What is your favorite spice you use generally?

[georgevan]

I sometimes need to spice up something that tastes sort of blaze. So what I use is chili powder. One reason I use it because someone else posted somewhere that they used it and liked it. What spice is your favorite to spice up a dish?

 

[taxlady]

Too perk up a dish, I often use garlic, fish sauce, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and sometimes, I cut a chilli pepper in half, the long way and fry it in the oil I will be using to fry the main dish in. I may or may not include the chilli pepper in the dish.

 

[pepperhead212]

Peppers are my favorite - a day rarely goes by that I don't eat something with at least one of these peppers in it! Garlic, close to it, but chiles are definitely #1. If I had to pick the one I use the most it would be the Thai/jyoti - the short, very hot peppers, in many types of food whole, and I crush them for pepper flakes, and grind them for a cayenne substitute. I don't buy chili powder with garlic, cumin, and Oregano added - I'll add those, if I want them, as needed. However, these are my favorite pure chili powders, that I mix, to make chili and the like:

Chamoya
Pecos Red
Rancho
Texas Red Dog

Here are all of the peppers in my pantry (maybe - haven't updated it since last summer):

All dry peppers
*= also in the freezer

Ancho
Aji Colorado
Aji Dulce*
Aleppo
Byadagi
Cascabel
Chipotle
Chocolate Habanero*
Death Spiral
Fresno *(only frozen)
Guahillo
Jyoti*
Lombak
Kashmiri
Morita
Mulato
Numex mild
Numex medium
Numex hot
Paper Lantern*
Passilla
Serrano Seco
Superchili*
Superthai*
Thai Vesuvius*
White Bullet Habanero*

 

[roadfix]

Black pepper

 

[Katie H]

For us, it's fresh minced/grated garlic.

Also keeps the vampires away. LOL

 

[karadekoolaid]

If you´re talking spices, then coriander, cumin, turmeric, nigella seeds,cardamom, cinnamon.
If it´s herbs, then basil, dill, coriander (cilantro) and oregano.
Other flavour enhancers? Fresh garlic and fresh ginger.
Bottled condiments? Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, balsamic vinegar.

 

[GotGarlic]

It really depends on what the dish is. Often, though, some type of acid perks up a dish that just needs a little oomph - lemon or lime juice or some type of vinegar.

 

[jennyema]

Soy sauce or fish sauce

 

[cookieee]

My favorite spice to use is not for color or taste, but for the health benefits it provides. TURMERIC

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

Frank's Red Hot Sauce

 

[bethzaring]

garlic salt......Penzey's carries a nice product