I use Smoked Paprika often. If a dish is lacking something in the flavor department, half the time it’s because it needs Smoked Paprika and the other half it’s because it needs acid and… Smoked Paprika.
It's great on deviled eggs...chipotle is another go-to! Add a smidge (1/16-1/8 tsp) of pepper jelly or bacon jam on top and *chef kiss*
edit: for ones with a sprinkle of curry powder, add the same proportions of the jelly suggested as pesto. OMG!
Oh, all the deviled egg stuff sounds delicious! I love deviled eggs. I’ve never had one I didn’t like. And I always keep a container or more of everything bagel seasoning and I think that would be great sprinkles on top. I actually use it if I make egg saladand it comes in really handy when the store is out of everything bagels and I have to use a plain bagel. I spoke a little my cream cheese. But yeah, deviled eggs now I’m gonna be craving them… I have to make a batch or five soon.
I’m a little slow to the game lol I’ve just started using paprika more recently and trying to add more fish to our diet and I love it on fish and other stuff I need to go ahead and be a little less tight fisted with it.
Basil. It can shine in rich, savory sauces, sweet dishes even chiffonnade over tart berries with a lil cream.....
Point is, IF I could ONLY pick one, it'd be Basil.
I have a ton of thyme growing in the garden, makes it so nice when I'm cooking and need a few fresh sprigs. Definitely one of my favorites.
Lately been using it most for frying up oyster mushrooms in the cast iron.. Get em crisped up in some oil, then throw in a chunk of butter, a couple crushed cloves of garlic, and a few sprigs of thyme, then baste it while they finish cooking.. So good. The thyme really comes through.
My go to is frying up shredded cabbage with thyme and an onion. It makes a perfect accompaniment to any dish and works as a topping for burgers or hotdogs. Even better with a little gravy drizzled on it.
Take that a step further and add a bit of shallot, then drop it on top of arugula or napa cabbage or something similar, and drizzle on a bit of aged balsamic. My favorite side salad/side dish ever.
>It's super easy to grow,
Please don't say this haha. I'm on my fourth thyme plant and it's dying too. I grow basil, cilantro, parsley, mint, jalapenos, habaneros, ghost peppers, Thai chilis, sweet peppers, chile de arbols, dill and oregano and they're all flourishing. But thyme... Thyme eludes me.
Followed all the advice I can possibly find online but nothing works. The shady spot with light occasional sun while being neglected lasted the longest. No idea what I'm doing wrong.
Just over the state line is Cooley Farms, and they are known around these parts for their strawberries. A client gave me 3 lbs the other day. I made strawberry-thyme jam and omg.
I'm Norwegian and we put cardamom in a lot of cakes and sweet buns, cinnamon buns, skolebrød, kringle and it goes on . Nothing better than a waffle with cardamom in the batter, or a sweet bun with cardamom in the dough, or a krumake... It's like you say, it makes you feel warm an cozy :)
The cardamom in Pho is the not same the green cardamom commonly used in Indian cooking, but another spice that is usually translated as black cardamom, called cao guo in Chinese or thao qua in Vietnamese.
(To complicate this a bit, there is another Indian spice that's also called black cardamom but it is also not the same thing as the Chinese one.)
Cao guo or Chinese black cardamom is very different from regular cardamom in flavor. It is smoked and has a medicinal camphor-like flavor. Pho may very well be good with Indian green cardamon but that's changing up one of the fundamental flavors associated with it.
My wife enjoys canning and making jams. She likes to use cardamom in her apple jelly. It also tends to be quite popular at the local farmers market where she sells her wares.
Well I’ve got to say black pepper, because if I had to pick one spice to use forever it would be that. Other spices I really enjoy are coriander and sumac.
It's actually fantastic on lamb, just as Mediterean cuisine says it is! Not a huge fan, but occasionally will do it if I catch lamb chops for sale. And I just happen to have a big bush of rosemary out front.
I have a hard time finding the line between delicious and "tastes like pine-scented soap." Recently tried rosemary-infused butter on mashed potatoes, and that was perfect. Very easy to control the rosemary flavor based on how long it steeps.
I often cook with a branch of rosemary, with a bit of garlic and butter with duck or steak is amazing!
My favorite secret mix is rosemary, paprika or smoked paprika, garlic, salt, pepper you can use that with everything, chiken, vegetebles… I love it
My daughter, ex sous chef, teases me relentlessly that the only spice I use is dill. Which is not true because I also use paprika sometimes. 😂
But man do I love dill.
