The “Perfect” Spice Rack (Not all Spice is Posh, but Posh will always be a Spice Girl)

As mentioned in our introduction, there is no such thing as perfect. But, there are some basics that will get you through and prepare you for most kitchen challenges. There are basic tools, products, and condiments that everyone needs. Whether you have a walk in storage room or a single cabinet, there are basic ingredients no kitchen should be without. Since our objective is to not overwhelm people, we will start with one step at a time. Most of your products will be rotated in and out. But, herbs, spices and condiments have the longest shelf life and are the building blocks of everything you will cook. So, “let’s start at the beginning. A very good place to start.”

There are about a dozen spices that are essential to any kitchen. Everyone’s list will vary depending on a particular style of cooking. For instance, if you like Indian food you will want things like garam masala, Middle Eastern uses rose and asafoetida, Asian may call for 5 spice. You can get carried away trying to keep up with the myriad spices and blends that are out there. But, they tend to have limited versatility and you can have these sitting in your cabinet for years. Of course, if you primarily cook international foods these will be your go to spices. In reality, it depends on what you cook. In most American and European kitchens we hark back to Simon and Garfunkle with Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme. For the purpose of everyday Western cooking I recommend the following List as staples to your spice rack:

Salt (preferably something better than table salt), Pepper (I prefer whole pepper freshly ground), Cumin (You didn’t think that wouldn’t be near the top of the list), turmeric, coriander, cinnamon, nutmeg, basil, oregano, thyme, sage or poultry seasoning, chili powder, paprika, Cajun Seasoning, curry powder, onion powder, garlic powder or salt, mustard powder.

With these spices, you are well on your way to making everything from Barbecue to tacos to Pad Thai. You could skip the herbs (basil, oregano, thyme, sage) and use fresh if and when possible ( although, I would keep dry on hand for back up and augmenting recipes). You could also skip the garlic, onion, and mustard powder and use fresh as well. Personally, though, it’s good to have them for several reasons:

1) finding fresh herbs is not always easy and they have a finite shelf life.

2) you are trying to simplify your life. You don’t need to be chopping onions, garlic, and herbs for every meal, especially after a long day of work.

3) Some recipes like a dry rub call for ingredients like dried mustard, etc. Fresh doesn’t work.

You may notice I left out rosemary and Parsley. For those of you singing along at home the omission is blaring. I purposely left them out because I find dry rosemary to be woody and lacking in the character of fresh. And, parsley flakes tend to be just that: flavorless flakes. This is a personal opinion. Remember, this is a basic list of seasonings. To do a comprehensive list would call for it’s own website. Over the coming weeks, months, and years, we will be focusing on different spices individually and in blends. To get started, you need to simplify.

When considering blends it is important to keep your personal taste in mind. That is why I only have 3 blends on my basic list: Chili, Curry and Cajun. For the record: curry is actually a blend of spices and not a single spice as some people would be led to believe. These three made the list because they are universal and serve multiple purposes. You could get a half dozen different types of chilis or get one chili powder. Cajun spice to me is a hybrid of a chili powder mixed with more traditional herbs and spices for a more controlled heat. Curry is a blend that lends well to Asian and middle eastern cuisines. Other popular blends are things like old bay, Montreal Spice, taco seasoning, and a plethora of others. Again, it is up to your personal taste. The basic list above has enough ingredients to make your own blends while maintaining separate flavors. We will be offering our own spice blends in the near future to make your life easier. Let us know if there are any blends or rubs you would like to see.

We could do a breakdown of each and every spice on this page, but that would turn it into a book. There will be time for us to explore each one, and more, later on in other articles. Critics will point out that this list is also light on baking spices. This is true. It is intended for cooking meals more than dessert. If you live in a small apartment you have limited space. And, if you just want to be able to whip up something nice for dinner without weeding through 1,000 spices. Your time is valuable. You came here to get basic information and this is already going longer than you want. I get it, just give me a shopping list and move on. Before we go, though, let us share a couple pointers on the absolute basics: Salt and Pepper.

Salt: from Lott’s wife to the salt of the earth, this has been the basic spice of everything in life. Our bodies need it. The world needs it. Before refrigeration it was necessary to preserve food and is still used as a curing and preserving agent. Our oceans are full of it. Cows lick it. New age people use it to cleanse the aura and change the ions of a space. It is essential. It is in our blood, sweat, and tears. And yet it is demonized because it contributes to high blood pressure. Salt, along with everything else in life needs to be taken in moderation. There are salt “substitutes available. But, there really is no substitute for salt.

We live in a wonderful time of international trade and travel. This has opened us to a whole world of salt that was unimaginable to the greatest generation. When I was a kid, we had iodized salt in a round container with a kid carrying an umbrella spilling salt behind. That is what salt was. Somewhere along the line, someone told me about kosher salt. I was skeptical. Salt is salt, right? Wrong. The larger grains of kosher salt allow you to use less while imparting more flavor. Then there are sea salts. They come in different size flakes and pellets. Nowadays, you can get salts of all sorts: smoked salts, salt blends infused with such things as truffles, thyme, lemon, rosemary (and more). There are pink salts, black salts, brown salts, red salts, sel de gris, and an ever expanding list. Each has a unique attribute.

We recommend you keep either a kosher salt or sea salt for basic cooking. You can have a salt shaker on your table with typical iodized salt if that is what you have. But, nowadays it is just as easy to have a salt grinder or even a bowl of kosher or sea salt on the table. Be adventurous. Try some different salts. You won’t be sorry. I remember the first time I had a smoked salt. I was blown away. Salt has the ability to change the entire profile of a dish. Just remember to use it in moderation and if you buy pre-made food check the sodium content. It is the pre-packaged foods that are giving salt a bad name. People don’t realize how loaded with salt most prepared foods are. That is why it is important to make your own food, at least some of the time.

Pepper: Here is another of the basic building blocks of food that has become a complicated decision. It used to be you had a choice of black or white. Simple and to the point. Now there are dozens of variations beyond whole VS ground. There are pink, green, grey, brown, shades of white, Tellicherry, yada, yada, yada. Each has its own property. For every day purposes, though, we would recommend a black peppercorn or a blend. Whole is preferable. Once it is ground it loses some of it’s potency. Having a pepper grinder really helps perk up whatever you eat. When you go to a restaurant and they offer you fresh ground pepper it is considered a treat. And, it is. Investing in a pepper grinder is one of the best things you can do to begin your spice collection.

There are thousands of spices and spice blends out there. We will spend more time on individual spices and groups of spices in future posts. We hope this basic primer gets you thinking about what’s in your spice rack. Stay tuned for discussions on other aspects of a well stocked kitchen. Look for articles on equipment, stocking a pantry and refrigerator, and discussions about sanitation, handling food products, and cooking to impress. If you find this or any other part of our website helpful or would like to share thoughts on how we can improve, please comment or contact us. We are here to help.