What's the best spice?

OK, I know it may seem like a silly question when we should all know it's cumin, but I just read someone say they don't like it, the poor dear!

There are also things I simply don't like (alas, cumin is one of them...).

And it got me wondering! For those of you similarly disordered, what do you think is the best spice?

(In all seriousness I go through half a cup of cumin seeds per month. I probably go through that much black pepper, but I don't relish it the same way.)

I too go through a ton of cumin, ground and seeds. It's probably my most used spice! As far as favorite though, it might be cardamom or star anise.

I feel like salt and pepper are sort of the default. Beyond that I'd say it is a toss up between garlic and cinnamon for my favorite

I'm agree with whomever said that quote. I do not care for cummin at all.

Fun fact. Herbs come from leaf or flower. Spice comes from bark or root.

Okay, so my family also does not like cumin.

The thing about cumin is that is not a spice.  It is a thickening agent.

If you ask dear hubby he would say that his favorite spice is cinnamon as he is on a cinnamon kick.  He says my cinnamon is 14 years on and taste like dirt.  So I went into the cupboard and got him one from 2021.

I don't know if I have a favorite spice as I like what each one does for the dish it is applied to.  Oh, yes, I do like black pepper.

You have created a monster.  Mineral vs herb vs spice …..

So, I have to say black pepper.

Now, kicking out salt and black pepper.   And not being too careful on definitions, I would go with Tabasco sauce.

OK, if I'm allowed to issue edicts, for purposes of this thread, a "spice" is any plant bits that are used in relatively small quantities to enhance the flavor of other bulkier ingredients of a dish. :)

(At least until someone comes up with an edge-case that breaks this rule...)

Anne Miller wrote:The thing about cumin is that is not a spice.  It is a thickening agent.

This strikes me as a pretty exceptional stance. Can you tell me more about what you mean?

Savory spices - cumin or turmeric. Many savory dishes just feel incomplete without cumin. For sweet spice, cinnamon, the real Ceylon stuff.

In our household, garlic is a vegetable, not a spice or a flavouring! We'll easily eat a whole big one in a single meal, especially roasted in the skin so that soft squishy garlic deliciousness can be squeezed out.

It's gotta be salt. It's the one spice where you'll die if you don't get enough of it.

I'm on a bit of a paprika kick. Smoked paprika is amazing!

Also, so that you know what kind of crazy you're dealing with, I direct your attention to my opinion on cinnamon: https://permies.com/t/238074/Controversial-Opinions#2204943

Timothy Norton wrote:I'm on a bit of a paprika kick. Smoked paprika is amazing!

Ooh, yes, for sure! I love it, too.

Oh my, this is a hard one.
If I can only have one, it would be garlic.
We use it in almost everything.
Pink salt and black pepper are right up there.
Lately, I have discovered Korean red pepper flakes," Gochugaru"
It's way tastier than traditional red pepper flakes.

I keep a pretty good stash of herbs/spices. I tend to use salt/pepper, paprika or chili powder, garlic, cumin, oregano, cilantro, and basil the most often. My cooking style is more about using fresh ingredients and then seasoning in a way that compliments those fresh flavors. Additionally, I don't usually use recipes, I just throw some stuff from the garden and farmers market together with some herbs/spices until it tastes good. For me, it's more of an art than a science. I have the technical knowledge (different cuts of meat, cooking methods, mother sauces, etc.) and tend to also mix the food groups to get something nutritious with what's in my fridge/pantry. I don't even really use a grocery list anymore, I just get stuff I stock up on (flour, sugar, etc.) and whatever fresh food looks good. Honestly, that's just how I prefer to eat; it keeps things interesting and fresh.

