I disagree, Doc. I think Joe’s Stuff is better than Tony Chachere because it doesn’t have as much salt in it.
small world alert: Mrs. Chef and I took that cooking class on our honeymoon! $15 each, for an entertaining morning of cooking demos, AND we got to eat what the cook prepared… it was the best deal I encountered while we were there.
Joe’s Stuff is available only at the Creole General Store and Cooking School (or whatever the hell it is that they actually call it) in the Jax Brewery Mall in N’awlins, or by mail order (anything from a 4 oz. jar to a 25-pound sack. I have friends that occasionally travel to the Crescent City and I always have them bring me some Stuff when they come back. My favorite way to use it: Toast some sliced bread, layer with deli-sliced Colby cheese, sprinkle liberally with Joe’s Stuff, and broil until the cheese melts. Mmmmmmmm.
As for the OP, I think it’s obvious I have Joe’s Stuff on hand. For the most part, I buy my spices as needed from the bulk jars at the local Whole Foods supermarket… there’s a lot of turnover so the spices are fresher, plus you can buy just what you need and won’t be stuck with a whole jar of, say, fenugreek you’ll never use again. One exception: Whole foods makes an Italian-seasoning blend that I’m very fond of.
Rich, you may be happier with Dave’s TOTAL Insanity Gourmet sauce. A bit milder than the other, and much better inthe flavor department. Capsaicin sucks ass, as far as lavor goes. All it’s good for is heat, whereas the pepper brings flavor to the mix.
Zenster, you fool! How do you think you can make an authentic Chicago hot dog without celery salt?
That’s said, I think the only prepared seasoning I have (besides celery salt) is some garam masala, but I made that myself and then stuck it in a jar. Does that count?
I tend to make sauces from scratch when I have the time. These days I never do, and there are lots of good blends I use up here in Canada, since we don’t always have access to your American ones.
For curry blends, still thin Sharwood’s makes the best dry ones (except DRG’s Tandoori), maybe Patak’s for the pastes.
President’s Choice Jerk Sauce is hard to beat, but I’ve not tried Browne’s.
Dante’s Inferno White Hot Sauce is a good addition to anything.
Lots of good blends available in England which I’ve not really seen here. Schwartz’s piri-piri seasoning is pretty good.
Finally, most Thai Green Curry pastes, much of a muchness, are good but easy to do yourself.
Does Penzey’s “pasta sprinkle” count as a premixed seasoning? Otherwise, I mix up my own blends. Did a dandy Memphis style dry rub for ribs and chicken the other day.
Count me in as a Penzey’s devotee. The prices are fair and the freshness is unsurpassed. Has anyone here roasted and ground their own garam masala? God, your house will smell like an Indian spice market. The fragrance will drift out to the middle of your street and complete strangers will knock on your door looking for the Indian restaurant. It’s not that hard, but you have to make the effort to buy the correct whole fresh spices, measure and roast them carefully, and grind them evenly in an old coffee grinder. Then I freeze the mixture in small batches to keep it fresh as long as possible. I use it not only in Indian cooking, but to provide a mysterious background flavor in any dish in which I want to create a middle eastern effect.
::drool:: Now I’m making myself hungry for Indian cooking . . .
I keep pre-ground garam masala and curry powders by Frontier for when I’m rushed. Frontier is a great company for herbs and spices in general. They have a fine lab on site to check their shipments, and are very picky about quality and point of origin. They supply most of the bulk herbs at the Whole Foods chain.
I agree with pugluvr, though, nothing can compare with making your own garam masala, or chili powder. The trick is to roast the spices in a cast iron skillet just until they are fragrant, which brings out the volatile oils, and then grind them in a separate grinder (or really well-cleaned one) from coffee use. Mighty euphoric!
The other pre-made blend I’m fond of is a Middle Eastern blend, called Z’atar. I’ve used the one by Penzey’s, made of marjoram, sumac, sesame seed, and mebbe somethin’ else. It’s great for breakfast, spread on buttered toast.
Zenster, in his zeal to make everything from scratch, said:
Dread no more! I think my little container was like $1.50, and I don’t exactly go through it. Maybe once every several years. I don’t think that’s going to break the bank. Besides, I’m not sure I have any normal Morton’s-type salt. So to make it, I’d have to grind my celery seed and kosher salt in the mortar, and then clean it…too much hassle. Some things, methinks, are worth making, some are not.
I have a few odd commercial premixes on my shelf, but I don’t use them often, and usually only on specific items:
Old Bay for french fries.
Mrs. Dash :eek: for eggs (I like it, my wife doesn’t)
Jamaica Me Crazy seasoned pepper for chicken (occasionally – someone gave it to me).
I tend to avoid salt for the most part, but do use a lot of garlic (fresh where possible, garlic powder in a pinch), lemon (the plastic squeeze ones – otherwise they’d go off before I used them) and pepper. Otherwise, I mix the spices as I go, per recipe. “Season to taste” is my motto.
jr8
“Tomatoes and oregano make it Italian; wine and tarragon make it French. Sour cream makes it Russian; lemon and cinnamon make it Greek. Soy sauce makes it Chinese; garlic makes it good.”
– Alice May Brock
I have added sites to my food shopping files, and have solved several gift problems… spice gift boxes for everyone! I love the way this place (and you people) expand my life.
I was shaking my head over the “organic evaporated cane juice” when I saw “silicon dioxide”…!
Is that not sand?
Anyway, even though I buy from Penzey’s and I grow my own garlic, paprika, savory, tarragon, sages, mints, sweet bay, thyme, oregano and parsley, I am at heart a Philistine, for I use Aromat on everything.