Baked salmon. DROWN IT in dill. Fresh, not the crap you find in the spice aisle. Tiny bit of salt and lemon, some sort of green veg, some sort of rice, couscous, etc (the boxed stuff, not trying to earn a michelin star). You will eat the entire thing in one sitting.
Sure, it's simple. I grow dill so I get it from my garden. Dry could be used I suppose but it wouldn't be the same. I recommend fresh. I use a basmati rice and put a little dill seed and flower in with it while it cooks. When it's done I add very finely minced garlic, salt, pepper and butter and let it rest 10 minutes to absorb the butter and cook the garlic. I add a ton of fresh chopped dill and mix/fluff. Viola
I'm so glad I didn't have to scroll far to see dill. I put it in everything. Like, my cooking style is literally garlic/lemon/pepper/dill. Obviously not *every* dish, but like... I make so many dishes where this is the flavor profile. My favorites are garlic dill breadsticks and zesty garlic dill ranch dressing.
I am huge on cinnamon. It is also very diverse. You get different flavor profiles from it toasted vs not toasted. You can put cinnamon sticks in your rice while cooking for extra depth. You can almost add it to anything because the profile of the flavor does change - savory or sweet.
Of all the good options here, I think cumin is the only one that feels like a cornerstone of two major cuisines: Indian and Tex-Mex.
Every spice is a great tool, but cumin can stand alone and give a bunch of dishes their distinctive character. that's pretty special.
Also prominent in Cuban food. Grew up with it and now it’s my favorite spice by far. But herb-wise it’s cilantro for me. I feel like if I’m at a restaurant and see it as an ingredient I almost invariably order that meal.
scrolled to find this one. i love basil but cumin just really adds so much to everything. i'm a big fan of tex mex but i also add it to things like salads or sandwiches or eggs, etc. sprinkle some on some vegetables, some rice, protein... just so good and i feel like it's also easy to create a dish when i just have ingredients but not super sure what i want it to be or what additions to add. have made so many good salads based around cumin
Love hate relationship with cumin. Love it. But I truly cannot describe the taste of it. It's so much more fragrant than it is tasteful.
And it is soooooo good... when you expect it. If you walk in somewhere not expecting cumin, people often mistake it for BO. which is odd.
Here's a game changer for cumin; toast it first !
Take whole cumin, put it into a dry pan on medium heat and toast it for five minutes or so before grinding it up. It adds a mellow toasty flavor that I can't really describe.
I basically sprinkle paprika on most dishes i cook. Works well on meat, on veggies, in stews, in fried stuff etc etc., so basically unless i'm baking a cake it's limely a good candidate for paprika. I know the question said pick only one and sweet, smoked and strong paprika are different but i'm still not sure which of those three i prefer.
Kaffir lime leaves, galangal, and lemongrass are my favorite aromatics for soup (especially khao poon, my absolute favorite!). I’m Hmong so I grew up using them often and when I smell that coming from the kitchen I know that dinner is going to be good lol.
I use these for Khao poon, red curry (or any other curries too possibly), and it’s also great for chicken soup, stock, or broth. Really adds to it!
I have ruined my palate by finishing almost everything I cook with flaky smoked salt. Anything I eat that doesn’t have that just doesn’t taste as good to me.
Ideally both. Yeah, my bf was paralyzed 6 years ago and can't eat either anymore. Umm...here's your pb&j and I'm gonna go cook some onions and garlic weirdness in the kitchen that you cannot partake of. Because it's the two things that are the base of everything I know how to make.
I don’t understand why people don’t use sumac more often. I put in just about everything, as I think of it as a flavor enhancer, not a flavor changer. My favorite use of sumac is mixed in with the salt on the rim of a margarita.
I really shouldn’t be sharing this, but ground mustard. I put it in so many things. A little goes a loooong way. It adds a zip and mild heat that no one can put their finger on. Like that BAM from Emeril. I also use Franks red hot a lot, very flavorful heat, not like tobasco or sriracha.
Try a small pinch of dry mustard and a few dashes of sauce in your scrambled eggs. Thank me later
Seriously! BBQ rubs, mac n cheese, any sauce that calls for Dijon (I don’t like it so I use mustard powder instead and it’s much better).
It’s the best parts of mustard without the spiciness of Dijon or the vinegar taste of yellow.
