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Hello, fellow food adventurers and welcome to another tips and tricks post! Today we’re taking a look at some of the essential kitchen spices to have stocked up in your very own kitchens for all kinds of flavourful cooking fun.
Spices are used in a range of dishes from sweet to savoury and in several different cuisines. If you take a stroll down the spices section of any supermarket you will be aware of the huge variety there is out there. Therefore, we’ll be touching on just a few of them today. Because let’s be honest, being confronted with such a massive variety can get a little confusing sometimes.
We’ll be taking a look at what spices are, why we add them to food and also list 10 essential kitchen spices to have in your very own collections. Then we’ll break down the individual flavour profiles of each spice, their uses and a few tips and recipes on how they can be used.
Let’s get onto it, shall we?!
What are Spices?
Spices are products of tropical plants that come from their roots, bark, berries, seeds or flower buds (Source). They are used as fragrant seasonings and are available as a whole or ground, mostly in dried form. That is mainly apart from ginger and chilli which can be used both fresh and dried.
RELATED: A roundup of useful kitchen resources to upgrade your cooking skills
Also, check out Masterclass memberships. To learn from the best in the food industry!
Why Spices are Added to Food
There are several reasons why we add spices to our food and they include the following:
- To enhance flavours! Spices are a great way to raise the flavour profile of any dish without the extra salt and/or sugar. They add depth, dimension and body to the dish, which results in a delicious outcome! Spices also enable you to bring out the flavour of the foods and when combined can complement other ingredients and spices.
- For the aroma! Due to spices being fragrant and rather pungent, they lend this quality to any dish they are added to. Producing a lovely sensation that arouses those taste buds. They smell and taste even better when they are toasted! Ever walk past a kitchen and get the delicious smell wafting past you… that could be thanks to the wonderful addition of spices.
- To add colour! Spices are naturally such beautiful vibrant colours. When added to a dish or even drink they can create a new visual appeal for a naturally coloured transformation. That is as long as the spice doesn’t end up staining anything else in the meantime. It works particularly well with fish and beverages including turmeric lattes.
- For the heat! Several spices including chilli, paprika and pepper all include the bonus of heat on top of flavour. Making things just a little more interesting with the added sensation.
Related: 11 essential culinary herbs you need in your kitchen
Now onto the list of essential kitchen spices…
Essential Kitchen Spices…
1. Cardamom
Cardamom has a strong distinct flavour. It can be found in dried whole form or ground, offering a sweet, earthy taste and aroma to foods. Cardamom can be used for a range of different things including curries, tea, coffee, snacks and desserts.
Tips:
- Use cardamom to flavour cakes, like in this Honeycrisp apple cardamom cake by The View from Great Island.
- When infusing into a liquid, crush the pods first to open them up, which will help to release all of their flavours and oils. Once done, you can then strain and remove the pods and any other remnants (It’s unpleasant to eat the seeds and pods, it’s mainly just to infuse flavour).
- To make freshly ground cardamom, first toast the whole pods. Then open the pods, remove the seeds and crush them with a spice grinder or mortar and pestle.
Recipe:
- Make chai latte syrup for the perfect homemade coconut chai latte. Leftover syrup can also be used to add to hot chocolates or coffees for a new alternative or drizzled over pancakes, waffles and ice cream
2. Chilli
Chillis are the fruits of several plant species in the genus Capsicum (Source). They add heat to a dish and are rather pungent.
Available in many forms from fresh and whole, to flakes, ground, dried and as a paste.
Tips:
- Fresh chillis make a great garnish and finishing touch to many different dishes including tacos, tostadas, noodles, guacamole, pasta and prawns for the added spice. To reduce the heat, you can scrape out some of the seeds and don’t forget to wash your hands carefully afterwards!
- Make a homemade chilli oil to drizzle over dishes or a sweet chilli sauce.
- Transform them into a chilli paste to use as the basis for soups, sauces, stews or stir-fries.
Recipe:
3. Cinnamon
Where would we be without cinnamon?! The ultimate essential kitchen spice! It’s a great foundation to use in baking and even in savoury dishes too with an earthy, woody addition. Cinnamon has a sweet, warm flavour and aroma. It’s rather versatile and can be found in the form of dried cinnamon sticks/ quills and is also available in ground powder form. Breakfast, drinks, desserts and savoury foods, cinnamon can be found across them all.
Tips:
- Add a pinch of ground cinnamon into your smoothies, porridge/oats or over fruity toast for an interesting flavour kick
- Mix ground cinnamon with sugar in a 1:4 ratio of cinnamon: sugar to make cinnamon sugar! Which you can then use to coat doughnuts, churros, toast or French toast. You may also sprinkle it over pastries and use it as a filling for buns (cinnamon buns!). It makes a fun flavourful alternative to plain sugar.
- Dry toast cinnamon quills in a frypan before infusing them into recipes to heighten the flavour. You can even crush the toasted quills into a powder or grind them in a spice grinder for your very own ground cinnamon.
Recipe:
4. Cloves
Cloves ‘are the unopened flower buds of the clove tree’, which are then dried (source). They are native to places including Indonesia (Source) and provide strong, robust and earthy flavours. Cloves are warming but also rather pungent and therefore, should be used in small controlled quantities. Available in whole dried and ground forms.
Tips:
- Use whole in mulled tea or wine to develop deep robust flavours. Then don’t forget to strain them out, when ready to drink and serve.
- Pairs well with meats, particularly if smoked and with ham. Whole cloves can be pushed into the meat once scored to infuse flavours.