My hot take is that getting spice mixes is not really worth it and that you should instead get the base ingredients (instead of getting Italian seasoning, get basil, oregano, garlic, etc.) and mix them as needed. Different cuisines share some of the same ingredients, just in different combinations and cooking methods. If I have several packets of taco seasoning mix, I can make tacos, but if I have each of the individual spices and perhaps a couple more, I get more flexibility to make something like harissa spices. My favorite herb tends to be seasonal. In Summer, I have tons of fresh basil. In the cool season, I tend to have more cilantro. If I want an herb out of season, the best herbs are the ones you got fresh in season from your garden or the farmers market and dried any extra. I can go to the farmers market and get individual ingredients relatively affordable in comparison to a spice mix (a value-added product).

Christopher Weeks wrote:

Anne Miller wrote:The thing about cumin is that is not a spice.  It is a thickening agent.

This strikes me as a pretty exceptional stance. Can you tell me more about what you mean?

I also find this interesting, as I've only ever used it for it's amazing flavor. John and I both love the stuff, but I can't help thinking if we used enough in any one dish, to thicken it, it would become overpowering and we probably wouldn't like it at all.

I'm in the cinnamon camp... It's not only for sweet treats, but appears in some curries to.  Although a LOT of Mexican and Indian foods I love need cumin for authenticity so I tend to use a lot, despite it not being my favorite spice.

I actually use more smoked paprika then cumin in more American cuisine followed by garlic and onion powder.  (I'm not counting the garlic in say... Roasted veggies because that really does feel like more of a vegetable.). I know someone else has the same sentiment but can't remember who.

The only other spice I love I haven't seen mentioned in rosemary.  I don't use it that much, but if I make a pork roast or roasted vegetables, it's there.

Mmmmm, cinnamon... cumin... black pepper... cayenne... chipotle... nutmeg... star anise... cardamom... ginger... turmeric... sassafras... thyme, sage, rosemary...


I'm sorry, Christopher. I just can't choose only one. I. Just. Can. Not. Duit.

Edited to add 3 more I wouldn't be without!

Carla Burke wrote:I'm sorry, Christopher. I just can't choose only one.

Yeah, yeah! I'm not denigrating other spices. I love other spices! (They're just not cumin...)

Oh yeah, I forgot about black pepper.  That's the real one I use the most.  It's just so unassuming that I forget about it....

Also why do people like star anise?  Ick!  (I'll tolerate it in pho.)

Anna Hutchins wrote:Oh yeah, I forgot about black pepper.  That's the real one I use the most.  It's just so unassuming that I forget about it....

Also why do people like star anise?  Ick!  (I'll tolerate it in pho.)

Used well, it adds just a slight hint of licorice flavor, but mostly a light sweetness. I'm not a fan of black licorice, but I use licorice root in a couple of soups and for herbal remedies. Black licorice, to my tastebuds, is a sickeningly over-strong version of licorice root, which is the one like the anise flavor. But, star anise is less expensive, and easier to find. I'm not sure about anise, as a remedy, but since I have a good supply, maybe I'll check that out.

If only one, it would have to be Cayenne or another pepper. If two then salt no question.

I'm such a traditionalist... Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme.... the Beatles got it right! And I grow all of those.

Chipotle followed closely by cinnamon

Christopher Weeks wrote:

Anne Miller wrote:The thing about cumin is that is not a spice.  It is a thickening agent.

This strikes me as a pretty exceptional stance. Can you tell me more about what you mean?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thickening_agent

cumin isn't listed in that article though (unless my ctrl-f skills are lacking)

I do not understand this choosing one business. I have a huge drawer of spices and some years ago decided I'd go through them and get rid of the ones I hadn't used in a few months. I was able to throw ONE away!!
Cumin is on my short list, as is gochugaru, and cardamom, and real cinnamon, and dill and coriander (cilantro seed). And white pepper.  It's hard to choose....

Starting a chili by toasting a whole lot of cumin seeds.

I can't believe I forgot saffron...

Christopher Weeks wrote:Starting a chili by toasting a whole lot of cumin seeds.

I hope this is not too off topic, but I never considered toasting my cumin seeds. Could/should I do this in general for anytime I'm using cumin or are there certain parameters that make toasting cumin a good idea?

