staples

[Nick1911]

What, in your opinion, are spices or other cooking supplies you always try to keep on hand?

I've got a small, really eclectic collection of spices, that are completely unorganized.  It seems like I never have what I need to try a new reception.  I'm looking to fill it out and accumulate the more common ones I don't presently have.  What would you say is a good list of basic spices?  Are assortments in a prepackaged spice rack a good idea?

I also like to keep flour, sugar, butter, eggs, milk, assorted pasta, rice, and frozen ground beef and chicken breast.

What all do you always try to have in stock?

[PTK]

...Nick, I need to send you a package. A large one. I have nearly 200lbs of various spices, whole. I generally DO NOT buy ground spices, and I buy plenty of odd stuff.

That, and I still owe you a DVD! :D


Basic list:

Black pepper
White pepper
Pink "pepper"
Schezuan "pepper"
Cinnamon
Cloves
Cardamom
Coriander
Ginger
Chilies (various)
Tumeric
Cumin
Mustard seed

and so forth... it's a big list...

And herbs a plenty, obviously...  


I'm probably not the norm here on APS, though. I take cooking VERY seriously, so I have anything I need, spice-wise, at any time. I generally get people going "oh my lord this tastes great, what's the secret?!" and I laugh my butt off as I tell them it's a relatively normal recipe but I've used whole spices freshly ground that day. It makes THAT MUCH of a difference.

[makattak]

A prepackaged spice rack has a LOT of spices you need.

PTK covered most of the spices, but didn't mention Thyme, Rosemary, and Basil.

Also of use:

Oil, especially Olive Oil.
Vinegar
Soy sauce (if you like asian food)
Salt and Pepper (I'm sure you have them, but you didn't mention those)
Garlic (fresh, dried, powder- any of those or all)

I'm sure there's more, but that's the big ones that came to mind immediately.

[PTK]

PTK covered most of the spices, but didn't mention Thyme, Rosemary, and Basil.

And herbs a plenty, obviously...

    

Also, "most of the spices"? Are you serious? I have nearly one hundred different spices, from ordinary stuff to juniper berries and grains of paradise.

[Jim147]

If your buying ground spices from the store buy the smallest they sell. You still won't use most of them before the lose flavor.

Outside of the normal ones I like to have Old Bay, some fresh chili powder, some Sylvas taco seasoning, and some Mural of Flavor (Penzeys Spices) Penzeys is a good brand for any of the spices you might want to pick up.

jim

[Jamisjockey]

Garlic powder
crushed red pepper and red pepper flakes
onion powder
Mrs. Dash
Italian seasoning
chili powder
basil (crushed)
thyme

I always have some certain items in the fridge, too
lemon juice
soy sauce

[GAGGER]

old bay- good on everything.

[PTK]

Penzeys is a good brand for any of the spices you might want to pick up.

And really, really expensive.

[makattak]

   

Also, "most of the spices"? Are you serious? I have nearly one hundred different spices, from ordinary stuff to juniper berries and grains of paradise.

I neglected to use the word "important". Most of the important spices.

Of course there are more. I'm meaning the ones most likely to be used in a normal american meal.

[Nick1911]

Interesting about ground spices vs whole.  Is there a spice grinder one uses to grind spices up at time of use?

Also, I'll take this to mean that some of my little used spices in the back of the cabinet that were bought in 2005 are probably not entirely flavorful anymore.

I'm looking to get from "making things from a box" to "making things from a recipe."  Eventually I'd like to take that to "making whatever I feel like on the fly, sans recipe."

[220_SWIFT]

Off the top of my head:

Kosher salt
Back/white pepper
Season Salt
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
Basil
Oregano
Italian seasoning
A couple different steak/chix/pork seasonings ( Spice/seasoning blends)
Celery seed
Cumin
Mrs. Dash original (I also put this in an extra pepper grinder to make the "table blend")
Allspice
Bay Leaves
Cayenne
Cinnamon
Paprika (Smoked and regular)
Nutmeg
Rosemary
Thyme
Wasabi

Other things I always have on hand.

Pasta sauce
Pasta
Stick & tub butter (butter substitute)
Rice
beans
Dehydrated potato flakes (not as good as regular mashed, but it is edible and can be dressed up)
Canned vegetables (usually just eat frozen veggies, but these work in a pinch)
Mac & Cheese  (you can do a lot with this one besides just eating M&C)
Oil (vegetable, corn, olive)
Shortening
Sugar (White and brown)

That's what is ringing a bell at the moment.  I am sure I have forgot things.  I try to keep plenty of extra food in the house.  You never know what might come up where you need it, or need to feed others.  This comes from years of my parents having a emergency foster home.  You never knew when you might get a call telling you that they were on the way over with 8 kids for the night.  99% of the time those children hadn't had a proper meal in quite a while.  It just sort of stuck with me over the years.  

