Cooking: Most Commonly-Used Spices and Seasonings for Foods?

[HighlyVolatile]

Inspired in part by @Aiko_E_Lara. What are you guys' go-to spices that you use most in cooking and for what types of dishes?

I need to diversify my seasonings and spices for my cooking. I tend to just use black pepper, garlic powder if I'm a little bit lazy (as opposed to fresh garlic), onion powder if I'm really lazy (as opposed to fresh onions), cumin, paprika, cayenne, turmeric, and sometimes oregano for Italian and sometimes I'll reach for spice mixes like Garam Masala or 5-spice Chinese mix for certain dishes.

That's about it unless it's a special occasion and I'm making like a butter chicken or something like that.

Updates

+1 y

I should specify savory dishes. If I go sweet (I don't have much of a sweet tooth but I make desserts for my fam) then I reach for more like vanilla and cinnamon. But mostly I want to expand on the savory.

Updates

+1 y

I also have a strong dislike for thyme. I've ruined so many dishes with thyme at least for my palate. Even with what I thought was the smallest amount, it overpowers the dish to my palate and makes it taste like I'm eating grass or something.

[LovingLoverReturned]

Well, I'll bet you alread use OR try onion , garlic, ginger. , basil, cayenne? since you hate thyme

1) I find that lemon zest is amazing and something to be used more often

2) As for leafs, there is a strong seasoning called Mexican coriander to use sparingly for meats... I think though some people have a gene that makes certain chemicals in certain green seasoning taste like soap...

3) Nutmeg and cinammon iare usually for sweets, but in itself is not sweet, I've seen people using nutmeg and even cinammon in savory dishes, have tasted it in stewed chicken and was interesting

4) a) There are so many indian spices... to me tumeric is just colour and has no nice flavor.. but cumin is always special and I think you will like to try...
b) coriander seeds usually go along with cumin...
c) green mango anchar is not sweet but is tangy.

[HighlyVolatile]

Coriander is one I've only used following Indian recipes but it does seem to pair up very nicely with cumin! I should try using it more. I also love the idea of using a lot more ginger and lemon zest. Nutmeg is also one I need to try; I've never used it. I also love basil!

[Apulu_Imback]

I'm not a professional cook of course. I only know much about baking and all those bready stuff. However from as much I know and what I have seen from mom is Chilli powder and salt are added to almost everything. They are the basic spices/seasoning. Garam Masala is a must for all type of Non veg curries (Chicken curry, Fish curry, Mutton Curry). Haldi powder (turmeric powder), chopped onions, chopped green chillies, Kasuri Methi (Dried fenugreek leaves), Jeera powder/Jeera (cumin powder/cumin), Black Pepper are more frequently used in veg dishes. I'm saying according to Indian Cuisine.

For baking I prefer Sugar (of course), Vanilla, Cocoa powder and Cinnamon.

[HighlyVolatile]

I really want to try to use Kasuri Methi more! Here I could only find a crushed form for butter chicken and I just religiously threw it in because so many recipes called for it, but I don't really have a sense of how it alters the taste.

[Apulu_Imback]

Well I eat that literally everyday. You should try it. It adds more savory flavor to the food. But add it in the correct food.

[HighlyVolatile]

I love this chef! His recipes are the only ones I ever tried to follow 100%. But he used fenugreek in this recipe:
https://youtu.be/tD9O-L2Xvzo

[HighlyVolatile]

I have a very foreigner's impression of Indian food though. I don't know how to narrow it down to regions. But it's my favorite besides French. I want to master Indian and French cooking and then I'm set for life! :-D

[Apulu_Imback]

Well my mom doesn't adds Fenugreek in Chicken. I will ask her to because it seems interesting.

[Apulu_Imback]

I don't think Indian cuisine will be difficult for you to learn since you must know much about Spices as a Japanese. You can ace it!

[HighlyVolatile]

In Japan, we don't actually use spices so much! The Japanese way is maybe like modern high-brow French cooking (not the type of French I want to master) like vegetable should retain texture and taste as it comes from the earth, the fish like from the sea, with so very little salt, oil, sugar, spices. Also Japanese have aversity to "M. S. G" (I have to put it like this to avoid site replacing with "message") as found commonly in other parts of Asia like Chinese even though I think M. S. G is amazing. Japanese cooking is very boring to me. Maybe only seafood and knife skills are top-notch, but not seasoning and complexity.

[HighlyVolatile]

I also want to master the Chinese light cleaver. I just recently got but I am terrible at it. But I want to become like this!
https://youtu.be/S0JwMH0Mxeg

[Apulu_Imback]

Oh I always thought that East Asian countries must have uses of spices in their dishes.

[HighlyVolatile]

Japan is maybe an exception. It's like sashimi is just soy sauce with raw fish mostly. Soba is just noodles in soy sauce-based soup with a few other things like mirin and kombu.

