290059 Wed Aug 14 10:56:34 -0700 2002 7 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1572900 If you had to choose only a few basic herbs and spices with which to stock your kitchen, what would they be? Which are most versatile? Are mixes better? And where could you purchase these spices economically? Thanks to all who respond :) Wed Aug 14 10:56:34 -0700 2002 0 Nomina 1 1572901 This really depends on taste and the kind of cooking you do, but for me I'd choose cinnamon, ginger and cumin for spices and dried oregano, thyme and rosemary for herbs if I were seriously limited. And a pepper grinder with whole peppercorns, of course. The best prices for spices can usually be found at natural or ethnic food markets that carry spices in bulk. The worst prices and stalest spices are on the spice rack at the supermarket. Wed Aug 14 11:23:30 -0700 2002 1572900 0 Caitlin McGrath 1 1572910 Real Simple magazine this month has a feature on stocking your kitchen with spices. It's really well written, talks quite a bit about how to store your spices and where to get quality ones. Also, they have broken the "essentials" down into 3 groupings based on type and level of cooking you do. It's a great article - highly recommended! Wed Aug 14 13:01:47 -0700 2002 1572900 0 Fatemeh 1 1572911 Hmm. I am assuming you mean dried, rather than fresh, so that eliminates a lot of dried herbs that are much inferior to their fresh form. Allspice Black pepper (whole) Caraway Cayenne pepper (ground) Celery seed Clove Cumin Dill seed Mustard (ground) Nutmeg (whole) Thyme Vanilla bean Wed Aug 14 13:17:48 -0700 2002 1572900 0 Karl S. 1 1572915 Hi Nomina -- No matter what collection of "essential" herbs you wind up with, you might want to try the following: Warm up some light broth, wine or water, pour out some shots, then steep equal amounts of each dried herb (say 2 tsp of each) for at least 15 minutes or so. Clear glasses are good so that you can observe the rate of color and aroma change as the herbs steep and release their flavor. As you slowly sip from each glass, try to note relative potency. The idea is not only to get to know the pure flavors, but to understand the strengths of each herb relative to other herbs that you might combine them with. You'll find that some are dominant (sage, rosemary) and can easily overwhelm the more subtle ones (chervil, parsley). This tasting method is also really good to try on fresh and dried versions of the same herb to drive home the idea of increased potency of dried herbs. Keep the results in mind when adding herbs and you'll soon be cooking rather than just following recipes. [Tip adapted from the Esquire cookbook, copyright 1955, written back when it was important to start with the basics.] Enjoy! Wed Aug 14 14:50:11 -0700 2002 1572900 0 Dennison 2 2319998 Wow, great tip. I'll have to try this sometime. Thanks! Thu Feb 22 16:15:01 -0800 2007 1572915 27032 aktivistin 1 1572943 www.sfherb.com they do mail order. Wed Aug 14 18:57:08 -0700 2002 1572900 0 Jim H. 1 2324183 I love fresh herbs and have found that wherever I live it is not hard to keep some in pot, either outside or inside depending on the time of year. Here are my favorites: Rosemary (for meats, potatoes, breads) Thyme (meats, eggs, veggies) Sage (for bacon and date snacks) Mint (two kinds for mojitoes, desserts, lamb, greek salads) Basil (for pesto, tomato salads, fresh pizzas, sandwiches) As for spices, I don't have too many, but the ones I do have are well used: Black pepper (for the pepper grinder, use it on almost everything) Cinnamon and Nutmeg (for hot chocolate, oatmeal cookies, gravy) Fri Feb 23 17:49:26 -0800 2007 1572900 16301 Non Cognomina