It taste amazing in a fancy white cheese mac n cheese, but only if it's not so strong that you can tell what it is that giving the "oooh, that's amazing"
Tabouleh ftw. Should be green, and basically just a bowl of parsley. Putting way too much bulgur wheat is fine too, but just add all the parsley in the entire universe.
I think salt is exempt. It's just a necessity like a cooking fat or an acid. Garlic isn't really a spice either but it is an aromatic, so, I'll take that
Grow my own herbs and have a large garden. Half the year, I have fresh herbs, half the year herbs I’ve dried myself.
I could not give up my paper grinder filled with my own dried hot peppers.
That said, I don’t think ever make a dish that doesn’t include multiple herbs.
thyme for me, can jazz up anything from a frozen dinner, a pizza, or thanksgiving. Cilantro tastes like soap/dirt to me, disgusting. I have that gene, ancestry confirmed it
I have a friend who says cilantro tastes like electricity. I don’t even know what that means, but he does NOT like it. I do love his quote though :-) And I love cilantro!
Meanwhile, I can’t possibly narrow my devotion down to a single one, other than garlic, which isn’t really a spice or herb. Just depends on the context.
I LOVE cilantro so much. I have a green thumb, but I haven’t been able to successfully grow it either lmao.
Cilantro and jalapeno are a match made in heaven for me.
I managed to grow it once, in bright sun, with lots of fresh water, but it went to seed very quickly... Not as easy to keep around as western basil, that I grow every year...
Lavender. I use it in tea and lemonade, I use it in a lot of my baked goods. So many other spice flavors aren’t great by their lonesome but lavender can shine mostly on her own.
Chili oil.
It’s one of my most favorite things to add to practically any dish that’s not dessert. It just adds another level of dimension to the flavor of my meal. Ever tried rubbing chili oil on steak? How about soup? Pasta? Fried rice? Dumplings. Eggs. Vegetarian dishes. Ramen. It’s AMAZING when cooked with a burger!
Sage. Ground dried or fresh. With butter or oil, in a cream sauce or as a stew ingredient. A must add for southwestern U.S. dishes. No substitutes. Perfect with garlic and pepper and any protein
Oh my I recently discovered (and tasted) Sansho Pepper and it blew my mind. Tastes like lemon at first and then turns into Sichuan peppercorn taste and then your tongue gets the tingles. It definitely is an experience. I put it in all of Asian dishes that I make LOL
I have the cilantro gene :( I don't taste soap per se, but it's like an acrid metallic, chemical taste. Like bleach and pennies together. Even the tiniest bit overpowers every other flavor. Half of my family is Thai, and half of my husband's family is Puerto Rican so I get all the odd looks when I ask for no cilantro.
As for my favorite herb or spice, it's hard to pick one, but I'd say cumin.
Herbs de Provence. All day, erryday.
Works on every veggie I want to roast, plus adds a lil bit of razzle dazzle to roast chicken when I don't make a sauce/gravy. Hell, I put it on lamb chops just the other day
Cardamom… not the one I use the most or anything like that but it just has such a pleasing flavour it’s the one that brings me the most joy when I taste it in food
I am one of those people about whom you spoke. Anything cilantro / coriander on a dish just destroys it for me! It takes something delicious and makes it disgusting. It's very strange that an herb like this would be such a divisive genetic predispositional issue. You love it, while I hate that everyone puts it on everything regardless of the ethnicity of the dish! Just ruins everything.
What I love are paprika, garlic (even though I have seen the debate about whether garlic qualifies), and basil.
I use rosemary salt on everything. When I salt my chicken for a chicken noodles thing I make. When I make sweet potato fries. On pasta. On mac and cheese. It goes on everything it can.
Cloves really add a wonderful flavor to tea if you're brewing your own tea leaves.
Also chewing a whole clove helps with a bunch of stuff too (I wouldn't suggest swallowing).
Nutmeg I've been really loving nutmeg one use I've been grating & mixing it with oil to use on sore joints. Amazing!
Smoked paprika, a little goes a long way and just gives such great depth to spice rubs for any meat or fatty fish
This is my favorite too. I love it on popcorn
I have not tried popcorn, but it's absolutely required, when I make deviled eggs. If not for the flavor, then at least for the aesthetics.
That sounds wonderful, are you putting it on buttered popcorn or just plain?
Both. Whatever I am eating, that's my go to seasoning
I use Smoked Paprika often. If a dish is lacking something in the flavor department, half the time it’s because it needs Smoked Paprika and the other half it’s because it needs acid and… Smoked Paprika.
