Spices

Updated on April 21, 2011
J.U. asks from Williamsburg, VA
19 answers

What does your spice cabinet looks like? Little or a lot?

Growing up my mom used laugh at her spice cabinet because she had so much in there but ended up only using about 4 spices regularly. But at least once a year if not every other year she would bake something with cream of tartar. I got the sense that was like the nemesis of all of the spices. You can't substitute that one for anything else;it was a must to store in the cabinet. On the other hand you can't use it for anything but one dish.

I love to cook and back when I had time to try all of the fancy dishes I acquired a nice collect of spices. Last year I hosted an event and my co-hostess was shocked when I opened my cabinet. I thought it fairly neat. I had the little rack and I keep the ones I use less in the back. Turned out she was shocked at how many I had. She said she only gets a couple of those Mrs. Dash and uses nothing else. Now I have never tried Mrs. Dash...always assume it had to much salt in it but anyway....
What does your spice cabinet look like? A lot or little? What is the oldest spice you got?

Somehow I got 2 big bottles of red pepper flakes, one never opened but I can tell both are going bad. We had a big bottle of lemon pepper that we had before we got married....finally tossed it without feeling bad about being wasteful. (I have been married for 11 years now)

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So What Happened?

lol I do use a good bit of everything I have. My kids do not like pepper at this time so I only get to use the red pepper flakes just for things my husband will eat.
My favorite would be for pancakes....I add a little vanilla and cinnamon to the batter. It is like giving it a little hug.
I like to use the fresh herbs but then they go bad or I run out so fast it is way easier to store it in the cabinet.

I knew cream of tartar was different but never really knew what to call it.

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A.C.

answers from Columbus on

I have a ton of spices/herbs for cooking. I mostly use:
basil, oregano, etc. for homemade pasta sauce
garlic powder
paprika
onion powder
homemade taco seasoning
cumin
pepper mill with black pepper in it
parsley
majoram
thyme
rosemary
cinnamon
cloves
nutmeg
ginger
vanilla extract

Besides the above, I probably have 20 other spices in the cabinet.... some of which I haven't used ever (fenugreek?--I've never used it).

BTW, Mrs Dash has no salt in it, and is good as a general seasoning blend. I have salt, but we hardly use it, since so much other food already has a ton in it.

Some of the spices used mostly for baking, but a lot are used for cooking.

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P.F.

answers from Dallas on

I have a lot! I do love to cook and bake. As far as cream of tartar, you know you can use it to help clean porcelain sinks and tubs. You mix it with baking soda and water. My mom used to do it all the time when I was growing up. Now I don't have a porcelain tub or sink, so I only use it for baking.

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T.F.

answers from Dallas on

Mine looks like a grocery store shelf! I have most everything. I love to cook and cook often.

4 moms found this helpful

B.C.

answers from Norfolk on

I use a lot of herbs/spices all the time and very few are around so long that they are useless.
I grow my own bay leaf, rosemary, oregano, sage and basil.
I grow parsley too but the butterfly caterpillars love eating it so I end up buying it.
I also use pepper, cinnamon, curry, chili powder, ground celery seed, cumin, allspice, cloves (ground and whole), nutmeg, ginger, dill, tarragon, and garlic (fresh and powdered).
I have an Asian blend herb mix that's slightly sweet I use on chicken, turkey, goose and duck.
We like Old Bay on shrimp and seafood.

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R.K.

answers from New York on

I have probably 30 herbs and spices maybe more in addition I have probably 8 different vinegars, various oils and wine, cooking sherry, bullion cubes and at least 6 different kinds of salt. The oldest is a jar of cayenne pepper maybe 3 years. I go through them very frequently. The herbs especially the spices take a little longer and also last longer. Herbs do not last very long. Red pepper flakes don't really go bad. They will loose their heat over time.
I have no idea what is in Mrs Dash or what it tastes like but I suppose if you want all your food to taste the same than you could just have that. BTW Cream of tartar is not a spice... it is a chemical stabilizer and has no flavor.

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P.W.

answers from Dallas on

I have lots of spices, but......

truth be told? Garlic, onion, pepper....... mine mainstays

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K.B.

answers from Milwaukee on

I have a lot, about 25 spices. Half on a nice rack sitting by the stove, the other half on shelves behind closed doors. Usually they all get replaced yearly because I use them a lot, there are the few that I only use a few times a year so I try to get the itty bitty jars. I do not have cream of tartar right now but have had it in the past only when needed, the little itty bitty jar.

