What spices do you like to use?

[Parkhopper_Vince]

We have a Penzey's nearby and love their Dried Shallots, English Prime Rib Rum and Italian Dressing base amoung others.

 

[Mrs D]

I saw the title of this thread and came to recommend Penzeys; I see I'm not the only one. We recently made a trip to their sister store The Spice House - here's what I came away with:

Cumin (I love it and almost use it in every recipe...almost)
Chili Powder
Four Peppercorn Blend
Apple Pie spice - use it as cinnamon with a little sumpin
Taco Seasoning (it's awesome and beats the envelope junk)
Fajita Seasoning (I typically make Chicken Fajitas for families with new babies or an illness - they get RAVE reviews eveytime and I attribute it to the seasoning)
Bicentennial Rub - terrific on turkey cutlets and chicken breast
Milwaukee Iron Seasoning - A new one to us, a little kick but like it
Ratatouille Season - I am used this on grilled veggies all summer - outstanding
Sunny Paris Mix - its for salads and veggies; I used it on roasted potatoes and wasn't crazy for it. Gotta try it on some zuchinni...

 

[mjbaby]

I am an enthusiastic spice user and am always amazed at how the same set of ingredients can be completely changed by the spices one uses (like, say, tomatoes, peppers and onions - add cumin, coriander and curry for an Indian "flavor", oregano, basil and rosemary make them Italian-ish, but substitute the oregano for lavender and now you're in Provence...and so on).

Anyway, I'm an adobo lover, particularly the bitter orange. Added to corn crumbs (we're gluten-free) with black pepper it adds a great flavor for coating fried eggplant or zuke slices. It's also a great all-purpose shake for veggies grilled in a grill basket.

Turmeric is another favorite for adding a quick "what is that" flavor to veggies, chicken and fish. A quick sprinkle with salt and pepper and you're done. Plus, it gives a vibrant color - a plus for an other-wise monochromatic meal.

 

[CaFeeney]

If you are going to Penzy's there are SO many awesome spice blends to try. I think you will find the prices really reasonable - comparable to supermarket brands like McCormicks. Some of my favorites are:

Florida Seasoned Pepper (on veggies or fish, kind of a citrus pepper)
Tuscan Sunset (an italian blend great on tomatoes)
Pasta Sprinkle (great in sauce, on pizza, anything italian)
Baking Spice (LOVE this in almost anything you would us cinnamon in)
English Prime Rib spice
Bavarian Spice (wonderful on pork roast)

You really can't go wrong with anything there!

 

[mpls_mm]

Cumin of course,
turmeric for my mexican dishes
paprika for anything I fry
Cayenne makes everything perk up

I combine a combo of garlic salt, fresh pepper, cayenne and paprika on roasted potatoes, meats and a million things in between.

 

[Sandy61]

Curry-yellow powder

Good on fried or baked chicken...add 5 minutes before removing from heat. My husband likes nothing unusual but he loves this.

1/4 c. honey
2 T mustard
1/2 t curry powder
1/2 t salt

 

[DisneyFan32WI]

I love Beaumonde (sp?)

I put it in my homemade dill dip.

 

[disneymarie]

My heavy users are ones listed and also Paperika, for the home fries, pork chops.

Emeril's Bayou

Montery Steak griller spice; A Kicked up steak and one for chicken

Rosemary for pork roast

Celery salt instead of seeds for macaroni salad and coleslaw.

Oregano

White pepper

Cream of tarter, for cleaning coffee pot and beating egg whites

Onion flakes, garlic powder

I love the hand grinders with Sea Salt, and the one with multiple peppercorns

 

[TandT]

Well considering we are a "salt free" household, we have to be pretty heavy on the spices for flavor.

- Fresh chopped Cilantro in our latin dishes.

- Fresh basil, oregano, crushed red pepper, black pepper, and garlic and onion powder for our homemade tomato sauces for pasta dishes and pizzas.

- Cumin in too many dishes to name-

- Sweet Paprika for many dry rubs for meats and many other things


- ground mustard for homemade salad dressings

- Thyme- chicken dishes

- Tarragon- chicken dishes

- dill -- fish dishes

- Emeril's creole seasoning -minus the salt (we make it ourselves)

- Saffron and tumeric in rice dishes

- ground ceyenne red pepper to add heat

- Mrs. Dash is great for everything!!

 

[shortbun]

We grow tyme, rosemary, oregano, basils, dill, chives, garlic, parsley, sage, mint.
The big mint usages are mojitos and tabouli where the parsley comes in pretty handy as well. We use them all quite often-in salads, for dips, rubs, marinades, salad dressings. I use cumin, curry,cheyenne, chili powder, smoked paprika, cardomom, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, balsamic vinegar, other vinegars, wine, salt and pepper almost daily if not a few times a week. The sweet herbs are great for meats, stews, chilis, drinks, breakfast casseroles. The heat is good for most of those things as well. All summer, I've been roasting potatoes with rosemary, onions, olive oil, garlic and loaded with balsamic vinegar-delicious. I saw a similar recipe on a cooking show just the other day. The Naked Chef(Jamie) on the cooking channel was using an outdoor oven and working with onions...onions are such spectacular flavorers!!

 

[JamesMom]

My spice staples are garlic powder, onion powder, poultry seasoning, cinamin, nutmeg, rosemary and others.
Since I don't use a whole lot of any one spice and I hate to buy a $5 bottle of a spice that will go stale before I use it all, I get all my spices from the bulk spices at Central Market. I can get a 1/4c each of about 10 spices for about $6 that will last me several months and know that what I use is fresh.