I’m going next week (Trader Joe’s too!). What should I try?
They have the most amazing true cinnamon [as well as cassia] and for spice blends, Fox Pointe, Galena St Rub and Maharaja Curry. They have little glass jars of samples to sniff and taste. Knock yourself out, I love going to Penzeys.
Aleppo pepper
Shallot salt and chipotle powder.
Baking spice: try it in your pancake batter, along with a glug of. . .
. . .Vanilla
Vietnamese cinnamon
Maharajah curry powder
Cumin
Chili 9000: you’ll never go back to any other chili powder mix
Chipotle powder
Sage and poultry seasoning for T-giving turkey stuffing
…scribbles list…mmmhmmm. mmmmHMMM. yup. gotcha so far!
We enjoy their Sandwich Sprinkle for flavoring dishes as well as sandwiches; second place is the Pasta Sprinkle.
Cake Spice
Chip Dip Mix
Pasta Sprinkle
Chipotle powder is a must.
I love the Vietnamese cassia cinnamon.
Their peppercorns are fresh
Almond & Vanilla extract for holiday baking.
Y’know, just go in with a clean nose. It will be assailed by the most awesome scents. Plan to spend some time there sniffing all the jars of stuff. Start out slow and just buy a few things. Be sure to pick up a catalog too. You can browse through it at home and either order stuff or make another road trip. Penzey’s is a good excuse.
I’ve replaced most of my spices with stuff from Penzey’s. I pick up a few things at an Indian grocery and a few others at a Latino shop but Penzey’s has become my mainstay.
I had never heard of this place before. But I see there’s one in my area and now I want to check it out.
Their specialty blends are quite nice. Try Arizona Dreaming on pork chops. Or potatoes. Or Brussels sprouts. Or…
My sister goes to Penzey’s all the time and is on their catalog list. She gets coupons for free stuff every month. This time was a free, no obligation to buy anything box with the following 4 spice: Forward seasoning; 33rd & Galena; Arizona dreaming; Mural of flavor.
StG
No store near me, alas, so I catalog shop.
The ones I use most are Vietnamese cinnamon, Maharajah curry, and Greek seasoning but I have a pantry full of Penzey spices. It’s all great.
Per my wife…
Pizza Seasoning,
Green Goddess Dressing,
Sandwich Sprinkle
Also the hot cocoa mix is pretty good.
I’m with aruvqan on Fox Pointe. I’ve been using Sunny Paris for years, but I had one of those coupons too, not only for one of those 4-bottle boxes but also for a free bottle of anything, so I got Fox Pointe. I made potato soup on Saturday and it was just the right thing for it.
I’m not so hot on the Arizona. I’m going to see if my mother-in-law likes it. Didn’t do it for me.
ETA: My shallot salt clumped up in a huge bolus. I called them and they told me to keep it in the refrigerator.
My personal favorite is Mural of Flavor. Started out using it on a few things like chicken and fish. So delicious. Now, it’s a great addition to eggs, salads, sliced tomatoes, rice and potatoes.
Also like the chipotle powder and ancho chili pepper. Brady Street Cheese Sprinkle is fabulous on garlic bread/toast.
Mural of Flavor is the best thing ever on roast chicken. That’s about the only thing I use it for, but it’s essential for that. I like the Forward blend as well for a general mix in scrambled eggs and the like, and for anything that I’m breading and frying.
As mentioned, the Vietnamese cinnamon and the aleppo pepper are essential pantry items.
One word of caution for the OP: Buy small quantities until you find out how much you’ll use over the course of a year. Spices don’t last forever. Also, I would avoid dried basil and dried cilantro, unless you have no retail outlet for fresh.
True…I use huge amounts of anything that goes into soup, lots of meat seasonings, not much baking/sweet except cinnamon and vanilla. Mmmm, these savory blends sound good.
That cinnamon is killer; I think maybe 7% oil. The baking spice is a great blend for cookies, etc. I use it in oatmeal-raisin cookies and the aforementioned pancakes.