I think a cook is only as good as his available supplies.
I think there are certain essentials to every kitchen...
For baking I would say you need:
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Cardamom
Ground Ginger
For cooking you need:
Oregano
Rosemary
A good curry
Garlic powder
Adobo
Honestly, with just the above spices, I've made some amazing meals
Other things which I think are great but not as necessary:
Sazon (Its a Puerto Rican orange spice in little packets---great stuff!)
Parsley, Sage, Thyme
Garlic and Onion Salts
Sea Salt
Pepper---I don't use pepper a lot but I have a grinder for getting fresh stuff!)
All-spice
Bay-leaves
Chili Pepper
Turmeric
Cloves
Paprika
Lemon or Orange Zest
Lemon Pepper
One trick I do is to ask friends from other countries to bring me some of their local spices, herbs, etc. they buy in their stores. I also love to show in the spices section of foreign grocery stores. Middle eastern stores sometimes grind it themselves so it smells fresher!
Make sure to smell the containers. If you're in a foreign store and the labels are in another language, if you like the smell you'll probably like the taste!
Spices are not very expensive and can CHANGE a meal.
Make sure to have the above essentials ALL THE TIME and then buy a few of the extra ones. I like to buy them on sale or with coupons at the grocery store, but, as I said... buying them in smaller foreign markets will give you fresher ones. I seriously bought a huge bag of curry and turmeric for a few dollars and it is FRESH.
I like experimenting with spices. Try adding something unconventional to your chicken next time you cook it---maybe some red pepper flakes, rosemary and lemon or orange zest. You never know what delicious things you might come up with!
I think there are certain essentials to every kitchen...
For baking I would say you need:
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Cardamom
Ground Ginger
For cooking you need:
Oregano
Rosemary
A good curry
Garlic powder
Adobo
Honestly, with just the above spices, I've made some amazing meals
Other things which I think are great but not as necessary:
Sazon (Its a Puerto Rican orange spice in little packets---great stuff!)
Parsley, Sage, Thyme
Garlic and Onion Salts
Sea Salt
Pepper---I don't use pepper a lot but I have a grinder for getting fresh stuff!)
All-spice
Bay-leaves
Chili Pepper
Turmeric
Cloves
Paprika
Lemon or Orange Zest
Lemon Pepper
One trick I do is to ask friends from other countries to bring me some of their local spices, herbs, etc. they buy in their stores. I also love to show in the spices section of foreign grocery stores. Middle eastern stores sometimes grind it themselves so it smells fresher!
Make sure to smell the containers. If you're in a foreign store and the labels are in another language, if you like the smell you'll probably like the taste!
Spices are not very expensive and can CHANGE a meal.
Make sure to have the above essentials ALL THE TIME and then buy a few of the extra ones. I like to buy them on sale or with coupons at the grocery store, but, as I said... buying them in smaller foreign markets will give you fresher ones. I seriously bought a huge bag of curry and turmeric for a few dollars and it is FRESH.
I like experimenting with spices. Try adding something unconventional to your chicken next time you cook it---maybe some red pepper flakes, rosemary and lemon or orange zest. You never know what delicious things you might come up with!