1-2 favourite herb or spice

Today I realized that we were low on fresh ginger root. Am always amazed how much ginger root we use. For savoury and dessert dishes.

So I guess a favourite herb or spice for me would be: ginger root and basil.
I love fresh basil. So versatile in many different types of cuisines..Western as well as some Eastern.

He likes fresh parsley alot. So he buys alot of it and uses it. I'm clueless with parsley. I actually can barely taste fresh parsley in alot of dishes. So the joy of fresh parsley is quite lost on me.

I just noticed I'm low on cumin. Again. So that'd have to be my favorite spice, with cinamon a close second. Herbs: basil, absolutely...

But it seems like I need to restock catnip most often (there are 3 little junkies in my house).

I couldn't choose one or two. Yeesh, what season of the year is it? Are the veggies in my garden or my fridge sweet, tart, earthy, pungent, green, ...? Am I cooking Italian, Chinese, Middle Eastern or Indian, or branching out to some other cuisine?

Shootingstar... really? If you isolate it, and take a bite out of freshly harvested Italian parsley, the flavor doesn't seem strong to you, so that you can taste what it adds to risotti, soups, salads, etc.?


ETA: Okay, some people would consider garlic a seasoning, and I guess if I had to pick one flavor that would seriously hamper my repertoire if it was missing, that would be it. But to me, garlic is a vegetable. :p

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Originally Posted by skhill

But it seems like I need to restock catnip most often (there are 3 little junkies in my house).

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Cute. :)

Oakleaf, I should qualify that once I had a tabouleh dish that was made with a ton of Italian parsley..it was so strong that I disliked it. It must have been a cup of fresh parsley in that dish.

But yes, any parsley of normal amounts in any dish, I can't really taste it much at all. I know there are different varieties of parsley. For instance, a sprig of parsely on a dish..doesn't add any taste for me. Even if it's an hors d'oeuvre.

Guess asking a gardener this question, is like eeny-miney-mo, which herb shall it be? Like choosing chocolate bon-bon variety. :D

In terms of sweet spice, we use interestingly...aniseed. He uses it more than I because of the sorts of dishes he makes. He'll add it to certain salad dressings, some savoury sauces and of course roasting pears, etc. crushed aniseed is very nice. And combined with grated /minced ginger root.

I used to dislike aniseed because it remind me of Old fusty European traditions. But then, I became more familiar with certain quality baked European desserts which made me convert.

Garlic and ginger are definitely my faves...I LOVE Asian cuisine.

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Originally Posted by OakLeaf

ETA: Okay, some people would consider garlic a seasoning, and I guess if I had to pick one flavor that would seriously hamper my repertoire if it was missing, that would be it. But to me, garlic is a vegetable. :p

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Well, true I forgot about garlic..same category as onion. Most definitely it is a 'spice'. I actually didn't start having garlic in home cooked dishes until I left home. My parents actually came from a garlic growing region of China but...they avoided using garlic at home.

I know this sounds abit wierd. But I was told in times of starvation, people ate garlic bulbs. Maybe that was the turn-off, raw garlic. Dunno.

If we are counting garlic, then yes, definitely garlic. Mmmmmm.

I have a little dried mix I like to make up and call the 3 Amigos: thyme, basil and oregano. It goes on almost everything.

Most definitely garlic! Mmmm parsley... And rosemary... And oregano... Oh, and I LOVE fresh ground pepper.

Garlic and fresh basil. LOVE IT!

Just two?

Garlic, most definitely.
Vying for the second spot would be cinnamon, rosemary, basil, oregano & pepper.

Okay, I can break it down. :p

I don't go a week without using: parsley, black pepper, hot red pepper and garlic (if you consider those latter two seasonings and not vegetables).

I don't go two weeks without using: oregano, sage, thyme, rosemary, cilantro, coriander, cumin.

Life would really stink if I could never again get: foenugreek, fennel, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, paprika, or saffron, even though I don't use them all the time.

Summer wouldn't be summer without basil (Genovese plus one Asian variety, usually). But I almost never use it out of season (including not bothering to grow it in containers).

I'm in the camp of not being able to choose just 2. The ones I use on a regular basis are - cinnamon, fresh ground black pepper, oregano, thyme, basil, rosemary, garlic, and my new favorite...crushed red pepper flakes, which is a MUST on my pizza now. :D

I can't pick two.
I use garlic (lots of it), black pepper, cumin, fresh ginger, cilantro, cayenne pepper and crushed red pepper on a regular basis.
I don't use cardamom, cloves or cinnamon on a regular basis, but I love the smell and taste of those spices.

Black Pepper
Sea Salt
Garlic
Ginger Root
Tamari
Cinnamon
Fresh Parsley

Can't make it through a week without all of the above. We buy black pepper in bulk from Sams Club.

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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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!

When we set up our household I couldn't BELIEVE how difficult it was to find a spice rack with jars that didn't already contain herbs that had been sitting in a warehouse for G_D only knows how long. :eek:

If that's the only kind you can find, buy it and compost the contents; but empty ones are out there. Then what herbs and spices you don't grow yourself, buy them as needed at a store that sells them in bulk.

Spices tend to keep a lot longer than herbs, especially whole seeds. I grind almost everything except cinnamon, ginger and turmeric immediately before use. I have to say that since fresh turmeric has become so widely available, I haven't bought any... not quite sure how to use it, or how different it tastes from the dried and ground spice (having only ginger as a reference).

As for saffron, I doubt it's even possible to buy it fresh in the USA, and honestly, to me, it doesn't seem to lose flavor over the 6-12 months it takes me to use a packet. I still vote for "insufficient quantity" where saffron is concerned.

I'm a spice fanatic. If I opened my cupboard right now the two bottles front and center are cumin and granulated garlic. I also use a lot of cinnamon and oregano. Oddly enough I'm not a bit basil fan, except for pesto.

I work part-time at a spice store so I have more than I ever need.

Edited because I was so excited I missed the entire second page.

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Originally Posted by OakLeaf

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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My chili powder consists of ancho chili pepper, cumin, Mexican oregano, garlic, and toasted onion powder. Sometimes I'll add a little natural cocoa powder, fennel, or even a bit of mustard powder.

I don't really use a premixed curry powder, but my curries always have cumin, mustard, fennel, garlic, coriander, and some paprika. That's the standard but I often mix in some premixed curry blends too, like garam masala or vindaloo.

Just a general suggestion about spices. Whole spices are good for about two years (saffron included), ground spices about a year, and herbs around a year or less. If you open a bottle and can instantly smell the spice it's probably still good.

Oh well, if we are talking 'blends' that we use most, that would have to be chili powder and/or Goya Adobo seasoning. I buy both in bulk. :o

And I almost never add salt to my cooking. My DH salts stuff after the fact, so I just leave it out unless it's necessary (like when baking or in yeast breads, etc).

I really want to make my own chili powder this summer/fall after we harvest our peppers and dry them. I meant to do it last year but our pepper harvest wasn't great.