It's great on deviled eggs...chipotle is another go-to! Add a smidge (1/16-1/8 tsp) of pepper jelly or bacon jam on top and *chef kiss* edit: for ones with a sprinkle of curry powder, add the same proportions of the jelly suggested as pesto. OMG!
Oh, all the deviled egg stuff sounds delicious! I love deviled eggs. I’ve never had one I didn’t like. And I always keep a container or more of everything bagel seasoning and I think that would be great sprinkles on top. I actually use it if I make egg saladand it comes in really handy when the store is out of everything bagels and I have to use a plain bagel. I spoke a little my cream cheese. But yeah, deviled eggs now I’m gonna be craving them… I have to make a batch or five soon.
I have an allergy to garlic and onion. Smoked paprika is my go to for seasoning almost everything
You must have been a cat in a former life. Cats can't have onions and garlic.
I do like to nap a lot….
Dogs can't either.
I’m a little slow to the game lol I’ve just started using paprika more recently and trying to add more fish to our diet and I love it on fish and other stuff I need to go ahead and be a little less tight fisted with it.
Definitely try the different types of paprika if you haven’t. The flavours can be quite a bit different between them.
I would say cajun seasoning that has paprika but i dont think a blend fits the bill for the answers lol
Basil. It can shine in rich, savory sauces, sweet dishes even chiffonnade over tart berries with a lil cream..... Point is, IF I could ONLY pick one, it'd be Basil.
Basil lemonade!
OMG your screenname has been stuck in my head now....Basil Ginger Lemonade on a hot day sounds divine!!!!
Oooh, basil lemonade?? I would definitely have to try that!!
Basil lemonade and limoncello makes a beautiful summer drink.
that username is perfection. I've never had ginger lemonade but now want to.
Ginger lemonade is awesome. Do an Arnie Palmer sort of thing with black tea and honey as the sweetener to make it even more divine.
Does this help with nausea the way ginger tea does? This sounds so good.
Canada Dry used to have a Ginger Ale with Lemonade. It was so God damn good
Look up salted lemonade, Vietnamese style. I think you will like it :D
Have you had "Salad and Go"s Blueberry Basil Lemonade? I was astonished at how good it was. https://www.saladandgo.com/menu/#drink
As expected from a cultured ginger enthusiast. I'll need to try this asap!
Raspberry lemonade with basil is the taste of summer.
Now I want pesto...
I really love thai basil. The smell is so lovely.
Thyme. I love its lemony mintiness that doesn't tip over into too much of either one.
I have a ton of thyme growing in the garden, makes it so nice when I'm cooking and need a few fresh sprigs. Definitely one of my favorites. Lately been using it most for frying up oyster mushrooms in the cast iron.. Get em crisped up in some oil, then throw in a chunk of butter, a couple crushed cloves of garlic, and a few sprigs of thyme, then baste it while they finish cooking.. So good. The thyme really comes through.
Thyme with pork or mushrooms is always good!!!!
My go to is frying up shredded cabbage with thyme and an onion. It makes a perfect accompaniment to any dish and works as a topping for burgers or hotdogs. Even better with a little gravy drizzled on it.
Take that a step further and add a bit of shallot, then drop it on top of arugula or napa cabbage or something similar, and drizzle on a bit of aged balsamic. My favorite side salad/side dish ever.
I’m new to cooking and didn’t realize how much I loved thyme until I tried it on roast sweet potatoes
It's super easy to grow, and you can keep it near a bright window and have it all year!
>It's super easy to grow, Please don't say this haha. I'm on my fourth thyme plant and it's dying too. I grow basil, cilantro, parsley, mint, jalapenos, habaneros, ghost peppers, Thai chilis, sweet peppers, chile de arbols, dill and oregano and they're all flourishing. But thyme... Thyme eludes me. Followed all the advice I can possibly find online but nothing works. The shady spot with light occasional sun while being neglected lasted the longest. No idea what I'm doing wrong.
I love thyme. So often when I try a recipe and it feels like it’s missing something savory, thyme does the trick.
One of those herbs that you almost can't use too much of 🤌
I love lemon and mint and have never gotten either of those flavours out of thyme. I will look for that next time I eat something with it.
I might have to try to make more use of it. I have a giant sprawling mass of it out in the backyard...
Dried thyme to me smells almost moldy. I assume fresh is a better e experience?
Just over the state line is Cooley Farms, and they are known around these parts for their strawberries. A client gave me 3 lbs the other day. I made strawberry-thyme jam and omg.
