Chili Powder--I use it in Mexican dishes. Keep it right next to the S&P, but anyone who mocks me is gonna get a quesadilla shoved in their mouth!

Thyme for my soups, usually just throw a sprig in there (we have some growing), and pull it out when the soup is ready.

Dill for fish

Then there's always the Simon & Garfunkle bouquet garni, you know "parsley sage..."

lemon grass
cilantro
cumin
ginger
tumeric
pepper flakes
basil
thai basil
sweet basil
parsley


i like a lot of vietnamese food for the lovely combination of spices and herbs.
indian,thai, vietnamese cooks are masters of the spice. hence, why i enjoy their food greatly.

I like to use sake lees in cooking too.

NDRU said:

I think that is my favourite ever, I like it in a potato salad too
and I like chilli flakes on stuff, mostly everything

my all time favourite as a kid was


I used to have that on these

ZombieKitten said:

yeah dill is a great veggie spice.

do you mean red capsicum flakes? I use those a lot, too, especially in things that cook for a while like a soup, or on pizza.

I love paprika, garlic (powder and fresh), cinnamon, cilantro, cumin, chili powder, red pepper flakes, soy sauce, dill, nutmeg and black pepper.

NDRU said:

no, I mean chilli it's screaming hot

ZombieKitten said:

I see, I just looked them up, we call them red pepper flakes, that's what I thought you meant. definitely in my top 5 spices after S&P


[Edited 12/4/08 14:39pm]

NDRU said:

I really don't know any more what you guys mean by red peppers, chilli or capsicums? I wouldn't be putting capsicum flakes on anything, it wouldn't taste like anything

ZombieKitten said:

I think they're made from the seeds of hot (chili) peppers

shanti0608 said:

i learned long ago that this stuff is a must for a good bloody mary!

BlackAdder7 said:

you're flirting with me again

I use fresh garlic in almost everything.
I love to throw roasted peppers and fresh basil in Italian dishes and fresh cilantro in Spanish meals.

i had something really delicious a while ago, called herbs de provence. it was the real thing i think my cousin who travels to france imported it and it was very savory

here I thought what is this cilantro stuff you all love so much that I've never heard of

turns out that's what YOU call coriander

ZombieKitten said:

sort of. It's all the coriander plant, but (here at least) the leaves & stems are called cilantro, and the seeds are sold as coriander.

I went to a sandwich place and asked for guacamole. the lady kept going for the avocado, and I kept saying "no, guacamole!" I thought she was a moron, but she figured it out and said "in my country we call avocados 'guacamole.'" what a moron!

italian parsley rosemary chives are the shizz!

cinnamon,nutmeg for cakes,banana and pumpkin bread..cookies too...
garlic,oregano,thyme.onion,chilli powder,paprika,ground red pepper. and more for sauces,soup, and stuff like that
there's alot,i like to experiment and for the most part it works
my failures in that are that sometimes it turns out great and then next time i can't remember how i did it...and then it's different again

NDRU said:

the seeds we call coriander seeds

ZombieKitten said:

so you eat coriander and coriander seeds? how can you keep track such a confusing naming system?

I have actually invented my own system that helps me keep track of stuff. I call grape seeds "mehron" and watermelon seeds "tumtee." Much easier

NDRU said:

NDRU said:

Well hell, I guess I'm not itching to try coriander anymore since I can't stand cilantro I'm guessing they give off similar tastes

I have to say that the spices I use most are Lawry's seasoned salt, sea salt, onion powder, garlic powder, sweet basil, paprika, oregano, and thyme. For desserts I use cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.

One time I was making macaroni and cheese, and I went to pull my bottle of paprika but accidentally grabbed the cinnamon instead. I didn't notice it until I started eating the mac and cheese and noticed that it had a weird spicy sweet flavor to it. It wasn't too bad actually, but I wouldn't experiment with my food like that again.

BTW, where do all of you get your spices from. There's a whole spice shop just up the street from my house called The Spice House. They have just about every spice imaginable including five different kinds of basil, three different types of paprika, and so many different combination of meat spices from Jamaican jerk rub to Tex-Mex to Indian curry rubs to Indonesian barbecue rubs, many of which they will mix for you on the spot. You can check them out here.

http://www.thespicehouse.com

And no, I don't work for them nor do I get paid to promote them either.

CalhounSq said:

no they really don't! I think the green part of the plant smells like what I imagine a old unwashed dishcloth would taste like the seeds, once ground are very aromatic and pleasant

ZombieKitten said:

OMG, yes!!! Alright, I'll still put my coriander to use one of these days

CalhounSq said:

you know blackcurrant tea? to me that smells like bath towels long overdue a good wash

ZombieKitten said:

I only drink tea occasionally, never had that kind. & now I don't wanna!