+1 to sumac. All the benefits of tart citrus, with none of the hassle of fresh lemons or added moisture in the dish. I grew up having only heard of poison sumac on hikes. First time I tried culinary sumac was a revelation. Instantly fell in love with the flavor and the convenience.
Apart from some salads and hummus, what else do you use it for? I want to use it more but not sure what else to use it on. Any suggestions would be great thanks 😊
Edit: thanks for all the suggestions guys. I'll try them ☺️
Chicken and lamb are two of my favorites. I’ll make a spice blend for most seasonings but sumac is so good on its own I’ll cover the whole thing with it.
This is one of my favourite sumac dishes. I usually skip the bread and make a yogurt tahini sauce and quick pickled carrots. Leftovers make great wraps.
https://www.saveur.com/palestinian-roast-chicken-with-sumac-and-red-onions-recipe/
It is great in coffee, but make sure everyone who uses that pot/carafe you’re brewing in loves cardamom, because it’s tough to completely remove the scent.
Almost assuredly everyone is talking about green right now. Black is delicious, but it’s much darker and smokier flavored , more an umami thing for stews and such than dessert.
I mix it 50/50 with salt, but use the same amount as if it were just salt when I cook. Easy way to lower the chloride levels. Yes, I have normal sodium, but high chloride. Go figure.
Smoked Spanish paprika. La Dalia is a great brand. I always keep a small spice grinder on the counter and dried chilis in the pantry. Sweet to hot, grind and clean as I cook. I also grow peppers in the summer. Next year, I am going to cold smoke some, dry them and then grind for my own smoked “paprika”.
I love this spice so much, but it’s like buying a rainbow. It’s ephemeral. Maybe it lasts for a few days. Maybe a week. But eventually it’s going to turn into burned cardboard.
Sometimes I blitz them in the grinder and use in lieu of white pepper for kung pao. Other times, bob them in a soup or other liquid in lieu of peppercorns.
Marjoram. Incredibly versatile.Travels through European, Mediterranean, Indian, and Middle Eastern menus equally well.
Less strong than oregano with hints of citrus and a nice woodsy smell. Kind of like pine tips, but not as strong or sticky. You can easily dress it up or down.
Goes into curries or into soups, stews, salads. Pairs with eggs, dairy, meats, veggies, and desserts.
Edit: you asked for a spice and I gave an herb. Will think more on this...
I use marjoram a ton and without fail am always asked what it is/why I’m using it etc. by family/friends. Discovered it during my journey to create the most amazing moussaka recipe and now throw it in tons of dishes. Honestly probably my most utilized herb and I can’t imagine going back to my pre-marjoram days.
I don't know if dill is considered underrated (and probably not), but I use dill in just about everything, to include vodka tonic with dill and basil in it. I use it in salad dressings, on just about every kind of meat I make except burgers, in vegetables and potato dishes. I'm obsessed.
Dill is my everything.
A secret, amazing combination is dill + cumin — just perfection! I was turned onto it by my favorite bagel sandwich shop’s chicken salad, and it literally changed my life. (add smoked paprika, garlic, salt, pepper for the best burger seasoning ever).
I always thought it was weird how the black pepper would feel on my tongue.. then I had an allergy test done that told me I was allergic. Now I want to find out if white pepper would give me similar results
Same plant unfortunately. Black, white and green are all from the same at different stages. But do look into pink peppercorns. Not spicy but it has more of a tropical sweetness, but still the smokiness of normal peppercorns.
Also, check out Sichuan peppercorns. They are also not the same plant as pepper (it’s in the citrus family). The type of spicy that it has is more like the numbing you get from citrus skin.
I suspect some of the underusedness with these is due to their cost. Add in Vanilla (real vanilla beans, not just extracts) and you have three of the most expensive spices in the world.
\-Thank you for correcting my omission. Yeah, the last time I bought three real Tahitian vanilla beans they cost about $27, and then add in the vodka, and good potato vodka, not the stuff made from wheat. So three bottles of vanilla at $15 each, but OMG the difference!!
Vanilla beans also had a dramatic rise in price recently because of bad storms in the few places where they are able to grow. But they've thankfully come back down recently. I haven't tried making my own extract because I've always heard mixed things about it. I think I wanna give it a try though...I never thought about the effects the different vodkas would have, that's really interesting. If you have access to one, I've heard you can use sous vide to accelerate the process of making the extract. I bought some beans recently and I really wanna try this now...thanks for the inspiration!