I am really enjoying this thread, thanks for any tips. :)

Timothy Norton wrote:toasting cumin

i find that for savory, "warm" kind of uses it makes a huge difference -- curry, chili, that kind of thing. especially if your cumin might be a little old, it revives it. I make my own garam masala and curry powder, and always toast (and cool) the whole spices before grinding, I think it really brings out the flavors.

If nothing else, it makes the kitchen smell yum!

Christopher Weeks wrote:OK, I know it may seem like a silly question when we should all know it's cumin, but I just read someone say they don't like it, the poor dear!

There are also things I simply don't like (alas, cumin is one of them...).

And it got me wondering! For those of you similarly disordered, what do you think is the best spice?

(In all seriousness I go through half a cup of cumin seeds per month. I probably go through that much black pepper, but I don't relish it the same way.)

So funny because when I saw that question on the email my first thought was cumin. Lol and then decided that there had to be one that was more versatile than that but I haven't come up with a different suggestion.
Beth 😉

What's the best spice? Hunger!

I also consider cumin a favorite, and so too for its cousins, caraway and wild cumin (Bunium persicum). They have slightly different places where they are best used.

Black and cayenne pepper are good too, and turmeric, and bee balm flowers are very good on eggs.

The "best spice" begs the question of what are you making? If it is versatility that defines that, the idea that adding this spice in isolation will benefit the flavor of most foods, whatever they might be, maybe it is black pepper, which has a relatively pure flavor that goes well with different foods.

We could also say the best spice is whatever would be better for a given food, season, climate, particular location, and person. In which case I would say--for me, right here, at this point in the year, would have to be either chopped balsam fir needles or mountain mint.

Exactly! Well said.

Maieshe Ljin wrote:I also consider cumin a favorite, and so too for its cousins, caraway and wild cumin (Bunium persicum). They have slightly different places where they are best used.

Black and cayenne pepper are good too, and turmeric, and bee balm flowers are very good on eggs.

The "best spice" begs the question of what are you making? If it is versatility that defines that, the idea that adding this spice in isolation will benefit the flavor of most foods, whatever they might be, maybe it is black pepper, which has a relatively pure flavor that goes well with different foods.

We could also say the best spice is whatever would be better for a given food, season, climate, particular location, and person. In which case I would say--for me, right here, at this point in the year, would have to be either chopped balsam fir needles or mountain mint.

This was tough. I go through so many spices baking and cooking but when push comes to shove nothing beats korintje cinnamon. You've smelled and tasted korintje cinnamon when you go to the mall and eat a Cinnabon's cinnamon bun. The smell is heavenly. They use korintje cinnamon. It's the only cinnamon I use. I love allspice and nutmeg but life would be sad without korintje cinnamon.

Thai basil from my garden is my favorite.

I'd have to say salt is the most important spice. Humans can't live without it. Other than that I think it depends on what is being cooked. Tonight it's birilla tacos so I'm going with cilantro!!!

Allspice, caraway
Dislike cinnamon.

Greetings,
I’d willingly share my delicious cup of jo or is it joy, freshly ground with cardamom and pepper; no chili this morning.
Favourite?
The one that is available and currently being consumed.
One wall in the kitchen is a shelving unit with tens of jars of seeds, sticks, stems, pungent materials waiting to be used, freshly ground, and as suggested, sometimes warmed before use to bring out the heavenly scents.

I get herbs and spices either fresh from the garden, lacto-fermented to prolong shelf life and accentuate flavour, carefully dried, and of course there are the exotics- hmm. Lemon grass and ginger are on the go in pots, as is turmeric.
I’m glad somebody mentioned caraway which I consider like a European equivalent to cumin sort of thing.

And what about asafoetida reminiscent of gymnasia after hours, so stinky that it comes double-wrapped? The flavour is delicious when added to stews, soups or sauces.

A single favourite? Not possible.
A wonderful question thank you to dream of flavours and perfumes and no, I’m not going to prepare food just yet.
A lingering cough and cold call for a steam with eucalyptus, or thyme

Springy blessings from