I recently wanted to make an authentic Hungarian goulash, and so I found a recipe and a big part of the stew was paprika, which I hadn’t used before. The paprika in the regular spice aisle was quite expensive (close to 10 bucks for a small jar), but in the “ethnic foods” aisle I found the same size for about 3 bucks. When I cooked the stew, I tasted the paprika by itself since I wasn’t familiar with it, and WOW was it flavorful! Very little heat, but just a terrific, rich smoky flavor, with a bit of sweetness, and I’ve since been using it for nearly anything savory – pasta sauces, beans, stews, soups, etc., and every time it adds just a fantastic flavor. Why isn’t paprika more common or celebrated? Now I feel like I’ve been missing out in my 3 decades of cooking. What other spices am I missing out on?
Hungarian Paprika is the best of the Paprikas. I feel like the generic paprika is almost more coloring than seasoning. But Hungarian Paprika has a really nice taste. It is great in anything slow cooked.
You obviously aren’t of Eastern European extraction.
Hie your carcass to Penzey’s and go wild. Just a hint: Be sure to buy some smoked paprika along with the Hungarian Half-Sharp and California Sweet.
As for the rest, you’ve discovered the secret. Always shop the “Ethnic” aisle and pay attention to the end-caps. The little cellophane packages are just as good (and sometimes way better) than McCormick or Spice Islands, at 1/3 the cost. Likely fresher, too.
This is appropriate.
Korean gochugaru is essentially paprika, only they make it with spicier peppers. Perfect for when you want something to have that pepper flavor, with just a little bit of extra kick. Hot, but not blow-your-head-off hot (if you want to blow heads off: gochujang paste).
There you go. I lived in Hungary for a bit over five years and I discovered, as you did, how good paprika could be. I use it all the time for goulash (both the soup and the stew) and paprikash, as well as a host of other dishes, but those are where it shines to the forefront and where you have to use GOOD paprika. Spice House and Penzey’s Hungarian paprikas are both very good, but not as good as some of the stuff I could source out there. A few years back one of the above spice purveyors used to sell Hungarian, Spanish unsmoked, and California paprikas. All three were excellent, with their own characteristics. My favorite was the Hungarian. The California had the best color, but the flavor was a bit more fruity and “fresh” than then Hungarian or Spanish ones. The Spanish one was almost as good as the Hungarian one, with a deep, red pepper flavor. I would mix the California about half and half with either the Hungarian or Spanish. (Once again, the Spanish unsmoked sweet paprika, not the more usual smoked variety from that country.)
For me, the first thing I notice about a good paprika is in the smell. It should smell like the essence of red peppers. I like a bright red color to my paprika, as well. Orange-red or orange is fine. Once it starts looking brown I get a little skeptical. Also, my preference is to sweet paprika, specifically the különleges variety of Hungarian (there are about seven or so different types. I’m usually a heat hound, but for paprika, I like it sweet and to add the heat later. But, by all means, experiment with sharp and half-sharp paprika.
Make sure you bloom it in oil when you cook with it – that’s a very important step for the development of flavor. But BE CAREFUL NOT TO BURN. I always turn the heat all the way down or take the pan/pot off the heat while I incorporate the paprika into the fat and onions and let it cook for about a minute before returning it to the head and adding liquid ingredients or meat to cool it down.
While the subject is on different pepper products, definitely check out Penzey’s Aleppo pepper. Use it wherever you would use generic red pepper flakes. Lots more flavor.
Just used some today for lunch on my red lentil soup!
And gouchugaru can work, but tastes different enough from Hungarian paprika that you’d be making a different dish IMHO if you used it. By that definition, any type of powdered red chiles are essentially paprika (and, in a way, yes they are.)
I used smoked paprika when a recipe calls for chipotle powder and I know the people I’m cooking for don’t like anything spicy. You still get the smoked flavor but without the heat.
