# What do you consider a well stocked spice cabinet? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 26, 2016, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-well-stocked-spice-cabinet/755765 "2016-05-26T20:56:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![janis\_and\_c0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janis_and_c0/32/21_2.png) [@janis\_and\_c0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janis_and_c0)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2016, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-well-stocked-spice-cabinet/755765/1 "2016-05-26T20:56:48Z")
One of my favorite parts of cooking is the use of herbs & spices. What do you consider “well stocked” not just your “have to haves” but just about every spice you’d need for things you cook, & maybe a few you’d like to try… My list would be: Allspice Almond extract Basil Bay Leaves Black Pepper Caraway Seeds Cardamom Celery Seed Chili Powder Chinese Five Spice Chives Cilantro Cinnamon Cinnamon-sugar Cloves Coriander Cumin Curry powder Dill Garam Masala Garlic Ginger Herbs De Provence Liquid smoke Italian Seasoning Jerk Seasoning Lemon Pepper Mace Marjoram Meat Tenderizer Mint Mustard powder Nutmeg Old Bay Seasoning Onion (Minced) Onion Powder Oregano Paprika Parsley Poultry Seasoning Poppy Seeds Pumpkin Pie Spice Red Pepper Flakes Rosemary Sage Saffron Salt Savory Seasoning Salt Sesame Seeds Sriracha Steak Seasoning Tarragon Thyme Tumeric Vanilla extract White Pepper Does this seem like a pretty complete list? what am I missing? ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2016, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-well-stocked-spice-cabinet/755765/2 "2016-05-26T21:05:06Z")
Meat tenderizer is a waste in my opinion. [Link](http://tipnut.com/tenderizers-work/) ---
**Author:** ![JKilez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e5b9ba/32.png) [@JKilez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKilez)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2016, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-well-stocked-spice-cabinet/755765/3 "2016-05-26T21:27:07Z")
> [@janis\_and\_c0](#): > > Does this seem like a pretty complete list? what am I missing? Must haves: Accent (MSG) Cayenne Pepper ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2016, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-well-stocked-spice-cabinet/755765/4 "2016-05-26T21:27:27Z")
Of your list, here is what I would ditch: chives cilantro cinnamon-sugar dill italian seasoning jerk seasoning steak seasoning pumpkin pie spice poultry seasoning (I’ll keep the Old Bay, though) sriracha? How does that end up in the spice cabinet? There’s a few others that are borderline for me, but I don’t need any of the stuff above in a well-stocked spice cabinet. Some of these are a little niche, but for stuff I cook, it’s helpful to have (and these I do have in my cabinet now): Mustard seed (black and your standard yellow) Asafoetida/hing A variety of dried, ground chiles (I typically have ancho, cayenne, arbol at the least) Fenugreek (both seeds and dried leaves) Fennel Mexican Oregano (this is a different plant than regular oregano) Sichuan peppercorns Sumac Of these, in a “basic” well-stocked spice cabinet, I expect the fennel at the very least, and cayenne pepper (or other red peppers) as well. The rest are a little more dependent on the cuisines you typically cook. ETA: Oh, yes, and the post above mine reminds me. MSG. I just use the generic spice bottle sold at my local grocery simply labeled MSG that costs $1, compared with the little bottle of accent which is like half the size and three to four times the price. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2016, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-well-stocked-spice-cabinet/755765/5 "2016-05-26T21:34:35Z")
ANd I should say, meat tenderizer is borderline for me. If the cabinet has it, I may make use of it. I typically don’t have it on hand. It does do a good job for when I want to stir fry some of the tougher cuts, and none of the natural tenderizers (other than papaya, which is what is in many meat tenderizers) help me. The problem with it is that it sometimes works too well and leaves meat a bit on the mushy side. You have to be careful with it. ---
**Author:** ![janis\_and\_c0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janis_and_c0/32/21_2.png) [@janis\_and\_c0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janis_and_c0)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2016, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-well-stocked-spice-cabinet/755765/6 "2016-05-26T21:45:28Z")
I’ve used meat tenderizer a few times, which is why it’s on my list, but I don’t use it a lot, and could probably ditch it (thanks for the article, **Grrr** ). I don’t buy cinnamon sugar separately, but I make some on my own, & leave it on my spice shelf. ---