Cardamom It makes me feel so warm and cozy
I'm Norwegian and we put cardamom in a lot of cakes and sweet buns, cinnamon buns, skolebrød, kringle and it goes on . Nothing better than a waffle with cardamom in the batter, or a sweet bun with cardamom in the dough, or a krumake... It's like you say, it makes you feel warm an cozy :)
From what I can see, cardamom does not show up much in American cooking (where I am).Such an underused spice here!
I love kardemummbullar- make these instead of cinnamon rolls. Amazing flavor.
It's a required ingredient in Vietnamese phở, but I don't believe I've had a dish where it's the main flavor. I'll have to look into it!
Excellent in pancakes
Cardamom and couriander are my pancake secret ingredients. Picked that up while in India
The cardamom in Pho is the not same the green cardamom commonly used in Indian cooking, but another spice that is usually translated as black cardamom, called cao guo in Chinese or thao qua in Vietnamese. (To complicate this a bit, there is another Indian spice that's also called black cardamom but it is also not the same thing as the Chinese one.) Cao guo or Chinese black cardamom is very different from regular cardamom in flavor. It is smoked and has a medicinal camphor-like flavor. Pho may very well be good with Indian green cardamon but that's changing up one of the fundamental flavors associated with it.
Cardamom is in Indian curries, and it's also really good in baked pastries and coffee!
try middle eastern and south asian deserts, it’s a very popular flavour
My wife enjoys canning and making jams. She likes to use cardamom in her apple jelly. It also tends to be quite popular at the local farmers market where she sells her wares.
The best ice cream!
Well I’ve got to say black pepper, because if I had to pick one spice to use forever it would be that. Other spices I really enjoy are coriander and sumac.
Right!? Reading through the comments I was like “are we assuming black pepper doesn’t count?” Really good black pepper is so complex by itself.
sichuan peppercorn is so weird and tasty. like eating lemon pepper that electrocutes you a tiny bit.
Brb, firing up the stove and making mapo tofu now. After I quit drooling like a dog that just ate a steak.
to me mapo tofu is like a cigarette, if i see someone else eating it or hear someone talk about it, i need to have it
I am this way with agedashi tofu lol
Kind of torn between sage and rosemary. Rosemary is brilliant on roast chicken.
It's actually fantastic on lamb, just as Mediterean cuisine says it is! Not a huge fan, but occasionally will do it if I catch lamb chops for sale. And I just happen to have a big bush of rosemary out front.
It's good in beef barley stew, with plenty of mushrooms. Yummy.
I'm a rosemary fan-- when I prune, I use the sticks for kabob skewers. Yum!
I root a lot of them to give to neighbors too!
I have a hard time finding the line between delicious and "tastes like pine-scented soap." Recently tried rosemary-infused butter on mashed potatoes, and that was perfect. Very easy to control the rosemary flavor based on how long it steeps.
Rosemary is like basil - it also can venture into sweet foods and drinks. Also - rosemary is my secret ingredient in chicken salad!
Rosemary Lemon Bars are by go to Spring/Summer dessert! They're the fan favourite amongst my friend group.
I often cook with a branch of rosemary, with a bit of garlic and butter with duck or steak is amazing! My favorite secret mix is rosemary, paprika or smoked paprika, garlic, salt, pepper you can use that with everything, chiken, vegetebles… I love it
I love Dill. I try to add it to everything.
My daughter, ex sous chef, teases me relentlessly that the only spice I use is dill. Which is not true because I also use paprika sometimes. 😂 But man do I love dill.
Baked salmon. DROWN IT in dill. Fresh, not the crap you find in the spice aisle. Tiny bit of salt and lemon, some sort of green veg, some sort of rice, couscous, etc (the boxed stuff, not trying to earn a michelin star). You will eat the entire thing in one sitting.
It smells like wishes
It’s delicious in mashed potatoes!
Yes! And mixed with cream cheese on bagels, in chilled soups. I just love dill.
It's dillicious.
Really? That's a thing? I'll try it, lord knows I make enough mashed potatoes around here!
I add dill, horseradish, and sour cream to my mashed potatoes nearly every time. Divine.
Horseradish mashed potatoes is now a thing I must have in my life.
My favourite too. I love oregano and basil in their place but dill weed makes me so happy.
Dill is fabulous in quiche
I make dill rice and it is frequently requested
Yes, please. Would you mind sharing your recipe?