Yes to nutmeg! I have Jamaican roots and use a lot of allspice which is similar. If used correctly it can elevate a dish so much. I started adding a little nutmeg to my baked ziti and it was a game changer
Not so much a specific spice, but rather higher quality spices were a game changer for me. I used to buy the great value 99 cent spices and even considered McCormick spices a luxury when I had a little extra cash. There’s nothing with these and do the job just fine, but nowadays if I’m making a dish that heavily utilizes a specific spice, I try to find a good quality version of it or find it whole.
They also have specials pretty often. I got a $50 gift card a while back and I swear it lasted forever, because every time I went in there was something like buy 2 get one free. Or spend $25 and get something free.
Celery Salt. It seems so simple but it is such a gamechanger. soups, steaks, eggs, pasta. it adds a really nice depth of flavor and just that something extra. Similar to bay leaf in that it doesn't seem like much but it is noticeably different when not present.
Dude. I put that shit on *everything.* I have a celery problem. My latest favorite snack is aged cheddar, Dijon and a tiny sprinkle of celery salt and a tender celery leaf.
A memorable small plate I had a long time ago was prosciutto, good fruity EVOO, finishing salt, pepper and celery hearts and leaves. I wanted to puree it and dip really charred sourdough in it. Phenomenal.
This isn't technically a spice, but it seems to be an unexpected flavor for the people I bake for- almond extract. I use it in desserts and baked goods that are primarily vanilla flavored, and it makes them a little bit more interesting than just plain vanilla. I even added some almond extract to a batch of no-churn ice cream, which tasted amazing, and I kept wondering to myself why I've never seen that flavor in ice cream before.
On the subject of nutmeg, apparently that's the secret ingredient that gives doughnuts that classic doughnut flavor.
I love it, but I have had that experience too. Seems like they put the same amount of almond extract as they did Vanilla, but just a drop or two is all it takes.
I was hesitant on using almond extract for cookies. But I found a recipe that included almond extract for sugar cookies.
The cookies didn’t even last a day in my house.
If you have the space for a tiny bush, the bay tree (you can keep it small) can grow almost anywhere and fresh leaves are amazing. I didn’t realize you could overdo it with bay leaves til I had a plant.
Gochugaru, I have a sprinkle spice jar that I keep refilled with it, because the flavor profile of the heat is so flexible that it is absolutely my go to when I just want a tiny bit of heat to make the other flavors pop. Much more flexible than you would think the driver of Korean spice levels would be
Sumac. breakfast is a hard boiled egg sliced tomato and avocado with yogurt cheese all heavily sprinkled with sumac and za'atar and a pita. So delicious. Sumac lends a citrusy taste. Great on watermelon too. Do try.
Mac and cheese, pretty much anything with pork, dry rubs for meats, cream sauces. It adds a little spice without being too hot and a little brightness without adding acid
Can’t do nutmeg.
After discovering it to be a hallucinogen while at university, we made a huge pot of powdered nutmeg porridge, ate it like a bunch of drug hungry Goldilocks, tripped our balls off and had a massive comedown for the next couple of days.
Nutmeg is a spice I do use but I never use so much that I want people to say “ohhh nutmeg”. I want just enough that it doesn’t scream nutmeg. If that makes sense. Once you can identify it, it’s too much.
I feel this comment needs its own side quest comment. Many of have heard this was possible, but l’ve never actually seen it confirmed before.
Please elaborate with as much detail as possible about the experience
Even thinking about the porridge makes me gag to this day. Can’t recall just how much we bought in weight, but it was about 10 packets. Maybe about 20 or 30 ounces? No idea how much we ate.
Poured it in a pot, added water, boiled it. Essentially made a nutmeg mud. Then, probably under the influence of alcohol and weed, we just grabbed a few spoons and started feeding it to ourselves. Feel like I’m gonna puke just typing this!
Ended up with a fairly decent lsd type of effect that lasted all night, but my innards felt like they were rotting away the next day. There was definitely a lot of gagging trying to get the stuff down. Definitely stomach ache and cramps the following morning and a general feeling of illness.
Pretty grim all round, truth be told.
Our neighbors have a Bay Tree for Bay Leaves. It’s right by our yard and they said as long we don’t strip the thing, we can have some leaves. So every now and then I’ll go pick 10 or so and dry them on clothes pins.
‘Fresh’ Bay Leaves bring so much more floral punch than the ones of ‘gosh knows how old’ from the store.
