Photography · Useful

Spices and Herbs – Can’t live without them

Gabriela Lupu
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Cardamom

My kitchen magic is in using spices and herbs.

Herbs and spices bring food to life. With a bit of experimentation, you can reach a bliss point of taste and aroma that will take ordinary dishes to a whole new level. Spices have also been known to improve health and well-being. They are good for both body and soul.

Building your spice collection is a life-long process: it is certainly not something you should try to do in one day.

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Spices

Here is a list of my favorite spices and herbs:

Cardamom – This warm, aromatic spice is widely used in Indian cuisine. It’s also great in baked goods when used in combination with spices like clove and cinnamon.

Cayenne Pepper – Made from dried and ground red chili peppers. Adds a sweet heat to soups, braises, and spice mixes.

Cinnamon – Found in almost every world cuisine, cinnamon serves double duty as spice in both sweet and savory dishes.

Basil – A must-have for Italian cooking, basil pairs deliciously with other staples like thyme, garlic, oregano, lemon, and tomato sauce. It also complements rice, potato, and egg-based dishes.

Bay leaves – are aromatic with a woodsy taste.

Dill – Light and feathery herb with a pungent herb flavor. Use it for pickling, with fish, and over potatoes.

Oregano – Robust, somewhat lemony flavor. Used in a lot of Mexican and Mediterranean dishes.

Parsley – Available in flat-leaf (Italian) or curly varieties, this very popular herb is light and grassy in flavor.

Rosemary – Strong and piney goes great with eggs, beans, and potatoes, as well as grilled meats.

Turmeric – Peppery, warm and bitter flavor and a mild fragrance slightly reminiscent of orange and ginger, and while it is best known as one of the ingredients used to make curry, it also gives ballpark mustard its bright yellow color.

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Spices and herbs

Paprika – Adds a sweet note and a red color. Used in stews and spice blends. There is also a spicy version labeled hot paprika.

Nutmeg – Sweet and pungent goes great in baked goods, but also adds a warm note to savory dishes.

Garlic Powder – is made from dehydrated garlic cloves and can be used to give dishes a sweeter, softer garlic flavor.

Cumin – Smoky and earthy taste. Used in a lot of Southwestern U.S. and Mexican cuisine, as well as North African, Middle Eastern, and Indian cuisine.

 

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Published by Gabriela Lupu

Hi. My name is Gabi and I am a professional photographer, a new mom and a wife. I wanna learn to cook healthy food for my little one, so I made this blog to share my cooking experiments with everyone. It's gone be a long and a bumpy ride but a funny one, so stay tune for news and enjoy my ride.

109 thoughts on “Spices and Herbs – Can’t live without them”

  4. My mom’s spice cabinet growing up was limited to salt, pepper and paprika. She had bay leaves and pickling spices too but can’t remember her using them too often. She was amazed at the collection I gathered over the years once I started cooking. 🙂

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  8. And it’s certainly true that you can build a spice assortment over a LONG period of time: I have some curry powder I dated when it was new and that was in 1991. (Yeah, it’s a large jar!)

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  9. My spice cupboard is so full that its a hazard to open the door! I’m not sure how it got like that, but I couldn’t be without all my herbs and spices and i’m still adding to it.

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  19. I can’t do without turmeric, cumin, chili and bay leaves. Not to say I’m an expert at cooking..but still…
    Thank you for the suggestions !

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  25. My mother-in-law actually buys us spices as presents for holidays because we love experimenting with them. Cayenne, cumin, and paprika are a must for us (probably not together in the same dish, though). Love the pictures and thanks for sharing!

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  26. I love the photography and I completely agree with you on spices. I think everyone has one or two that you just want to add to everything. A magic touch. I am obsessed with cinnamon and paprika. 🙂

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  28. Gorgeous pictures. I can’t imagine life without herbs and spices. How horrible!

    One of the highlights of a trip to Chicago a few years ago was a stop at The Spice House. My sisters and I are all foodies, but one in particular went a bit overboard. Three of us helped her carry her loot back to the hotel!!

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  31. Ever since suffering a stroke and consequently changing my lifestyle and diet, I find I have developed a love affair with spices. Because I am on a diet that is nearly vegetarian, the spices help enhance meatless dishes that might be considered by many to be bland. You mentioned garlic powder (I use it in my tuna salad), but not garlic itself. Give me garlic or give me nothing else . . . All hail garlic, the mightiest spice of them all (maybe it’s not classified as a spice?). Then, there are onions . . . but don’t get me started. Think I’ll go make a fresh batch of hummus. 🙂

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  40. Pretty much exactly what I have in my kitchen! Although I find I run out of cinnamon and nutmeg the most. Probably because I keep using them for my desserts.

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  44. Stunning photos. And you’re right, you cannot live without them. I realised when I started cooking just how important they are!

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  49. I grew up in Chicago as did my parents and when we moved out to the ‘burbs my mom used to joke about how people cooked with nothing but garlic salt, celery salt, pepper and chili powder LOL. Not the ethnic diversity that she was used to. My favorites are cinnamon and cardamom, I always associate cardamom Swedish cooking of my childhood.

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