**Author:** ![Periwinkle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Periwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Periwinkle)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2016, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-well-stocked-spice-cabinet/755765/7 "2016-05-26T21:50:31Z")
I like to keep culinary dried lavender on hand for baking. I think that’s a pretty good list, although I do agree with a previous poster that you could ditch some of the blends. Just thought of another one - Hungarian paprika. There’s also garlic powder. I usually use fresh garlic but occasionally the powder works well for a recipe. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2016, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-well-stocked-spice-cabinet/755765/8 "2016-05-26T22:25:23Z")
Allspice [del]Almond extract[/del] Basil Bay Leaves Black Pepper [del]Caraway Seeds[/del] [del]Cardamom [/del] Celery Seed Chili Powder Chinese Five Spice Chives Cilantro Cinnamon [del]Cinnamon-sugar[/del] Cloves Coriander Cumin Curry powder Dill Garam Masala Garlic Ginger Herbs De Provence Liquid smoke Italian Seasoning [del]Jerk Seasoning[del] Lemon Pepper Mace Marjoram [del]Meat Tenderizer[/del] Mint Mustard powder Nutmeg Old Bay Seasoning Onion (Minced) Onion Powder Oregano Paprika [del]Parsley[/del] Poultry Seasoning [del]Poppy Seeds Pumpkin Pie Spice[/del] Red Pepper Flakes Rosemary Sage Saffron Salt Savory Seasoning Salt Sesame Seeds Sriracha Steak Seasoning Tarragon Thyme Turmeric Vanilla extract White Pepper Plus a buttload more chiles, chile powders, various pepper flakes (Where’s the Aleppo pepper?), more hot sauces than you can count, several types of _Piper nigrum_, a bunch of Penzey’s blends, some Goya blends. But that’s just us. ---
**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2016, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-well-stocked-spice-cabinet/755765/9 "2016-05-26T23:32:49Z")
Lose the liquid smoke; it is an abomination. I’d add that a lot of those I would only keep fresh. Cilantro, garlic, mint I find the dried versions sadly lacking to the point of uselessness. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2016, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-well-stocked-spice-cabinet/755765/10 "2016-05-27T00:03:33Z")
Allspice Almond extract Basil Bay Leaves Black Pepper Caraway Seeds Cardamom Celery Seed Chili Powder [del]Chinese Five Spice[/del] Chives Cilantro Cinnamon [del]Cinnamon-sugar[/del] Cloves Coriander Cumin Curry powder Dill Garam Masala Garlic Ginger [del]Herbs De Provence[/del] [del]Liquid smoke[/del] [del]Italian Seasoning[/del] [del]Jerk Seasoning[/del] Lemon Pepper Mace Marjoram [del]Meat Tenderizer[/del] [del]Mint[/del] Mustard powder Nutmeg Old Bay Seasoning [del]Onion (Minced)[/del] Onion Powder Oregano Paprika Parsley [del]Poultry Seasoning[/del] Poppy Seeds [del]Pumpkin Pie Spice[/del] Red Pepper Flakes Rosemary Sage Saffron Salt [del]Savory[/del] [del]Seasoning Salt[/del] Sesame Seeds [del]Sriracha [/del] [del]Steak Seasoning[/del] Tarragon Thyme Tumeric Vanilla extract White Pepper AT the cafe where I work we have a small gardern and I dry our own sage, basil, oregano, rosemary, and some thyme. Lots of parsley too. We have fresh mint and dill in season. I orefer to use fresh garlic but powdered or granulated garlic can be useful. I know I’ll remember some other herbs and spices as soon as I post this. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2016, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-well-stocked-spice-cabinet/755765/11 "2016-05-27T02:52:55Z")
> [@MikeG](#): > > Lose the liquid smoke; it is an abomination. > > I’d add that a lot of those I would only keep fresh. Cilantro, garlic, mint I find the dried versions sadly lacking to the point of uselessness. Garlic powder/dried garlic I can deal with for certain applications–more than I’d like to admit to, to be honest. The rest, I agree–especially the Liquid Smoke. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2016, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-well-stocked-spice-cabinet/755765/12 "2016-05-27T10:49:19Z")
