When I was traveling all over Europe and trying thousands of home-cooked and fast food dishes and desserts, I was always focused on decoding which spices and dried herbs the chef added to the meals I tasted. A couple of years later, and with a bit more experience, I decided to create a list of spices every home needs to own.
Here’s the list:
1. Cayenne Pepper
Cayenne pepper is commonly used in Indian and Mexican cuisines, and I first tried it when I was in Spain. It adds a strong, almost overpowering heat, which is why you need to use it in moderation.
2. Red Pepper Flakes
Red pepper flakes will also give heat to your meals. You can use them next time when you make pasta sauce or marinade of some kind or even include them in the burger sauce.
3. Cinnamon
Cinnamon always reminds of wintertime and Christmas! Ground cinnamon is commonly used in baking to add a bit of dimension. Don’t forget to put a significant amount of this spice next time you make an apple pie.
4. Onion or Garlic Powder
These powders are excellent because you’ll be able to skip adding herbs and come as a great alternative when you are in a rush. The best thing about these two? They are so universal; you can add them to basically any home-cooked meal, especially stews, and soups, and even salad dressings.What are your favorite spices? Are they on this list? Be sure to write down your favorite dried herbs in the comments down below.