Escuelita de Cocina: 10 Essential Spices for Your New Crib-chen

By Harry Pagancoss

Your mami and papi are still not happy about you getting your own crib. What to do to make them feel better? Share with them your list of kitchen ingredients and make them feel at ease; tell them that you are all grown up and to prove it you will cook them a meal in your new place, prepared in your own new crib-chen; ok, maybe not but at least entertain them and show them your pantry.  They will be so proud, trust me!

Hopefully by now, you got your 10 Essential Herbs for Your New Crib-chen, or at least are getting ready to do so. Now it is time to get on with the spices.

Spices are like the DNA of a dish. Depending on where you come from, the spices you are familiar with by name or taste will be different because our foods taste different. However, the list I am sharing with you will help you to begin with some very useful flavors to season familiar foods or at least for you to experiment with them. You can be a true culinary magician if you mix and match them well. Learning what type of foods you like and asking what spices are usually used to season them, will make your time cooking more effective and fun. Ask your mom, dad or grandpa about what they use in what they prepare!

Here is my basic list of spices and ideas on how to use them:

Allspice

Buy the whole version of the spice,  also known as an allspice berry, for maximum flavor; grind fresh or place the berries in an oven tray and roast them in a 350 degrees F oven for 10 minutes. Use the spice in stews or add it to cookies or cakes for an awesome kick in flavor. I even add a dash to flan or when using coconut or pumpkin as ingredients.

Cinnamon

This super versatile spice comes in sticks or ground and I like to keep both versions of it in the pantry. Use it in all sorts of dishes, both savory (salty) and sweet: to marinade meats or chicken, when baking cookies, sprinkle over french fries or sweet potato fries, ice cream and even your mama's frijoles.

Paprika

This aromatic spice comes in a variety of versions: from spicy hot to sweeter on the palate. It adds a smoky, earthy flavor to dishes. Sprinkle over pale dishes to add color or add a little to soups, over rice, marinades, french fries and even dark chocolate.

Cumin

All our Mexican friends know this spice very well; however, it is also a necessary flavor in Middle Eastern and South Asia cuisine in general. Use your imagination and add it to dishes with sauces, meats, combine it with citrus flavors, sprinkle it over white rice for a nice nutty flavor; in essence, use it in every dish you want but do not abuse it as it is very strong.

Kosher salt

Salt does various things to food: it enhances the flavor and it moves water at the cellular level. Kosher salt and marine salts are my favorite. Use it sparingly and do not forget that flavors can be enhanced by other spices, not only salt. While regular table salt is present in every house, I try to stay away from it because it tends to be a lot stronger and tastes even "saltier" than Kosher or marine salt. Why is that? The smaller crystals of regular table salt dissolve way too fast to allow the spice to do its magic the proper way.

Ginger

I consider ginger a magic spice. You can buy it at the grocery store fresh or ground. Use it in Asian dishes or if you want to give a super fresh feel to dishes with poultry or pork. It is also great for baking; for example, cookies, cakes, sweet breads, frostings, you name it. Ginger always seems to rescue dishes, so keep some fresh roots in your fridge inside an air-tight container.

Saffron

This beautiful spice is comes from a flower, so it is very exotic. Besides adding a nicely subtle flavor to dishes, it is also a great way to add color, giving the distinctive yellow coloring to some rices and Spanish food. It is also very chic to tell your friends that your recipe has saffron.

Vanilla

We all know what vanilla tastes like and it is familiar because it goes well with a lot of things, specially sweets. Buy the vanilla bean and keep safely stored and also get yourself a small bottle of pure vanilla extract…do not buy the imitation! Use is for baking anything, usually 1 teaspoon adds enough flavoring to cookies, flans, or natillas. I like to add a little to hot chocolate or to your milkshakes.

Black Pepper

Get yourself a pepper mill to grind it fresh. This spice goes well with all sorts of dishes that are savory. It kicks up the flavors a notch in any food and it even goes well with bitter chocolate. Sometimes, I use paprika instead of black pepper because of its smoky flavor. If you decide to buy only two spices from this list, let them be Kosher salt and Black Pepper.

Turmeric

This may not be in the list of the most basic spices for most chefs but I got to add it here because for me it is. Turmeric is very unique in its flavor and color. If there is no saffron, a little turmeric will add a nice yellowish color to foods and  because of its little bitter flavor, it goes extremely well with seafood. I love to use it when making tapas for friends, specially if they contain chorizo, beans or pork.

Nutmeg

If two spices scream Fall or sweets, those are cinnamon and nutmeg. Nutmeg is very exotic and add a distinctive flavor to desserts, recipes with pumpkin, and other orate vegetables such as carrots or yams. Keep ground nutmeg in your pantry and add a dash anytime you think cinnamon would be good to add, of if the actual recipe calls for cinnamon or allspice.

Tags blogger Harry Pagancoss, escuelita de cocina, essentials, spices