SPICE RACK ESSENTIALS

Spice Rack Essentials

Going Beyond the Basics...

Variety is the spice of life? No, spice is the spice of life. Life without spice is not worth living. Flavor is essential to any good meal. In order to bring flavor to our lives, there are certain ingredients every kitchen needs in order to create great dishes. A well stocked spice rack (or cupboard, or closet, or storeroom, or warehouse, or...) is key.

I'm not going to go into the history of every ingredient here. That's Google's job. Oh, alright, nevermind. I'll provide links for each one. Just because I love you.

This is just a simple list of some of the things I have found essential to creating some (all!) of the recipes on this site. By no means is this intended to be comprehensive. There are hundreds of spices, sauces, herbs, oils and vinegars you could add. Maybe think of this as an inventory or shopping list to get you started...

The Basics

Black pepper Garlic powder Paprika Cumin Onion powder Thyme Cinnamon Rosemary Oregano Ground ginger

Intermediate Level

Whole nutmeg Ground coriander Chili powder Smoked paprika Basil leaves Parsley flakes Allspice Cayenne powder Cloves Summer Savory Vanilla (beans or extract) Sage Sesame seeds (white or black) Chives Bay leaf Dill weed Fennel Seeds Crushed red pepper flakes Caraway seeds Mustard seed (yellow or black) Pickling spice

Advanced Level

Turmeric Cardamom (ground or pods) White pepper Saffron Amchur (green mango powder) Mexican oregano Garam masala Five Spice Powder Habanero powder Tarragon Cream of tartar Fenugreek (leaves or seeds) Sumac Herbes de Provence Za'atar Szechuan peppercorns Kaffir leaves

Thinking Outside the Rack

Vinegars:

Balsamic vinegar White vinegar (distilled) Apple cider vinegar Rice vinegar White wine vinegar

Red wine vinegar

Champagne vinegar

Specialty vinegars (fruits, infusions, etc.)

Sauces:

Light soy sauce

Dark soy sauce

Low-sodium soy sauce

Tamari Worchestershire Sauce Tamarind sauce (or puree/paste) Hoisin Sauce Coconut Aminos Gochujang Molasses Mirin Tomato paste Miso paste (white or red) Fish sauce Honey Curry paste (red and green)

Oils:

Canola oil Safflower oil Olive oil (extra virgin) Sesame oil

Toasted sesame oil Chili oil Sunflower oil Cooking spray Butter

Salts:

Kosher salt Sea salt

Black (lava salt) Himalayan pink salt Table salt (iodized)