Herbs and Spices

The best way to buy herbs and spices is in bulk, and they are usually available this way in natural food stores. These stores typically have a large turnover so their inventory is fresh, and the cost is a fraction of what you would pay to buy a bottle of the same spice from the grocery store shelf. Purchase the herbs in leaf form and the spices in ground form to get started. As you expand your collection you may want to buy whole spice seeds and berries. You’ll want to collect jars for storing your herbs and spices, transferring them from the plastic bags in which they are weighed and sold.

 

As a rule of thumb, when a recipe calls for herbs without specifying fresh or dried, it refers to dried. To substitute fresh herbs, double the amount given. Of course, the ultimate correct amount is what tastes good to you.

 

There always seem to be new herbs and spices to learn about. Here is a list to get you started:

 

For all cooking:

 Salt: table salt; sea salt or kosher salt

 Black peppercorns

 

Herbs:

 Basil

 Bay leaves

 Celery salt

 Fennel

 Oregano

 Rosemary

 Tarragon

 Thyme

 

Heat and Spice:

 Cayenne

 Chili powder

 Dry mustard

 Paprika

 Crushed red pepper flakes

 Seasoned salt

 Hot sauces – Tabasco, Sriracha

 Soy sauce

 Wasabi

 Worcestershire

 

Baking Spices:

 Allspice

 Cinnamon

 Cloves

 Cream of tartar – for baking, if you need to substitute for buttermilk

 Ginger

 Nutmeg

 

 

Eastern Spices:

 Coriander

 Cumin – also used in chili

 Curry powder – a blend of spices

 Turmeric