Sure, it's simple. I grow dill so I get it from my garden. Dry could be used I suppose but it wouldn't be the same. I recommend fresh. I use a basmati rice and put a little dill seed and flower in with it while it cooks. When it's done I add very finely minced garlic, salt, pepper and butter and let it rest 10 minutes to absorb the butter and cook the garlic. I add a ton of fresh chopped dill and mix/fluff. Viola
the way people feel about cilantro is the way i feel about dill. it just always tastes bitter to me. no matter which way i eat it
It's just too sharp tasting, somehow... I can see the appeal, but it's just not for me
I'm so glad I didn't have to scroll far to see dill. I put it in everything. Like, my cooking style is literally garlic/lemon/pepper/dill. Obviously not *every* dish, but like... I make so many dishes where this is the flavor profile. My favorites are garlic dill breadsticks and zesty garlic dill ranch dressing.
Cinnamon - such a delicious warm coziness to it that I don't get from anything else
I’m allergic to cinnamon and jealous of everyone who can eat it 🫡
I am huge on cinnamon. It is also very diverse. You get different flavor profiles from it toasted vs not toasted. You can put cinnamon sticks in your rice while cooking for extra depth. You can almost add it to anything because the profile of the flavor does change - savory or sweet.
Cumin.
Of all the good options here, I think cumin is the only one that feels like a cornerstone of two major cuisines: Indian and Tex-Mex. Every spice is a great tool, but cumin can stand alone and give a bunch of dishes their distinctive character. that's pretty special.
Also prominent in Cuban food. Grew up with it and now it’s my favorite spice by far. But herb-wise it’s cilantro for me. I feel like if I’m at a restaurant and see it as an ingredient I almost invariably order that meal.
Also Arabic
African too!
FINALLY! I actually scrolled back up thinking, "Wait, was the question just herbs? Why has no one said cumin?!"
scrolled to find this one. i love basil but cumin just really adds so much to everything. i'm a big fan of tex mex but i also add it to things like salads or sandwiches or eggs, etc. sprinkle some on some vegetables, some rice, protein... just so good and i feel like it's also easy to create a dish when i just have ingredients but not super sure what i want it to be or what additions to add. have made so many good salads based around cumin
My favorite cuisines are Chinese, Indian, and Mexican which all feature cumin.
Cumin on eggs is amazing
Cumin is incredible. Someone on here once described it as smelling like a sweaty man and now I can't un-smell it - definitely a sexy sweaty man though
My favourite too. Easily my most used spice. I actually need more, this thread is a good reminder lol.
Got you fam. Be sure to bloom it.
Love hate relationship with cumin. Love it. But I truly cannot describe the taste of it. It's so much more fragrant than it is tasteful. And it is soooooo good... when you expect it. If you walk in somewhere not expecting cumin, people often mistake it for BO. which is odd.
Here's a game changer for cumin; toast it first ! Take whole cumin, put it into a dry pan on medium heat and toast it for five minutes or so before grinding it up. It adds a mellow toasty flavor that I can't really describe.
I love how the other posters justify their choice but no more needs to be said than "cumin" Truly the king of all spices.
I basically sprinkle paprika on most dishes i cook. Works well on meat, on veggies, in stews, in fried stuff etc etc., so basically unless i'm baking a cake it's limely a good candidate for paprika. I know the question said pick only one and sweet, smoked and strong paprika are different but i'm still not sure which of those three i prefer.
Kaffir lime leaves, galangal, and lemongrass are my favorite aromatics for soup (especially khao poon, my absolute favorite!). I’m Hmong so I grew up using them often and when I smell that coming from the kitchen I know that dinner is going to be good lol. I use these for Khao poon, red curry (or any other curries too possibly), and it’s also great for chicken soup, stock, or broth. Really adds to it!
Can you buy lemongrass as a paste?
I have ruined my palate by finishing almost everything I cook with flaky smoked salt. Anything I eat that doesn’t have that just doesn’t taste as good to me.
I mean if you can have only ONE spice, it needs to be salt, no question
I don't believe I've ever had flaky smoked salt, but I think I need it
I think tarragon is underrated. On roast chicken thighs it’s unmatched
Scrambled eggs w goat cheese and tarragon…
My mom regularly makes a salmon burger recipe with tarragon aioli. It’s fabulous
Have you tried the eastern European tarragon green drink?
Garlic
Yes, but also… is this an herb or a spice? And if it is, is an onion in the same category? They’re both alliums.