> [@janis\_and\_c0](#): > > Does this seem like a pretty complete list? what am I missing? Aniseed Cubebs Fenugreek Galangaal Grains of paradise Juniper berries Nigella Sichuan pepper Star Anise Pink peppercorns (not actually pepper) Poppy seed Rosewater Tamarind _Smoked_ paprika Vanilla _pods_. Since you seem to be into premixes, may I recommend [raʾs al-ḥānūt](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ras_el_hanout) and [za’atar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Za%27atar) and [Panch phoron](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panch_phoron) and[Chaat masala](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaat_masala)? ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2016, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-well-stocked-spice-cabinet/755765/13 "2016-05-27T13:44:58Z")
Seconded on the smoked paprika. > [@MikeG](#): > > I’d add that a lot of those I would only keep fresh. Cilantro, garlic, mint I find the dried versions sadly lacking to the point of uselessness. I agree–especially with cilantro. The dried stuff is worthless. ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2016, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-well-stocked-spice-cabinet/755765/14 "2016-05-27T13:50:22Z")
My spice cabinet: Mixed Herbs ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2016, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-well-stocked-spice-cabinet/755765/15 "2016-05-27T13:57:13Z")
The thing is, if you’re making any kind of dry spice rub, you’ll want to have garlic powder around. Almost all my rubs start with salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder. The cilantro and mint I’ll agree with. Same with dried parsley and dill. I totally forgot about star anise. That’s another one I like to have around. In terms of paprika, I’m particularly picky: My basic paprika must be Hungarian paprika, preferably from Kolocsa. Must be sweet, preferably _különleges_ or _édesnemes_ (there’s like eight or so different types of Hungarian paprika.) After that, I like to have a smoked Spanish paprika around, and I do like some of the paprikas I’ve had from California via Penzey’s. And if we’re counting dried pepper pods for our spice cabinet, I need ancho, arbol, guajillo, plus some Asian varieties around. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2016, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-well-stocked-spice-cabinet/755765/16 "2016-05-27T14:36:00Z")
\*\*Baker’s \*\*amended list is pretty much what I would have said as well. I’d also add/clarify that minced and powdered garlic are both very useful at times. Additions to the list: Most of what \*\*pulykamell \*\*suggests - mustard seed, fennel, fenugreek, powdered chiles (ancho, chipotle, etc…) Smoked paprika is awfully useful as well. If we’re talking about shelf-stable sauces and what-not like sriracha, I’ll give a huge thumbs up to fish sauce. Vinegars too- cider, red/white wine and rice are pretty much mandatory. I’m surprised nobody’s mentioned baking soda or cream of tartar yet. Not exactly spices or herbs per-se, but usually sold and kept with them. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2016, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-well-stocked-spice-cabinet/755765/17 "2016-05-27T17:35:38Z")
Big bottle of Tequila. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2016, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-well-stocked-spice-cabinet/755765/18 "2016-05-27T18:50:46Z")
> [@janis\_and\_c0](#): > > One of my favorite parts of cooking is the use of herbs & spices. > What do you consider “well stocked” not just your “have to haves” but just about every spice you’d need for things you cook, & maybe a few you’d like to try… My list would be: > > \< snip \> > > Does this seem like a pretty complete list? what am I missing? If you don’t mind going to a specialty shop, my recent favorite spice is called Aleppo Pepper. It’s similar to the red chili flakes you listed, but it’s a little milder and has a really neat smoky taste under the heat. It’s not really critical, but it’s a great addition to any spice cabinet. And after you try it on pizza, you’ll never go back to red chili flakes. 😉 > **[Aleppo Pepper](https://www.penzeys.com/catalog/product.aspx?catalog=24&product=878)** > > This Turkish crushed chili has an ancho-like flavor with a little more heat and tartness. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-well-stocked-spice-cabinet/755765/19 "2016-05-30T07:19:57Z")
I think it’s important to have some melange on hand, especially if you want to engage in interstellar navigation or just perk up a veggie burrito. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-well-stocked-spice-cabinet/755765/20 "2016-05-30T07:25:18Z")
> [@Snooooopy](#): > > I think it’s important to have some melange on hand, especially if you want to engage in interstellar navigation or just perk up a veggie burrito. Meh - I have it on good authority it just tastes like cinnamon… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-well-stocked-spice-cabinet/755765.md?page=2)