Seasonings and spices can take an ordinary dish and turn them extraordinary. There are tons of options out there, but most of us can’t afford to keep every available spice on hand. Fortunately, you can make some amazing dishes with a few select options. Here are 5 spices every kitchen needs.
Salt and Pepper
Let’s start with the basics. Every kitchen needs salt and pepper. I’m counting them as one because they almost always go together. You will be adding this to virtually everything, so I’d recommend buying in bulk. These are the most important spices every kitchen needs.
Salt doesn’t add flavor, but it helps bring out the flavor already in the dish. Pepper will add a touch of spice. It should be noted that you can also add saltiness to a dish via other products, such as certain cheeses and soy sauce.
There are different types of salt and pepper you need to consider. I recommend keeping regular table salt and a bit of kosher salt on hand. Table salt is good for seasoning soups, stews, and similar dishes. Kosher salt is great for grilling meats and many other applications. Normal, finely ground black pepper should be good for most applications.
Garlic Powder
Nothing beats some freshly chopped garlic frying in olive oil. Just writing that sentence makes my mouth water. However, garlic powder is a good substitute in a pinch. If you need to make a quick marinara or some garlic bread, this can be a lifesaver.
McCormick Classic Garlic Powder, Value Size, 8.75 Oz
Garlic is versatile and goes into many dishes. It is used across almost every type of cuisine you can think of, everything from Mexican to Chinese. It can also come in handy if you ever run into any vampire problems!
Onion Powder
You can’t have garlic without onions. Like salt and pepper, these two almost always go together. While I generally prefer fresh onions to onion powder, the powder version is good in a pinch. It can also add flavor for those that don’t like actual onions in their dish.
McCormick Culinary Onion Powder, 20 oz
Like garlic, onion powder is extremely versatile. It is used in cuisines from around the world. You will likely go through this fast, so it’s good to keep a large amount on hand.
Paprika
Paprika is a key ingredient in many types of spice rubs. It is essential in blackening recipes, barbecue spice rubs, and chilies. Paprika is also a good ingredient to add to your flour dredge when deep frying. It will help make your final product have that golden brown color you see in amazing fried chicken.
Paprika is another spice I like to keep in bulk. I like to mix up my own blackening and BBQ spice rubs and keep them on hand. This typically takes a lot of paprika, so I need to keep a lot lying around.
Cumin
Cumin is another versatile spice that is good to keep on hand. It goes great in chilies and is a key spice in Mexican and Tex-Mex dishes. Cumin is a great spice that spans multiple types of cuisines from around the world.
These are the 5 Spices every kitchen needs. This is great for a start, but you will need to add to your collection if you want to expand your culinary adventures. Coming soon I will list the next 5 spices you need to keep on hand.