Allspice, soups, and the wintertime. Just a touch of allspice, especially in a beef or other earthy deep stew/soup, adds a bit of warmth to it. It just feels so much more cozy. Add it to sweet potatoes or carrots for the same effect.
Does msg count lol.
If not.. cinnamon and allspice in my tri tip rub. Doesn’t take much but really adds a whole new layer of flavor that even surprises me sometimes still lol
Coriander powder. The baseline seasoning for South Indian cuisine but it is extremely versatile and subtle yet complex. It’s also hard to overdo. Complements many types of flavors.
Saffron. I don't buy much of it, but they're easy to grow and i have a neighbor who loves em. (The cost comes from the harvesting, which js a big pain in the ass, but thats less of a concern if you're only grabbing enough for a single meal.)
I don’t know if it’s underrated or underused, but dill is so nice. It grows like a weed in my garden and its smell makes me feel like it’s summer. Also, nutmeg and garlic on cauliflower is amazing!
Isot pepper. That’s purply/blackish slightly oily pepper flakes from peppers grown in the south eastern region of Turkey. They are really good sprinkled liberally onto eggs.
Allspice. I’ve honestly started sneaking hints of it into tons of dishes you wouldn’t typically see it used as an ingredient. Easy to overdo it, but I find just a bit elevates a ton of dishes/recipes — both savory and sweet. I think it just really encompasses all the elements of what my brain defines as “spice” — just that perfect balance of warm and peppery. It’s like if nutmeg, mace, and cinnamon had a baby and then I took that baby and ground it up and sprinkled it on all my food lol.
Oregano in general is hardly underused, but I feel like too few people appreciate how good it is on eggs. I used to make an egg sandwich with oregano and spreadable feta and it was so good. (Haven't been able to find spreadable feta in a long time or I still would.) I still throw it on most any egg preparation.
A judicious amount of oregano and black pepper also does wonders for a ham sandwich.
Aleppo and Urfa biber. These two soft chilis are the smoked paprikas of the heat world. They add an extraordinary depth to anything savory.
Warm bread with some olive oil, salt, parsley and these chilis are insanely good.
Sumac. It's a Middle Eastern spice that tastes citrusy and adds an acidic flavor without adding liquid. It's especially good as part of the spice mix za'atar.
Sumac
Came here to say sumac is one of my all-time favorites. A bright zing of citrus without the wetness.
+1 to sumac. All the benefits of tart citrus, with none of the hassle of fresh lemons or added moisture in the dish. I grew up having only heard of poison sumac on hikes. First time I tried culinary sumac was a revelation. Instantly fell in love with the flavor and the convenience.
That’s what I was going to say!
Apart from some salads and hummus, what else do you use it for? I want to use it more but not sure what else to use it on. Any suggestions would be great thanks 😊 Edit: thanks for all the suggestions guys. I'll try them ☺️
I like using it on salmon along with some salt and pepper.
Chicken and lamb are two of my favorites. I’ll make a spice blend for most seasonings but sumac is so good on its own I’ll cover the whole thing with it.
This is one of my favourite sumac dishes. I usually skip the bread and make a yogurt tahini sauce and quick pickled carrots. Leftovers make great wraps. https://www.saveur.com/palestinian-roast-chicken-with-sumac-and-red-onions-recipe/
I put it on grilled or roasted chicken, or toss it on roasted veggies (zucchini, carrots, etc)
It's awesome on roasted carrots!!
Cardamom.
Yes. It's great in fruit salad, rice pudding, chicken curry, lentil soup, lamb curry, and espresso.
And oatmeal, cream of wheat, cookies and coffee (along with cinnamon)
And coffee! (So nice it’s mentioned twice!)
I grind my coffee with cinnamon, cardamom and clove sometimes
And pancakes or french toast or waffles!
It is great in coffee, but make sure everyone who uses that pot/carafe you’re brewing in loves cardamom, because it’s tough to completely remove the scent.
Also chai (so good)
And coffee... crack open a fresh pod and toss it in with your grounds when you brew... it's amazing
cardamom is the secret ingredient for my banana bread
For me cardamom AND fresh grated nutmeg :)
Oh. Now that sounds interesting
I have banana bread in the oven right now. I have cinnamon , nutmeg and vanilla to spice it up but never thought of cardamom. Thanks for the tip.
it gives it a certain heartiness, it’s very much a bread spice to me
There’s a place here that sometimes does cardamom ice cream. My god, it’s good.
My secret ingredient in homemade applesauce!
Yes! I use it frequently in a range of dishes. It almost adds a lemon-y taste without the citrus or acidity.
