1-2 favourite herb or spice

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Originally Posted by tulip

Basil and garlic (if garlic is a spice). If garlic doesn't count, then I'd have to say basil and rosemary.

But it's very hard to choose just two. Who restricted the list to just two? And why?

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Just a challenge, tulip. It also gets us to nail down the spice essentials that we feel bereft or after awhile, we pine for if it's not available for cooking a meal.

We could also learn alot from one another on what others do with certain spices that we seldom use.

For instance, I can't taste a dish flavoured by a bay leaf. I mean just what does that actually do for a dish???

Saffron, it's been really rare that I've bought this for cooking. But it's an interesting flavour in: bread...there's a bakery that makes a multigrain saffron baguette :), saffron rice pudding or saffron ice cream. Lovely. Other times, I just can't taste it in certain dishes, ie. paella even though I know it's in the dish made by xxx.

Sad to say, paella sometimes has a negligible amount of saffron and a whole lot of annatto or turmeric for coloring. :( If I'm making something highly seasoned (like Moosewood's Galician Garbanzo Stew, mmmmmmm), I'll use enough saffron to be able to taste it clearly. Expensive, sure, but I don't use it every day or even every month - it's so worth it when I do.

We replaced black peppercorns with a peppercorn medley several years ago.
I have a friend who insists that black pepper have no nutritional value but the red does.
No personal research, just made the switch and we prefer it over black. It has more layers of flavor and it is quite a bit stronger than straight black.

Definitely rosemary and basil.
Can I squeeze in a third - garlic?

I could pick two for a single meal, but never for the whole kitchen.

Oh I know...

Curry & Chili Powder, because then I'd have all the components for each of them!

Wait...none of you are using salt?

I don't think most people consider salt an "herb or spice."



Malkin, not fair (unless you really mean prepared mixtures without the right to deconstruct them)! :p:D
Red pepper, black pepper, oregano, cumin, garlic powder,
coriander, foenugreek, turmeric, (cumin and red and black peppers again)...


Okay, this thread has been going on long enough to drift. :D

What do you put in your chili powder? (actually I don't buy garlic powder, I just put extra garlic in the dish)
What do you put in your curry powder? And do you toast the spices or not?

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Originally Posted by OakLeaf

I don't think most people consider salt an "herb or spice."
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What do you put in your chili powder? (actually I don't buy garlic powder, I just put extra garlic in the dish)
What do you put in your curry powder? And do you toast the spices or not?

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I see salt as a necessary "mineral" for the body. Like taking iron. It's been proven if a person lacks sufficient trace iodine in their diet, they are prone to certain disease/condition. I can't remember what it was. Of course, the problem these days, is alot of people might ingest too much salt in their diet.

Oak, you must be a curry powder purist...creation of curry from ground up. No, pun intended. :p

We do use prepared chili powder and curry, but doesn't everything have to be doctored up to suit the occasion?

Probably basil, and vying for 2nd one is garlic, cumin, or thyme.

being a foodie, there is no one or two herbs I like the most. Or use:

garlic, ginger, several different kinds of chilli, basil, oregano, thyme, majorem, sage, chive, parsley, cilantro, tumeric, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, cardamon, fennel, anise, ...

My favorite is: french terragon. wonderful in soup, fish, omlette, chicken dish...

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Originally Posted by smilingcat

being a foodie, there is no one or two herbs I like the most. Or use:

garlic, ginger, several different kinds of chilli, basil, oregano, thyme, majorem, sage, chive, parsley, cilantro, tumeric, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, cardamon, fennel, anise, ...

My favorite is: french terragon. wonderful in soup, fish, omlette, chicken dish...

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Ah tarragon, it's like a savoury version of mint. Well, to me.
There are certain herbs I simply haven't cooked often with. Whereas he likes experimenting with tarragon, majoram, etc. But both of us are still abit stumped and rarely use bay leaf, in terms of making up a dish or experimentation. Sage is another one. I can't determine the taste of sage in a dish. What is it supposed to do to a dish? It's like bay leaf, can't figure out what type of taste it adds to a dish.

I know there are different types chili pepper..but am so lazy. I use chili paste, sabal olek.

I'm a pretty indifferent cook, so my 2 spices would be garlic and Mrs. Dash - a salt-free general spice mix that I throw on nearly everything.

I almost never add salt to anything. I've had the same box of salt for almost 15 years, and it's still more than half full.

If you can't recognize the flavor of an herb or spice, it is possible that your samples aren't fresh. I know that when I was growing up we had the same spice containers for about 20 years and most of them tasted remarkably like the dust that covered their lids.

If you want to expand your herb and spice experience try getting fresh herbs and smell and taste them before using them to flavor a dish.

Or take a cooking class!