Just because the weather is getting cooler and you may be ready to enter hibernation mode doesn't mean your taste buds are ready to also. Unless you plan on spending the rest of your life enjoying food seasoned only with salt, you will likely at least play around with some herbs and spices to bring some excitement to your meals. A well stocked spice cabinet can do wonders by bringing your meals from bland to fun and exotic and give you a level of flexibility to play with flavors that few other ingredients can.
Everybody's Favorite Set of Spices
Growing up, one of my best friends was Indian, and whenever I went to her house, I was always impressed by the sheer amount of spices her mother had on hand. Their spice box contained just some of the daily essentials they used in cooking while an additional full cabinet contained bags and jars of whole and ground seeds, pods, and more. For most cooks, this variety would be fun, but a bit excessive given the otherwise less intense flavors they traditionally pursue. That is why I tried to simplify things by breaking things down to the essentials I believe most chefs should have on hand.
Herbs and spices can be both dried and fresh. When stocking up your spice shelf/cabinet/pantry/vault (I don't judge), there are some classic dried varieties that I always keep on hand because of how versatile they are. Warming classics like cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger are very popular in the fall and winter, while others like oregano are easily used year-round. In the fridge, there are also some fresh herbs and flavoring ingredients that you should keep on hand for quickly adding flavor to meals. So what should you buy fresh, what should you buy dry, and what should you maybe skip getting until you need it? Let's find out.
**For full disclosure, I was told by one of my friends that this post would not be complete unless I linked The Spice Girls Classic Spice Up Your Life to it. So, if you would like to experience the full audio-visual experience, open up the song in another tab and jam out my friends. **
Herbs and spices can be both dried and fresh. When stocking up your spice shelf/cabinet/pantry/vault (I don't judge), there are some classic dried varieties that I always keep on hand because of how versatile they are. Warming classics like cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger are very popular in the fall and winter, while others like oregano are easily used year-round. In the fridge, there are also some fresh herbs and flavoring ingredients that you should keep on hand for quickly adding flavor to meals. So what should you buy fresh, what should you buy dry, and what should you maybe skip getting until you need it? Let's find out.
**For full disclosure, I was told by one of my friends that this post would not be complete unless I linked The Spice Girls Classic Spice Up Your Life to it. So, if you would like to experience the full audio-visual experience, open up the song in another tab and jam out my friends. **