Is chicken a spice? What if I make a powder from it?
Garlic is like a spice you use some for a dish but it isn't the dish
Pffft says you. Garlic is always the dish 😉
Even if I'm not sure what I'm making, I know I'm starting with garlic and olive oil.
Onion and garlic for me, but yea, I know what you mean. Like, it's the stepping stone to food, right?
"That smells amazing!" I haven't started yet, I just browned onion and garlic in butter"
Ideally both. Yeah, my bf was paralyzed 6 years ago and can't eat either anymore. Umm...here's your pb&j and I'm gonna go cook some onions and garlic weirdness in the kitchen that you cannot partake of. Because it's the two things that are the base of everything I know how to make.
Sumac
I don’t understand why people don’t use sumac more often. I put in just about everything, as I think of it as a flavor enhancer, not a flavor changer. My favorite use of sumac is mixed in with the salt on the rim of a margarita.
Black pepper if I had to pick one. Luckily I don’t and my spice cabinet is overflowing and my herb garden is sprouting nicely.
I really shouldn’t be sharing this, but ground mustard. I put it in so many things. A little goes a loooong way. It adds a zip and mild heat that no one can put their finger on. Like that BAM from Emeril. I also use Franks red hot a lot, very flavorful heat, not like tobasco or sriracha. Try a small pinch of dry mustard and a few dashes of sauce in your scrambled eggs. Thank me later
Seriously! BBQ rubs, mac n cheese, any sauce that calls for Dijon (I don’t like it so I use mustard powder instead and it’s much better). It’s the best parts of mustard without the spiciness of Dijon or the vinegar taste of yellow.
Oregano, delicious in so many dishes!
Nutmeg. Just a small pinch of it makes both savoury and sweet dishes taste fantastic.
It taste amazing in a fancy white cheese mac n cheese, but only if it's not so strong that you can tell what it is that giving the "oooh, that's amazing"
Basil
Red pepper flakes. I good chili crisp can go on almost anything.
Mint
I love cilantro too because the amazing boost it gives to Indian and Mexican food just CANNOT be beat!
And Vietnamese!
Marjoram because it’s a great substitute for oregano and it’s subtlety is better than the punch in the face that oregano sometimes has
Parsley parsley parsley! I love eggs and parsley is a perfect companion. Also salads and wraps and soup and literally any meat. I love parsley.
Tabouleh ftw. Should be green, and basically just a bowl of parsley. Putting way too much bulgur wheat is fine too, but just add all the parsley in the entire universe.
Underrated herb. Parsley is amazing.
Parsley is the unsung star of my turkey meatballs. It simultaneously tastes fresh, bright, and savory. I love the stuff.
Thyme probably, I just really enjoy the flavor. Cardamom is also very underrated
Cilantro. My second answer is dill. It adds so much.
Saffron. It’s the GOAT for a reason. Saffron cream sauce. Saffron risotto. Paella. Tahdig. With any seafood or mushrooms. Saffron butter.
I LOVE cilantro and I feel bad for people that have the soap gene. My FAVORITE herb is absolutely basil, it just makes me so happy
Msg. Chicken bouillon.
Salt no contest. If salt isn't considered a "spice" then probably garlic
I scrolled too far for this. It's easily salt. Wars were fought over salt. It's easily the most important and versatile spice.
I think salt is exempt. It's just a necessity like a cooking fat or an acid. Garlic isn't really a spice either but it is an aromatic, so, I'll take that
Tarragon is one of my favorites and my favorite mix is herb de Provence.
Smoked paprika Gives a really good color to food and a far stronger flavor than normal paprika
Cumin. It’s the one spice that has a place in cuisines from around the world.
Grow my own herbs and have a large garden. Half the year, I have fresh herbs, half the year herbs I’ve dried myself. I could not give up my paper grinder filled with my own dried hot peppers. That said, I don’t think ever make a dish that doesn’t include multiple herbs.
thyme for me, can jazz up anything from a frozen dinner, a pizza, or thanksgiving. Cilantro tastes like soap/dirt to me, disgusting. I have that gene, ancestry confirmed it
I have a friend who says cilantro tastes like electricity. I don’t even know what that means, but he does NOT like it. I do love his quote though :-) And I love cilantro! Meanwhile, I can’t possibly narrow my devotion down to a single one, other than garlic, which isn’t really a spice or herb. Just depends on the context.
Sage. I love it fresh and dried. I also love watching it grow in my garden. I'm going to have 3 varieties eventually.
