I'm British
this post was submitted on 20 May 2025
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So ketchup on everything?
Salt, maybe
beige is not a spice
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.
I use paprika in pretty much everything I cook
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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Parsley, if that counts. I don't really enjoy spicy food 😄
I hate parsley! I genuinely hate it. You can have all mine
My grandmother put it on everything. Dried. I never thought it had much flavor as a kid.
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“All the spices!” lol I really enjoy Tarragon and Black Garlic. Not necessarily together.
Sumac! And garlic, paprika, and asafoetida. Love ‘em all
Oh my God sumac is so good as a topping on slightly oily beef... Droool
Smoked paprika ‼
Salt, Pepper, Cumin and nutmeg
I wanna say cilantro, but...
Can't go wrong with a combination of garlic, ginger, and chili pepper.
Paprika, everywhere
Also Madras Curry
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.
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
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:
-
Salt
-
Pepper
-
Onion powder
-
Garlic powder
-
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.
Bay leaves in savory dishes
Nutmeg on/in sweet things
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.)
Probably cayenne pepper.
Aromat.
Smoked paprika, turmeric, coriander, nutmeg, cinnamon
And salt/pepper
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.
I have this roasted garlic paprika blend I really love and use as a shortcut for a lot of dishes. It's got other spices too but it's just delicious. I think it is McCormick.
My next favorites are Johnny's seasoning salt, black pepper, garlic, onion powder, smoked paprika, basil, Italian seasoning. All of these would go in a vegetable soup.
MSG is also nice in moderation. And cinnamon for sweet things of course.
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I use garlic, red pepper, and Italian seasoning mixes the most
But my favorite spice? Definitely Cumin
Braai spice