- A little goes a long way so use cloves in moderation!
Recipe:
- French onion beef noodle soup from Bon Appetit
5. Ginger
Ginger has a rich, warm and woody aroma and taste. It is available in fresh root form as well as ground and crystallised, to use in baking. The fresh form is significantly more pungent, complex and concentrated than the powder.
Tips:
- Pairs extremely well with garlic. Use freshly crushed ginger and garlic in marinades for vegetables and or meats. It lends a great pack of flavour, which is pungent and a little spicy.
- Slice a few pieces of fresh ginger and add into hot or iced tea for a refreshing drink along with some citrus and even a little honey for the sweetness.
- Ground Ginger is a great founding flavour for many baking items including gingerbread loaf, cookies and slices including ginger crunch and syrups. However, it’s not just sweet things. Try using ginger in dressings, curry and soups too!
Recipe:
6. Nutmeg
Nutmeg derives from the seed kernel of the nutmeg tree and the yellow fruit it produces. It is a warming sweet spice that is slightly nutty, despite actually being a seed. It’s available both dried and ground and also whole. When whole, it is finely grated into foods to produce a fine powder.
Tips:
- Add a touch to soup for a bit of spice and flavour
- Nutmeg goes well with creamy elements including custards, eggnog and also bechamel sauce.
- If available, opt for using freshly grated nutmeg for the purest, freshest and most prominent flavour. You can do this with a Microplane or a grater. Powders tend to lose their flavour the longer they are kept, so the best option (if you are using pre-ground) is to buy them in small quantities and keep them in a cool, dry place and tightly covered.
Related: For Microplanes and more checkout TCL’s Kitchen essentials checklist set your kitchen up for success!
Recipe:
- Nutmeg shortbread with maple meringues by La Pêche Fraîche
7. Paprika
Paprika provides warmth and earthiness to foods along with a bright red colour. It comes in several varieties including hot, smoky and sweet. Paprika is made from dried mild red peppers that have been ground together (Source).
Tips:
- Paprika is a great addition to vegetables, particularly peppers, root vegetables, potatoes and sweet potatoes. Try adding it in while cooking to develop some interesting flavour combos.
- Add it to tomato-based sauces for mild heat and flavour.
- Sprinkle it over foods for a pop of colour such as on top of deviled eggs.
Recipe:
8. Pepper
Pepper/peppercorns add a great finishing touch to a dish. When used on their own they provide a bold warming flavour with a little heat. Peppercorns are considered berries and come from flowering vines (Source).
Tips:
- Freshly ground pepper makes a great seasoning and final touch to dishes. Get yourself a good pepper mill and load it up with some whole peppercorns (whichever variety takes your fancy). Then you can sprinkle away and have a bit of fun in the process.
- There are several varieties of peppercorns including white, green, black and pink. Mostly relating to how they are processed. The strongest is the black variety and arguably the most common. Meanwhile, the pink peppercorn varieties contain a sweet, mild, fresh and almost citrusy note. Be sure to give the other varieties a go for a change.
Recipe:
- Vanilla bean marshmallow and pink peppercorn shortbread cookies by Now, Forager.
9. Turmeric
Turmeric has an earthy warm and slightly peppery flavour with a distinct bright orange-yellow colour. It’s often used not just for flavouring foods but also as a natural colouring. Turmeric is considered a ‘tuberous rhizome’ (source) which is an underground stem, related to ginger (source). Available in whole stem form or as a dried powder (ground turmeric).
Tips:
- Turmeric is great for adding colour to foods and drinks, for example in turmeric lattes, juices or smoothies. It can also be added to soups, chicken and white fish for the same effect. Just be careful it doesn’t stain any of your clothes or anything else in the process.
- It can be added to potatoes, roasts, marinades, salad dressings and curries.
- Make your own DIY Curry powder with turmeric!
Recipe:
- Turmeric Rice by Fox and Briar
10. Vanilla
Vanilla beans are dried cured fruit pods that come from climbing vines (source) of the vanilla planifolia, also known as vanilla orchids (source).
It is one of my all-time favourite flavour enhancers, comparable to salt! Vanilla comes in many different forms from the whole bean pod to powders, extracts and pastes. It provides a sweet, warm and floral aroma and a gentle, slightly smoky flavour.
Tips:
- Infuse in liquids and drinks to boost the natural flavours of other ingredients. Such as in this smores hot chocolate recipe.
- Try using vanilla in your savoury foods too for a change. Like in this caramelised shallots, thyme and goat cheese Tarte Tatin
- Vanilla bean pods can be added at the beginning of cooking to infuse their flavours before being removed. On the other hand vanilla bean extracts and pastes are best added at the end of cooking to prevent evaporation and the loss of flavour.
Related: Baking tips and tricks for more about the vanilla uses and varieties.
Recipe:
Conclusion
That concludes 10 essential kitchen spices that will spice up your cooking. Such a great selection of flavour-giving items included.
Spices provide some interesting flavours and ways to enjoy food. They’re available in several different forms across different cuisines, in sweet and savoury dishes as well as drinks. You can even mix it up and combine them for all the flavourful fun.
Today we’ve just covered a small sample of the spices there are out there. Including cardamom, chilli, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, paprika, pepper, turmeric and vanilla. However, there’s more out there to explore and taste!
What’s at the top of your kitchen spices list? Let me know in the comments below!
Don’t forget to follow along on Pinterest for some food-spiration and in the meantime…
Stay Curious,
Laura
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