Have a spice rack? No? Well get one! A spice rack is your most prized possession as the chef of your newly remodeled kitchen. Don’t get caught up with frustrating spice shelves crowded with hard-to-see containers that keep falling over every time you go in for a new spice; instead try a spice rack that spins, so you can easily see all the spices available to you at once. Here are some of the most common spices that should be in every kitchen as well as a few spices that you may not know of, but you’ll be glad that you have to use.
The spices you’ll need for Italian dishes, like pizzas, pastas and hearty soups:
- Hot pepper flakes
- Oregano
- Parsley (any variety)
- Bay Leaves (whole or crushed)
- Basil
- Sage (whole leaves)
- Rosemary
- Thyme
Some additional spices you’ll need, for Mediterranean dishes, like Greek dishes and tapas:
- Anise
- Caraway
- Chives
- Coriander
- Dill
- Fennel
- Mint
- Rosemary
- Tarragon
And for Asian flavor varieties, including Indian and Chinese cooking:
- Curry leaves or ground curry powder
- Ginger
- Lemon Grass
- Star anise
- Thai basil
- Cloves
- Cumin
- Five-spice
- Tumeric
For blended flavors when cooking, always add your herbs to the dish when you first start. If you want your flavors to be more pungent, add herbs at the end. Besides dry herbs, try fresh herbs from the supermarket or exotic spices from markets tailored to specific ethnicities. Invest in a spice rack and enjoy cooking with new flavors and spices!
View our posts on healthy cooking tips for your new kitchen.
See below for spice photos.
