Spices are the key to adding flavor to your food without doing any work. Cooking with spices makes it easy to elevate the food you cook and allows you to cook a variety of different kinds of food. My dream is to have a whole cabinet filled with spices organized in aesthetically pleasing containers, but for now a plastic box under my bed does the job. Like with everything else, start small and keep adding to your collection as you go. If you find a recipe you want to make and don’t have all the ingredients or spices, you can always omit them or get creative with substitutions. The spices on this list are versatile and easy to find, making them useful to add to many foods:
- Cumin. This is what gives tacos and fajitas that smoky spice we know and love. It’s also useful to add to the base of sauces and many Indian dishes.
- Old Bay seasoning. I did not discover Old Bay until I got to college. It’s a mix of black pepper, paprika, mustard, celery salt, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, and a few others. It is supposed to be used on crab and other seafood, but because it combines so many spices into one, it’s great to add to sauces, soups, and especially chili. It gives the dish a salty and smoky flavor.
- Vanilla extract. Vanilla is for more than just baking. It can be added to plain yogurt, smoothies, and oatmeal for natural sweetness. It’s a great way to cut back on sugar.
- Cinnamon. I add cinnamon to just about everything. Sprinkle it on apples and bananas and add it to oatmeal, smoothies, and yogurt. Fun fact– cinnamon is supposed to be good for stabilizing blood sugar levels.
- Curry powder. I just started experimenting with cooking Indian food. I love going out to eat at Indian restaurants and trying to recreate what I like at home. Indian food is great for people who are vegan or vegetarian, too. Curry powder is useful for many Indian dishes and is also great on roasted vegetables like cauliflower. Curry powder by itself adds an incredible amount of flavor to everything and a little bit goes a long way.
- Chipotle chili pepper powder. If you like chili, get this spice. It’s exactly what it sounds like in that it has a smoky and spicy flavor.
- Ginger powder. Ginger is great for Asian dishes. I add it to stir fry and salad dressings. It plays well with other flavors and adds some sweetness and brightness.
- Cardamom. This is another spice useful for Indian cooking. It adds a warm flavor. You can also mix it into oatmeal and smoothies for a warm, deep flavor.
- Garlic powder. Garlic is arguably my favorite spice. Put it in everything. Minced garlic is great too, but garlic powder is easy to mix into sauces, soups, stir fries, or chili. You can also sprinkle it on vegetables.
- Turmeric. This trendy spice is great for Indian food like curries. It originated in Southeast Asia and is related to ginger root. Foodies love turmeric because it has anti-inflammatory properties. It doesn’t taste like much, but has an earthy and slightly bitter flavor if you use too much. Just a little bit adds a bright orange color to food (and your hands and clothes, so be careful). I use it for Indian cooking and I mix it into oatmeal sometimes for some added health benefits.
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