I LOVE cilantro so much. I have a green thumb, but I haven’t been able to successfully grow it either lmao. Cilantro and jalapeno are a match made in heaven for me.
I managed to grow it once, in bright sun, with lots of fresh water, but it went to seed very quickly... Not as easy to keep around as western basil, that I grow every year...
Lavender. I use it in tea and lemonade, I use it in a lot of my baked goods. So many other spice flavors aren’t great by their lonesome but lavender can shine mostly on her own.
If I'm picking a Vietnamese herb it's la lot. Are you talking about cilantro cilantro, or rau ram?
Basil! I love Italian cuisine best and I love the fragrance and flavor of fresh basil in dishes.
Chili oil. It’s one of my most favorite things to add to practically any dish that’s not dessert. It just adds another level of dimension to the flavor of my meal. Ever tried rubbing chili oil on steak? How about soup? Pasta? Fried rice? Dumplings. Eggs. Vegetarian dishes. Ramen. It’s AMAZING when cooked with a burger!
Tarragon! It adds a unique sweetness to dishes and goes with both meat/vegetables.
Summer savory.
One of those herbs no one knows about! It’s so good!
Sage. Ground dried or fresh. With butter or oil, in a cream sauce or as a stew ingredient. A must add for southwestern U.S. dishes. No substitutes. Perfect with garlic and pepper and any protein
Oregano
Crushed red pepper. I like things a little spicy.
Oh my I recently discovered (and tasted) Sansho Pepper and it blew my mind. Tastes like lemon at first and then turns into Sichuan peppercorn taste and then your tongue gets the tingles. It definitely is an experience. I put it in all of Asian dishes that I make LOL
Cumin. Its just a wonderful smokey flavor i absolutely love
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^WickedWiscoWeirdo: *Cumin. Its just a* *Wonderful smokey flavor* *I absolutely love* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
Cumin
Oregano. I put that shit on everything 😂
Garlic! Because garlic!
I have the cilantro gene :( I don't taste soap per se, but it's like an acrid metallic, chemical taste. Like bleach and pennies together. Even the tiniest bit overpowers every other flavor. Half of my family is Thai, and half of my husband's family is Puerto Rican so I get all the odd looks when I ask for no cilantro. As for my favorite herb or spice, it's hard to pick one, but I'd say cumin.
Don't sleep on Za'atar
Herbs de Provence. All day, erryday. Works on every veggie I want to roast, plus adds a lil bit of razzle dazzle to roast chicken when I don't make a sauce/gravy. Hell, I put it on lamb chops just the other day
That's cheating, that's a blend. A delicious blend, but a blend
There are no rules when it comes to getting to getting to flavor town.
You're right, but I did ask for a singular herb or spice :)
Ditto - sprinkle it on a garden salad, with an oil-n-vinegar dressing.
loveeee cilantro I also am a big fan of fresh mint and fresh basil
Salt
Cumin will always be my number 1 but I've been really vibing with summer savory a lot.
Cardamom… not the one I use the most or anything like that but it just has such a pleasing flavour it’s the one that brings me the most joy when I taste it in food
Rosemary. Steakhouses would go out of business if people could simply learn to baste a decent cut of meat with rosemary and butter. It’s that easy.
Cilantro
So boring but we go through crushed red pepper the most. You can add it to anything and it really doesn’t alter the flavor it just adds spice
Sorry, but I've got two: ground sumac and Aleppo pepper.
Yep these are mine, too, with za’atar as an honorable mention.
I am one of those people about whom you spoke. Anything cilantro / coriander on a dish just destroys it for me! It takes something delicious and makes it disgusting. It's very strange that an herb like this would be such a divisive genetic predispositional issue. You love it, while I hate that everyone puts it on everything regardless of the ethnicity of the dish! Just ruins everything. What I love are paprika, garlic (even though I have seen the debate about whether garlic qualifies), and basil.
Garlic
Lately-cumin
Sumac
I use rosemary salt on everything. When I salt my chicken for a chicken noodles thing I make. When I make sweet potato fries. On pasta. On mac and cheese. It goes on everything it can.
Nutmeg, it reminds me of Christmas.
Cloves really add a wonderful flavor to tea if you're brewing your own tea leaves. Also chewing a whole clove helps with a bunch of stuff too (I wouldn't suggest swallowing). Nutmeg I've been really loving nutmeg one use I've been grating & mixing it with oil to use on sore joints. Amazing!