MSG
this post was submitted on 20 May 2025
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I wouldn't call this a spice any more than I would call table salt or white sugar a spice.
Katsuri Methi. An absolute essential for a decent curry. Also Hing aka Devil's Piss, if for no other reason than the name.
I'm British
So ketchup on everything?
Salt, maybe
beige is not a spice
Cinnamon. Love it to bits.
Could you guide me on where to get some from a reputable, honest seller? There is none and I mean none in my city and I have looooooked and looked. I detest A-Z, too much tomfoolery and fake stuff.
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I use paprika in pretty much everything I cook
Smoked paprika. It just adds so much depth to anything that I add it to! I'm also a big fan of cumin and turmeric.
Bebir (Aleppo pepper) - it's a very mild red smoked chili that has incredible earthiness, and only a soupçon of warmth. I put this in everything, even dishes that are supposed to taste bright
Espresso - I make lazy pot espresso and save the dregs. I put the coffee in so many dishes. Sometimes where the base ingredients are too acidic or sweet. But I will also add it in gravy, sauces, stews, braise my meat with it. A couple tablespoons in a pot of spicy soup. It's so versatile and deep
Cane sugars - raw, turbinado, or demerara - minimally processed where the molasses remains in the crystals. I know sugar has a bad reputation in our insane twisted diet lifestyle, but it's fine for a cooking, and it's amazing to caramelize things when frying or to take the edge off acidity. You need the tiniest amount. I will also pulverize it in a mortar and pestle... A teaspoon sprinkled on kettle corn is ludicrously delicious
Does cooking with espresso mean all your food is caffeinated? Or does it cook out eventually like alcohol?
That's a good question.
I don't know if the molecule is destroyed or transformed.
But I use so little that it wouldn't affect anybody anyways... I don't even think a child who is naive to the molecule would feel a thing
Edit... My curiosity got the best of me, I wasn't able to Google the answer directly, but I found articles asking if reheating coffee destroys the molecule. Apparently an organic chemist got involved and stated that the molecules pretty stable, it will only break down around 350 F. So that would mean most of my food probably has the full effect of whatever caffeine was there.
I accidentally poisoned a love interest when I made her lasagna with espresso in the sauce. Turned out she was allergic to coffee, not caffeine. I didn't know... but whoops a daisy lol
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“All the spices!” lol I really enjoy Tarragon and Black Garlic. Not necessarily together.
Parsley, if that counts. I don't really enjoy spicy food 😄
Smoked paprika ‼
I wanna say cilantro, but...
Can't go wrong with a combination of garlic, ginger, and chili pepper.
Salt, Pepper, Cumin and nutmeg
Black pepper and chili flake are my go-to. Chipotle powder too. I'm also a sucker for za'atar, which is amazing on roasted potatoes.
Based on frequency/amount of use, cumin.
Based on my favorite flavors, mustard seed, oregano, smoked paprika, lemon thyme, dill.
(The above excludes the obvious salt and pepper, as well as onion and garlic since I use those in enough quantity to be considered full-blown veggies, not spices.)
Paprika, everywhere
Also Madras Curry
Smoked paprika, cumin, ground coriander, cayenne pepper, cardamon
There are so many more, but these are probably my most frequent flyers
The only 5 spices you'll ever need:
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Salt
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Pepper
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Onion powder
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Garlic powder
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MSG
There is nothing, and I mean nothing, that doesn't benefit from these 5. You can always add other spices, too, but these are the baseline for every single dish that isn't meant to be sweet. And even on some sweet stuff, it's pretty good. I tried it on waffles once and it was amazing.
I agree with the first two and sometimes the last (though I tend to go for stocks instead to get the umami). I'm really not a fan of the onion and garlic powder, though. If I need onion and garlic I get onion and garlic. Don't like the powder forms.
Tumeric paprika and cumin on potatoes.
Paprika garlic and chilli on chicken.
Coriander/cilantro on everything asian.
And a tiny bit of salt and sugar on all.
Hungarian paprika is awesome, I like to mix the sweet and hot varieties 50-50, and often use smoked paprika on top of that. I like paprika
Garlic salt is what I use on anything when I don't wanna think about it but want it to be delicious. Black pepper to finish most things.
Chili flakes, garlic powder, cumin & coriander combo, turmeric are my top spices.
Smoked paprika, turmeric, coriander, nutmeg, cinnamon
And salt/pepper
Black pepper. Chili pepper. Sichuan peppercorns ...
... you might be spotting a pattern?
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Thyme.
Yes actually you win. I had fresh for the first time last year and it destroyed my mind.
Probably cayenne pepper.
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