[Apulu_Imback]

Soy Sauce must be the most popular sauce there right? I have seen a lot of eat Asian dishes which are made from Soy sauce like Soy sauce marinated crab.

[HighlyVolatile]

I think so! We use it in so many things here -- not straight always but in so many things.

[Apulu_Imback]

Yes.

[Aiko_E_Lara]

black peppers are always the one that's tend to be used in almost all dishes. Also, tend to put citrus on some dishes even if it doesn't call it for that extra aroma. It always depends on what i cook but for our native dishes, it almost have onions and garlic. Garlic is the most used one. And lots of other food calls for ginger, lemongrass, green chili, bell peppers, tomato sauce/tomatoes, sesame oil, oyster sauce, fish sauce, calamansi (preferably)/lemon/lime, shrimp paste, liver spread, atsuete, pandan leaves, coconut cream, peanut butter, soy sauce, onion leaves, turmeric, bilimbi, tamarind, star anis, bay leaves, vinegar

[HighlyVolatile]

I need to try all of these more! I've used it sometimes on special occasions but not in my daily cooking. If I may ask you drill down a top three besides the most obvious like black pepper, what would you pick?

[HighlyVolatile]

Also, how do you use liver paste? I love on toast but I've never found use outside.

[Aiko_E_Lara]

For those non obvious ones, then onion, garlic, ginger, green chili and soy sauce are the most used ones. If you say favorites then i'd say lemon grass, ginger, calamansi and fish sauce are my favorites.

Used as a stew, sauce thickener.

[Aiko_E_Lara]

I meant lemon grass, ginger, calamansi, fish sauce and green chili are my favorite

[HighlyVolatile]

I have to try those! Fish sauce is something I should try more often. I'm also a bit embarrassed but this is first time I've ever heard of calamansi!

[Aiko_E_Lara]

There are many other citrus you nor natives here may not have heard of that are used in other southeast Asian cuisines. Like kumquat, kaffir lime, dalandan (sour orange) and more.

[Aiko_E_Lara]

Calamansi is almost exclusive to us since other countries rarely use it even if it exist in their country.

[HighlyVolatile]

I get overwhelmed by the options so much. There's so much and I tend to keep it tight. It took me a while to even adopt things like cumin into my cooking until I got the feel for it and what it does exactly. I get overwhelmed at the store looking through the spices. I'm kind of looking for the next big one I can use a lot. I think I need to do it one at a time.

[007kingifrit]

basil is an everything spice. crushed red pepper too

[HighlyVolatile]

I love basil with tomato but I've never tried it on anything that doesn't involve tomato. I mostly use it on Pizza Margherita and tomato basil soup. Is there anything without tomato where you use basil?

[007kingifrit]

i make a lemon pepper pasta with onions and basil. infact i hate tomatoes so everything i make with basil has none. scampi is also good, garlic and basil and olive oil

[HighlyVolatile]

I might need to try a scampi! Also maybe wean off tomatoes a bit. I keep using canned tomatoes in a third of the dishes I make.

[muscularbumblebee]

Good question, tend to use a lot of herbs when cooking and some spices but nothing too spicy usually.


My go to faves for most dishes:
-black pepper, salt, oregano, mixed herbs, paprika and +- cumin (that’s basic minimum but depends on the dish)


- for chips: rosemary (for white potato) Cajun too soemtiems mostly sweet potato


- if I’m feeling fancy: peri peri seasoning, jerk seasoning, smoked Himalayan salt, turmeric and curry powder. But I use these less often and depends on the dish obviously. Don’t want house to smell that’s another reason why


Never got people that eat super bland food

[HighlyVolatile]

I have to try Himalayan salt! I am using table salt and I think those big chunky salts are more delicious and easier to judge visually.

[muscularbumblebee]

You should! The one I have is smoked and is great with grilled salmon in particular

[HighlyVolatile]

I think I need to try rosemary as well and also bay leaves and things like that. I was always too lazy to try a real Bouquet Garni in French cooking and always trying to avoid it but I think I need to try it and study more about how it alters the taste.

[TrueConfection]

I love thyme. 😂

Rosemary, dill, sage, cinnamon, ginger, paprika, smoked paprika, chili powder... Those are of the top of my head and I prefer the fresh herbs, but keep these on hand.

[HighlyVolatile]

Dill is one I should try more! I love dill pickles. You got the Simon & Garfunkel trio though as far as I understand.
https://youtu.be/-BakWVXHSug
Thyme just hits me so hard. I need to get more used to it.

[HighlyVolatile]

Or maybe I should say quartet with the parsley.

[TrueConfection]

Oh yes! Those go good together. 😂

[dustybiker]

It depends of course. One is I like garlic salt. Not sure why I reach for that. Just a tiny sprinkle, not a lot. It goes with so much to me. Veggies, add to pasta.. little flavor.

[Andres77]

Except for garam masala I use the exact same... but add cinnamon and nutmeg and powdered cloves for some of the sweet dishes.

[exitseven]

salt and black pepper mostly.