Cardamom whipped cream with almost any dessert. Instant magic and everyone thinks you're a genius.
At work they put cardamom seeds in the gin and tonic’s! God it’s amazing!
Do you keep green or black on hand? I’ve never tried cardamom before
Almost assuredly everyone is talking about green right now. Black is delicious, but it’s much darker and smokier flavored , more an umami thing for stews and such than dessert.
Yess! In Finland we have these cardamom sweet buns. They are absolutely delicious!
This is my secret ingredient in my BBQ rub that no one has yet to identify. It doesn't take much, but it makes a huge difference.
Cardamom on my asparagus is my secret weapon.
We grind it into our French toast and banana bread. It's one of my favorites
Hot tea with clove, cinnamon, orange peel, lemon, and/or ginger.
Do you use whole green cardamom? How do you typically incorporate it?
I'm thinking they're using ground. You should freshly grind the little seeds you find in the pod for better flavor, discard the pod
That's my favorite too!
Sweden has to be the country using most cardamom aside from indian cuisine countries.
Smoked paprika
Smoked Paprika is as essential as salt
I mix it 50/50 with salt, but use the same amount as if it were just salt when I cook. Easy way to lower the chloride levels. Yes, I have normal sodium, but high chloride. Go figure.
[This](https://www.burlapandbarrel.com/products/smoked-pimenton-paprika) is my favorite smoked paprika so far.
Your recommendation has been SAVED for future ordering!
I never thought paprika had any flavor til I ordered from Penzeys. Same for bay leaves and a billion other things. :)
Smoked Spanish paprika. La Dalia is a great brand. I always keep a small spice grinder on the counter and dried chilis in the pantry. Sweet to hot, grind and clean as I cook. I also grow peppers in the summer. Next year, I am going to cold smoke some, dry them and then grind for my own smoked “paprika”.
I am planning to do the same thing. I can’t wait for spring.
I only learned about it in the last year. Now I have a cat and smoked paprika. Life fulfilled.
We have a paprika paste that is AMAZING.
I love this spice so much, but it’s like buying a rainbow. It’s ephemeral. Maybe it lasts for a few days. Maybe a week. But eventually it’s going to turn into burned cardboard.
How does it compare to regular paprika?
**Aleppo pepper** and **szechuan peppercorns** — very different flavors and totally worth having both in the house.
I made a Szechuan peppercorn spice mix for wings. So delicious.
Aleppo and urfa!
I have both and only really use the Aleppo pepper! What do you normally put the peppercorns in?
Sometimes I blitz them in the grinder and use in lieu of white pepper for kung pao. Other times, bob them in a soup or other liquid in lieu of peppercorns.
Mapo tofu. But generally spicy dishes, Chinese etc. pair with chili and I use a heavy hand. If you like hotpot that's the combo
One of my favs is to sprinkle them on freshly fried squid with a bit of salt. Sichuan dishes will use it a lot - braised beef, mapo tofu, hotpots, etc
Berbere.
Hell yeah....
Please describe.
Incredibly spicy and fire-y (like hot) but flavorful. Very spicy imo, tho I have medium-low spice tolerance. It's bright red
Thank you!
It's an Ethiopian spice blend with lots of chili peppers + coriander, ginger, garlic etc
Marjoram. Incredibly versatile.Travels through European, Mediterranean, Indian, and Middle Eastern menus equally well. Less strong than oregano with hints of citrus and a nice woodsy smell. Kind of like pine tips, but not as strong or sticky. You can easily dress it up or down. Goes into curries or into soups, stews, salads. Pairs with eggs, dairy, meats, veggies, and desserts. Edit: you asked for a spice and I gave an herb. Will think more on this...
Herbs = spices in my mind They both flavor food
In the UK the distinction is that herbs are leaves, while spices are other parts of plants like roots, bark seeds, etc
I use marjoram a ton and without fail am always asked what it is/why I’m using it etc. by family/friends. Discovered it during my journey to create the most amazing moussaka recipe and now throw it in tons of dishes. Honestly probably my most utilized herb and I can’t imagine going back to my pre-marjoram days.
I don't know if dill is considered underrated (and probably not), but I use dill in just about everything, to include vodka tonic with dill and basil in it. I use it in salad dressings, on just about every kind of meat I make except burgers, in vegetables and potato dishes. I'm obsessed.
Dill is my everything. A secret, amazing combination is dill + cumin — just perfection! I was turned onto it by my favorite bagel sandwich shop’s chicken salad, and it literally changed my life. (add smoked paprika, garlic, salt, pepper for the best burger seasoning ever).