[charby]

Must have at all times..

olive oil
basil
sea salt
garlic (chopped kind in the jar)
black pepper berries
rosemary

[Viking]

Sambal olek
Sundried tomatoes
Garlic
Tabasco
Various chili powders
Salt
Butter
Black pepper
Olive oil
Onions
Lime juice
Lemon juice
Whiskey (for medical purposes, or emergencies, like me needing to fall asleep. A dash of whiskey in the hot cocoa will do the trick most of the time )
White pepper
Sweet & Sour chili sauce
Beyond that, I have pasta, rice, frozen bread that only needs 10-15 minutes in the oven, flour, eggs, freezer full of sausages, hamburgers, ground meat. Also a few bottles of wine here and there.

[SADShooter]

Some grocery chains, such as HEB Central Market in Texas, sell bulk spices which are insanely cheap.

A spare small coffee grinder is perfect for grinding spices.

[eyebrows]

We have over 100 different bottles of spice/herbs, been trying to figure out a better way to store them.
Good spices/herbs on the list so far but don't forget bacon bits. I always keep some handy(the real bacon not bacon "flavored") goes great with everything.

[Boomhauer]

Spice Weasel

Salt, pepper, chili powder, red pepper flakes, mustard, garlic salt, onion salt, oregano, basil, paparikia are the spices that I use the most. I also keep some seasoning blends and rubs around.

[Fjolnirsson]

Baconsalt.

[Brad Johnson]

SPAM
Cream cheese
Velveeta
Lard

Oh, wait... those are food groups, not spices.

Brad

[sanglant]

other side of the coin, shop at sams costco or bj's, when the spice gets old throw it out and replace. mason gars and a food saver. and my spices last at least a year. and the price for the sam's jar is the price of 1 to 5 little packs. if its something you don't use much the little one is probably better.
but i always get my pepper(whole) at sam's, oh and there taco seasoning is good to (add some hot sauce, little red win vinegar, black pepper, onion powder, and a little liquid smooke if you like it. ) oh and there are some good peppers you can order(google for what you like). look at these. (insert drooling smiley here, please )

[BridgeRunner]

One thing to consider though, is shelf life.  It's all very well for a serious foodie to have a huge spice collection, but the rest of us could spend a lot of money only to end up using stale spices.

I keep my spices pretty simple, usually, and started shopping at a produce store that sells good, fresh, herbs very cheaply, at least until my hrb garden is well established enough to start harvesting.

[PTK]

One thing to consider though, is shelf life.  It's all very well for a serious foodie to have a huge spice collection, but the rest of us could spend a lot of money only to end up using stale spices.

Hence why I keep whole spices. Whole spices keep years, if not decades. Note that chefs/foodies say whole spices last years/decades, while the spice warehouses say to throw whole spices out every 6-12 months.....

[BobR]

Among all of the things mentioned, I also keep rubbed sage and Chinese five spice mix in the house, they never have time to go stale. Oh, you can also get a can of powdered wasabi and just use it as you go. Wasabi mashed potatoes are yummy. You can put it in anything you want to kick up a little.

bob

[Fjolnirsson]

Hence why I keep whole spices. Whole spices keep years, if not decades. Note that chefs/foodies say whole spices last years/decades, while the spice warehouses say to throw whole spices out every 6-12 months.....

So, school me. If I can buy something I don't need to throw out, I am in favor. I HATE repurchasing things that have gone off. Do you need a separate grinder and so forth for each spice? What about chili powder? I use a LOT. Best thing I have found to do so far is to buy in bulk and seal in mason jars or vacuum bags. Do you have a link to a good online supplier?

[PTK]

I make my own chili powder, I can write up a recipe later. I generally use a spice/coffee grinder or a mortar and pestle for grinding, and I generally only grind enough to either use in the food I'm making, OR, enough to make one to two months' supply of the spice mix I'm intending to make.

I generally purchase from "The Spice House" for obscure spices, and "Bulk Foods" for more ordinary stuff. Buy whole whenever you can, and store unused spices (whole) in mason jars or in tightly sealed plastic bags, "Food Saver" bags preferred.

For ground spice mixes, store in mason jars and DO NOT make more than a few weeks to a couple of months worth of mix at a time.

My chili powder is amazing, about a gazillion times the flavor of the store-bought stuff, well above the flavor of the premium special-order brands. Also, I don't add salt, so that if I want more heat, I can add it without adding more/any salt. It's really all-around better, being cheaper as well!

:)

[PTK]

Also, thinking about it, I need to post good explanations of all my recipes, spice mixes, and cooking tips anyway, since Nick needs them. I'll start typing everything in, and I'll have my SO help me out to make a few videos about making the mixes themselves.