Glad you enjoyed it. Canada does not have these fancy American grocers. From my experience stores which sell mainly international foods usually have better and fresher spices, often more varieties, sometimes sold in enormous bags for cheaper prices.
Yes to all of these. So much yes. 
Three other spices, two semi-common and one less common to try if you haven’t already.
Cilantro - it’s a lot more popular in the last 10 years than it was when I was younger, but if you’re not in the group that finds it soapy, it’s a key ingredient in a lot of Mexican and Thai dishes. This one is really better fresh, but in the US at least, it’s now available in most megamarts.
Ginger - the fresher the better - again Penzey’s or other specialty store is going to have stuff that has actual bite and zing, along with having an actual ginger flavor. Most ginger in the ‘spice’ aisle at a grocery store gives the slightest hint of ginger flavor and leaves your dishes flat. Fresh is again amazing, but quality powdered works well.
Sichuan peppercorns. OMG. You have to like the slight numbing sensation, but they add so much to a number of Chinese dishes (to the limit of that label, so much of Chinese cooking is extremely regional).
Sure we do. Whole Foods, for example, and for those in the Toronto area, it doesn’t get any fancier than Pusateri’s. Dave Nichols, former president of Loblaws who launched the President’s Choice line of sauces and food products, once called Pusateri’s one of the five best places in the world to shop for food, comparing it favourably with Fauchon in Paris. And of course there’s the farmers’ markets, like the famous St. Lawrence market in Toronto, and there’s Amazon. I just looked for paprika on Amazon Canada and they must have hundreds of kinds – hot, sweet, smoked, paprikas imported from Hungary, Spain, and elsewhere, etc.
I’ve been on an allspice kick for the last few months. It really adds a great flavor to gumbos in combination with a well-browned roux. I learned of an early Stroganoff recipe in another food thread here that did not include mushroom but did have spicy mustard and allspice added to the sauce. I tried it and was surprised how much I liked it. And of course, it’s a key ingredient of anything Jerk spiced.
The OP also shares a little secret I discovered years ago- dismayed by how expensive store bought spices are? A tiny jar containing maybe 6-8 bay leaves can be like $5-6 
Buy at ‘ethnic’ groceries instead and save! Every few months I’ll make an Indian grocery run and buy big bags for just a few $s each of bay leaves, whole cumin, coriander, cloves, dried chiles, cardamom, etc etc etc. Not just cheaper but better quality, and whole spices last for much longer than pre-ground. Invest in a spice grinder and toast and grind your spices fresh as you need them!
I also shop Asian groceries for various top quality staples like fish sauce and good red curry pastes.
A couple of helpful tips with fresh ginger: #1 you don’t need to peel it, that’s a complete waste of time (and ginger) especially if you’re just mincing it, and #2 throw it in a food processor, then spoon the results into an ice cube tray. Freeze, then pop out the cubes and store them in the freezer in a freezer bag. Add a cube to whatever, as needed.
Ground fennel. Good in bisques, stews, etc. Also, I put it in my sausage gravy along with sage; the combination is really good.
If paprika is new to you, perhaps you’ve not had cumin either.
I loves me some cumin.
mmm
Hardly a secret, but if you’re a “I don’t have time to do something fancy so I’ll throw some meat in a pan for a bit” type of cook, onion powder is my go-to seasoning (especially with sage). Not onion salt - I use as little salt as possible when cooking - but a good onion powder adds another dimension to pretty much any meat with little added effort.
Mrs. L.A.'s doctor suggested she take turmeric to help fight inflammation. I think she ordered capsules, but I’m going to have to look for (not too spicy) recipes using turmeric.
I hope it helps her, statements about its effectiveness are largely based on low-quality evidence of benefit and no evidence of increased risk of side effects compared with placebo. As a result, I do not yet recommend it.
There will be a blood test before (possibly) sending her to a rheumatologist, but he suggested the turmeric in the meantime. (He’s her assigned doctor, as we’re too far away from the VA.)