I’m so excited to start a new series today! It’s called What’s in my…
Occasionally, I will feature things that I keep as staples around my house.
Topics will be things like What’s in my…
Pantry
Sink area
Laundry room
Baking shelf
Sprinkles and decorations drawer
Freezer
Fridge
And so on.
Today, it’s all about what spices I keep handy! I have a gazillion random spices, but the ones I’m showing you today are the staples…the ones I use on a regular basis and can’t live without. If you don’t have a spice collection, this is where I would start.
As a rule of thumb, spices stay fresh about one year. They don’t really go bad (as in, they won’t make you sick if you consume older spices), they’re just not as pungent and flavorful. If you can’t remember when you last purchased a spice in your cabinet and when you take the lid off, it doesn’t smell very strong…it’s probably time to buy a new one. Next time, when you bring a spice home from the market, write that day’s date on the bottle with a Sharpie.
I keep pepper and Kosher salt right next to my range. I always use Kosher salt when cooking because I think a little goes a long way and it gives everything a great texture and flavor. I just grab some as I need it and throw it in whatever I’m making. I found my little bowls here. They come in a variety of colors :).
I like a little garlic powder for days when I just need a touch of flavor without chopping up a garlic clove. This is great for Sloppy Joes, meatballs and burgers.
A pinch of an Italian style spice mix is great for quick cooking pasta suppers!
Chili powder goes into so many of my recipes! Great flavor without too much heat! Perfect for all of those Tex-Mex dishes! You can also use 3 tablespoons of Chili Powder instead of a one ounce taco packet seasoning if you need to.
Ground Cumin gives a great smokey flavor (think BBQ flavor) without any heat!
My family goes through a bottle of ground cinnamon every month! We put it in our oatmeal, on our English muffins, in coffee…everywhere! This is my favorite spice :).
Perfect for grilling and burgers! This blend has a little bit of everything in there!
I use this a lot for baking. If you ever see a recipe with a lot of “fall spices” lined up (cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, etc), just substitute this instead. It’s the perfect blend of all of those cozy spices.
And for a little heat…Crushed Red Pepper flake. Yum!
Again, I have other spices in my cabinet but these are the staples. These are the ones I reach for over and over again. Keep your spices handy, keep them fresh and add a dash here and there for more flavorful food!
That’s it! Inside my spice cabinet!
XOXO
Tonya Morris says
I love and use all of these spices too! My new fav spice is Cavender's All-Purpose Greek Seasoning. Great on meat and veggies!!!
Anonymous says
Would be interesting to see how you organize your spices too! same goes for your future posts. Love to know what your using but also how you store and organize everything! thanks!
Tracy says
This is a handy post!!
If you ever have a friend throw a Pampered Chef party, their Cinnamon Plus Spice blend is the same as Pumpkin Spice (only better, I think!) and is WAY cheaper than the tiny little jars of it at the store. I use it allllll the time.
Nicole says
Very similar to mine! I would love to see a post on how/ what you store your baking supplies in ex:flour, sugar etc….
Sarah E @ theteacherswife.com says
Do you just store your spices on a shelf in your cabinet? I am getting frustrated with storing mine in my cabinet and always trying to reach back far enough to see what I need. I totally need a new storage system for my spice! 🙂
Jaren says
Got em all! We panic if we realize we've accidentally run out of Montreal Steak seasoning. We put it on steaks too.
Anonymous says
At whole foods they have great "Simply Organic" spices and the best part – they have the name on the top of the lid so if you have a spice drawer you can put all your spices in and see the names from the top — amazing!!0