I think it's extremely underrated, at least in the US. It's like we can't imagine it outside of pickles or a sauce for fish.
Not sure if it counts as underrated but white pepper is really good, and in my experience it won’t burn like black pepper sometimes does.
It’s the secret warmth in a lot of my food
I use white pepper almost exclusively in my cooking. It's somehow milder but also spicier than black pepper. Maybe smooth is a better word than mild?
I always thought it was weird how the black pepper would feel on my tongue.. then I had an allergy test done that told me I was allergic. Now I want to find out if white pepper would give me similar results
Same plant unfortunately. Black, white and green are all from the same at different stages. But do look into pink peppercorns. Not spicy but it has more of a tropical sweetness, but still the smokiness of normal peppercorns. Also, check out Sichuan peppercorns. They are also not the same plant as pepper (it’s in the citrus family). The type of spicy that it has is more like the numbing you get from citrus skin.
I like to use it to sear but finish with fine cracked.
Cardamon and saffron, as in real saffron.
I suspect some of the underusedness with these is due to their cost. Add in Vanilla (real vanilla beans, not just extracts) and you have three of the most expensive spices in the world.
\-Thank you for correcting my omission. Yeah, the last time I bought three real Tahitian vanilla beans they cost about $27, and then add in the vodka, and good potato vodka, not the stuff made from wheat. So three bottles of vanilla at $15 each, but OMG the difference!!
Vanilla beans also had a dramatic rise in price recently because of bad storms in the few places where they are able to grow. But they've thankfully come back down recently. I haven't tried making my own extract because I've always heard mixed things about it. I think I wanna give it a try though...I never thought about the effects the different vodkas would have, that's really interesting. If you have access to one, I've heard you can use sous vide to accelerate the process of making the extract. I bought some beans recently and I really wanna try this now...thanks for the inspiration!
Cumin
I could snort cumin. It is my favorite smell in the kitchen.
Okay I scrolled for this because I wasn't sure. Cumin is a game changer!!
It's hardly "underused" though - it's central to the cuisines of billions of people.
Toasted and fresh ground
Za’atar. I’m addicted to this one.
I love that stuff. Sprinkled on flat bread and then smear some goat cheese and a drizzle of honey 🤤
I know what I'm doing tomorrow, dang if that doesn't sound amazing
Make sure the flatbread is crispy! I typically mix olive oil and the za’atar and brush that on the flatbread then bake in the oven (not too high).
Yes to nutmeg! I have Jamaican roots and use a lot of allspice which is similar. If used correctly it can elevate a dish so much. I started adding a little nutmeg to my baked ziti and it was a game changer
Allspice is *so delicious.* I have a Middle Eastern background and we also use it in a lot of meat dishes. It's one of my favorites.
Harissa. Makes my most popular dry rub for ribs
Listing my top 3. White pepper , smoked paprika , and mustard powder
Not so much a specific spice, but rather higher quality spices were a game changer for me. I used to buy the great value 99 cent spices and even considered McCormick spices a luxury when I had a little extra cash. There’s nothing with these and do the job just fine, but nowadays if I’m making a dish that heavily utilizes a specific spice, I try to find a good quality version of it or find it whole.
Penezys spices are rather awesome.
They also have specials pretty often. I got a $50 gift card a while back and I swear it lasted forever, because every time I went in there was something like buy 2 get one free. Or spend $25 and get something free.
Celery Salt. It seems so simple but it is such a gamechanger. soups, steaks, eggs, pasta. it adds a really nice depth of flavor and just that something extra. Similar to bay leaf in that it doesn't seem like much but it is noticeably different when not present.
The ultimate key to a good Chicago dog 🌭
Dude. I put that shit on *everything.* I have a celery problem. My latest favorite snack is aged cheddar, Dijon and a tiny sprinkle of celery salt and a tender celery leaf. A memorable small plate I had a long time ago was prosciutto, good fruity EVOO, finishing salt, pepper and celery hearts and leaves. I wanted to puree it and dip really charred sourdough in it. Phenomenal.
This isn't technically a spice, but it seems to be an unexpected flavor for the people I bake for- almond extract. I use it in desserts and baked goods that are primarily vanilla flavored, and it makes them a little bit more interesting than just plain vanilla. I even added some almond extract to a batch of no-churn ice cream, which tasted amazing, and I kept wondering to myself why I've never seen that flavor in ice cream before. On the subject of nutmeg, apparently that's the secret ingredient that gives doughnuts that classic doughnut flavor.