V.C.

answers from Dallas on

I probably have 40. I don't use things like Mrs. Dash.

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A.C.

answers from Washington DC on

Oh, we have a lot. IMO, people who only use blends like Mrs. Dash don't relly know how to cook with spices. Just last night I was contemplating the oldest spice we have...not really a spice, it's some MSG that I think I have had for about 16 years. It just doesn't get used much. But I don't throw it out, because that stuff doesn't really go bad. The plant based spices do have to get pitched after a while. They become flavorless. But you go on with the spices and the variety! Keep learning what works with what. It's really cool how different ethnic cuisines blend things to come up with a unique flavor that is all their own.

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L.W.

answers from Cincinnati on

I have too many...truth be told I usually ONLY use Lawrys unless I am making somethign special that call for that special spice...so now i have approx 40+ about 25 of them are ones that my husband will come home with as his "master grilling special seasoning" usually on the lines of "roasted garlic and seasalt, or Shore lunch, or accent" he is on a forever manhunt quest to find that perfect spice for all his grilling...little does he know Lawrys is all you need LOL
Oh I forgot, the rest of the cabinet is filled with the baking stuff (vanilla extra, baking soda, choc baking squares...stuff I never use)

S.T.

answers from Washington DC on

i haven't found anything that replaces cream of tartar either. got to have it!
mrs dash has no salt. i wish i liked it better.
i've got 2 shelves of spices. more the jars of herbs i grow myself. i'm an addict!
:) khairete
S.

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J.L.

answers from Chicago on

My Lazy Susan has a multitude of spices and I love it!

C.B.

answers from Washington DC on

I have about 40 spices. I love using them, though sage, cumin, tarragon, thyme, oregano, pepper, cayenne and crushed rosemary get the biggest workout. I buy crushed ginger in a jar.

I keep Indian spices too, like garam marsala and cardamon. I use fresh basil, sage and rosemary when I can. I will make my windowbox herbs thrive this year!!

Whole Foods often has really reasonable prices on herbs and spices.

My oldest spices are probably mace (hard to find) and cream of tarter (I use it in several recipes, but I don't bake much any more).

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J.R.

answers from South Bend on

We have a spice rack(double) on the counter next to the stove, holding(barely) all the spices we use regularly. And those two little cabinets above the stove are spilling over with other spices and cooking accessories(cooking wine, bouillon, oils). My mother has one shelf with maybe 5 things other than salt n pepper.

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R.M.

answers from Cumberland on

It takes up a whole cabinet in the kitchen..and then some! Use those red pepper flakes-the capsaicin (?) helps regulate blood sugar!

M.J.

answers from Dover on

I am guestimating here because I'm at work, but I've got to have at LEAST 50 different spices in my cabinet. I have several that I use regularly, as in almost every day, a lot that I use probably weekly & only a few like your cream of tartar nemesis, that get used yearly in specific recipes. I toss stuff once in a while, but honestly, it all gets used for the most part!

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A.B.

answers from Louisville on

My spice cabinet is packed. And I just bought some more last night, although it was not technically a necessity. Some of my bottles are just straight spices, with the oldest being a small can of ginger which my mother-in-law gave me when my husband and I got married 11 years ago. I have no idea how long she had it before that! But I also like to try different rubs for meats and blends of spices for casseroles, etc..

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M.M.

answers from Washington DC on

I have a huge basket on the top shelf of the pantry. It is full. I use most of what I have, even Cream of Tartar.

My mainstays are cumin and chili powder, oregano, and basil.

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K.I.

answers from Muncie on

MMMMM... Spices
Lots of them and I use most of them... A few were gifts that I have never figured out what to do with.
I do not have any that are older than a year, simply because when were were moving a little over a year ago, my then almost three year old got into the spice box and had a fun time opening all the bottles in the middle of the kitchen floor. My house smelled great and I had an excuse to update that part of my kitchen. (By the way we packed his creation in tuperware for him to play with later)
Mrs Dash is great for the times when you need a fast blend to liven something up, and it is salt free. I do not use the premade blends much though.

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