Do you have a favorite herb, or spice, so some combination

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Chief Longwind Of The North

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This doesn't include salt or pepper.

My favorites in order:

Basil
Sage
Onion
Garlic
Oregano
Ginger
Cinnamon
Chinese 5-Spice
Mace
Nutmeg
Cumin
Chili powder
Coriander
Soy Sauce

And so many others

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
 
You have been rather busy posting, Chief. Keep it up!

Basil is my favorite herb. I grow it every summer. I have a very mixed relationship with cilantro. I like a little bit of it in my homemade salsa, but on its own, it tastes like soap to me, as it does for a lot of people.

I use rosemary with my rotisserie chicken, and with roasted potatoes. I also use a lot of thyme with braised meats -- both fresh from my garden.

I have a huge crop of oregano in my garden, but actually don't use it as much as expected to.

CD
 
This doesn't include salt or pepper.

My favorites in order:

Basil
Sage
Onion
Garlic
Oregano
Ginger
Cinnamon
Chinese 5-Spice
Mace
Nutmeg
Cumin
Chili powder
Coriander
Soy Sauce

And so many others

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


I like all of the above, but choosing favorites depends upon what I'm cooking, baking, or blending into a salad dressing.
 
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I like a lot of different herbs and spices, but my favourites are probably garlic, cardamom, coriander seeds, and chili peppers.
 
Cumin. Love the smell and the flavor.

I got a giggle out of your post, because I am someone who does not care much for Cumin, or Comino as it is commonly known down here in Texas. I do use it, but very minimally. I put some in my chili, but just a tiny amount - half a teaspoon.

Food is an amazing thing. What one person loves, another person hates. Well, I think everyone likes Mac and Cheese. :LOL:

CD
 
I have a huge crop of oregano in my garden, but actually don't use it as much as expected to.

Same here. Would like to find more uses for oregano. I also grow sage, thyme. These three come back every year. I also have rosemary and I hope it will come back. Haven’t had much luck growing cilantro without it bolting so quickly.
Lastly I also grow several types of parsley and basil.
 
I couldn't choose favorites, though of my herbs, basil and Thai basil would be my favorites, and these are what made me set up my hydroponics, so that I could always have them. Then there are the ones that I had to grow, because I couldn't find them anywhere back then - kaffir lime leaves and curry leaves. Sage, bay, rosemary, thyme, dill, parsley, chives, and garlic chives I also have out there, and probably something I have forgotten! lol

Chili peppers are my most used spice, with probably Thai peppers my most used, since I use them in Thai, Chinese, Indian, and Mexican, in place of similar small, hot varieties, and I grind them up, to use as cayenne, with more flavor. I have over 30 types of dried chiles in my pantry.

Cumin and coriander would probably be tied for second, and I buy those by the pound, keeping the extra in foodsaver bags, refilling the jars as necessary, and re-sealing the bags.

In my Indian cooking I've found some unusual spices, which I use frequently in other cuisines. One is Black Cardamom, which has an unusual, smoky flavor, and I often crack those, and put them in a small tea ball, and boil them with beans or grains, to get that aroma. And another, which sounds crazy, is Asafoetida, a.k.a. Hing, which I often use when simmering some beans or lentils, in place of putting a whole onion in the pot. It doesn't smell like it, at first (it's actually disgusting, thus the name), but when finished, it smells, and tastes, like an onion was simmered with it! Easier, and cheaper, as well.

Sambar masala is my favorite spice mix. Garam masala is called for a lot, but in smaller amounts, so I make less of it. There are several more that I make, come fall (mostly used in cold weather foods), but these are the two, besides a basic curry powder, that I always have, even in the summer.
 
Cinnamon is my favourite, I start consuming it while my weight loss journey but now I love it to consume usually.
 
This doesn't include salt or pepper.

My favorites in order:

Basil
Sage
Onion
Garlic
Oregano
Ginger
Cinnamon
Chinese 5-Spice
Mace
Nutmeg
Cumin
Chili powder
Coriander
Soy Sauce

And so many others

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
I think of onion and garlic as vegetables more than herbs. Nearly everything I cook starts with them, sometimes with celery, carrots, and peppers.

Basil, cilantro, sage, and parsley get used a lot because they're in the little aquaponic growbed. Struggle to get thyme and rosemary to grow so they are mainly used dried and less often. Oregano is only used dry also.

Buy large bottles of cumin and coriander seeds. A handful of cumin often gets tossed whole into the aromatics right off the bat or ground with coriander, 2-1.

Buy chili powder in large bottles, and swear that next time I'll buy whole dried chilis in bulk instead.
 
Garlic would probably be my most used , but I like when MY spices/ herbs "Speak" to me.

When I smell Basil, It screams out " Summertime, fresh produce from the garden"
Sage, Rosemary and Thyme always gives me that Autumn feel, no matter when I use them
Parsley lets me know its spring time, since it is the first to thrive in the garden.
Many of the other 'Ethnic herbs and spices just take me around the world.

I was just in a Penzey's store, and smelled every single herb and spice they had there.
 
There is no way to name a favorite as we use herb and spice combos/mixtures in all our cooking. The aroma of freshly toasted and ground cumin is probably my favorite though. When it comes to pure chili powder, I prefer to toast and grind my own from dried chilis.
 
There is no way to name a favorite as we use herb and spice combos/mixtures in all our cooking. The aroma of freshly toasted and ground cumin is probably my favorite though. When it comes to pure chili powder, I prefer to toast and grind my own from dried chilis.

What kind of chili peppers do you use to make your chili powder? And I assume you add paprika and cumin to the nix. Do you think dried Japones have the right flavor profile?

Seeeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
 
Chief LW, I assume you are speaking of chili powder for making Chile Con Carne, Texas Style Chili, or those types. I would not think of japones as being a chili to use in chili powder, except to add some heat, as they are more like de árbol, Thai, Chinese, or other small peppers. Numex peppers are the ones used most, and there are countless varieties. Chamayo is a good one, that I often see in powder. Ancho is the most common Mexican chile, and would be good used in chili powder.

Despite all of the dried peppers in my arsenal, I always buy chili powder, and my favorite source is http://penderys.com/chile-peppers.html?p=3

They sell many kinds of pure chili powders - those without cumin, garlic, and silicon dioxide added (usual additions to commercial powders). Many of those powders are one type of pepper, but many are blends, which is what makes them good, and unique, and my favorite 3 blends from Pendery's are Texas Red Dog, Pecos River, and Rancho. That last one is a dark, toasted variety, that is good added as maybe 20% of the total. I never make a mix up - just keep the powders frozen (they keep forever in a vac-pack) and mix them when I make something, adding cumin and other spices, as well. I often add sweet paprika, as well.
 
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Garlic powder

Onion powder

Parsley

Basil

Bay leaves


I put parsley in everything. I even sprinkle it over scrambled eggs to make them look pretty.
 
What kind of chili peppers do you use to make your chili powder? And I assume you add paprika and cumin to the nix. Do you think dried Japones have the right flavor profile?

Seeeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

When I wrote PURE chili powder I meant PURE not a blend. I will make powders from ancho, guajillo, New Mexican, cascabell, mulato, pasilla and arbol. Japones aren't as available here as arbol. I like experimenting with different combos. Cumin for sure, paprika not so much. I also don't put beans in chili, but I do put chilis in my beans.
 
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