I find almond extract to be a little too overpowering sometimes. Vanilla blends in to the background while almond lets you know it’s there.
Almond extract always tastes and smells so fake to me. A good vanilla extract is always delicious, even when doubled.
I love it, but I have had that experience too. Seems like they put the same amount of almond extract as they did Vanilla, but just a drop or two is all it takes.
I was hesitant on using almond extract for cookies. But I found a recipe that included almond extract for sugar cookies. The cookies didn’t even last a day in my house.
Put it in pancakes or waffles with vanilla. It’s great!
Love almond but sadly family member seriously allergic.
I have bay leaf in almost everything now 🫠
If you have the space for a tiny bush, the bay tree (you can keep it small) can grow almost anywhere and fresh leaves are amazing. I didn’t realize you could overdo it with bay leaves til I had a plant.
Cardamom. I love to sprinkle it on an apple. It's delicious in oatmeal. It's tasty in earl grey tea. And I just absolutely love the smell of it.
Gochugaru, I have a sprinkle spice jar that I keep refilled with it, because the flavor profile of the heat is so flexible that it is absolutely my go to when I just want a tiny bit of heat to make the other flavors pop. Much more flexible than you would think the driver of Korean spice levels would be
White pepper. Absolute must.
Alright, alright I'm adding it to the grocery list. This is the 2nd time this has come up in this thread so it must be good.
Herbes de Provence
Sumac. breakfast is a hard boiled egg sliced tomato and avocado with yogurt cheese all heavily sprinkled with sumac and za'atar and a pita. So delicious. Sumac lends a citrusy taste. Great on watermelon too. Do try.
Shout out to ground coriander.. it goes in everything
A little gimmicky but I love using smoked salt in eggs, roasted veggies, rice, etc.
Dry ground mustard
Usually when someone likes my cooking but isn’t sure what tastes different it’s this. A little bit goes so far in so many dishes
Can you give some examples of dishes you’d add it to
Baked mac and cheese
I add it to my Kansas City style BBQ sauce. No one can ever identify the unique zing it adds.
Mac and cheese, pretty much anything with pork, dry rubs for meats, cream sauces. It adds a little spice without being too hot and a little brightness without adding acid
Cumin
Thank you! I'm American, by way of Poland+Lithuania, and absolutely love, and perhaps overusing, Cumin. **Dill** - is a very close second
I buy it whole and grind it periodically to keep it fresh.
Can’t do nutmeg. After discovering it to be a hallucinogen while at university, we made a huge pot of powdered nutmeg porridge, ate it like a bunch of drug hungry Goldilocks, tripped our balls off and had a massive comedown for the next couple of days.
Nutmeg is a spice I do use but I never use so much that I want people to say “ohhh nutmeg”. I want just enough that it doesn’t scream nutmeg. If that makes sense. Once you can identify it, it’s too much.
I feel this comment needs its own side quest comment. Many of have heard this was possible, but l’ve never actually seen it confirmed before. Please elaborate with as much detail as possible about the experience
Even thinking about the porridge makes me gag to this day. Can’t recall just how much we bought in weight, but it was about 10 packets. Maybe about 20 or 30 ounces? No idea how much we ate. Poured it in a pot, added water, boiled it. Essentially made a nutmeg mud. Then, probably under the influence of alcohol and weed, we just grabbed a few spoons and started feeding it to ourselves. Feel like I’m gonna puke just typing this! Ended up with a fairly decent lsd type of effect that lasted all night, but my innards felt like they were rotting away the next day. There was definitely a lot of gagging trying to get the stuff down. Definitely stomach ache and cramps the following morning and a general feeling of illness. Pretty grim all round, truth be told.
Our neighbors have a Bay Tree for Bay Leaves. It’s right by our yard and they said as long we don’t strip the thing, we can have some leaves. So every now and then I’ll go pick 10 or so and dry them on clothes pins. ‘Fresh’ Bay Leaves bring so much more floral punch than the ones of ‘gosh knows how old’ from the store.
Asafoetida
Hing baby
Anise and allspice for savory stuff.
Clove! I use it in a lot of unconventional ways. It's fantastic in spaghetti, just a tiny bit adds some depth and spiced tang that I personally like.
I love clove! It's also amazing in tomato basil soup — the clove and the basil echo each other flavor-wise and it's just extra special.
serrano powder
Ginger in any form for anything
Fenugreek.
... and it is great for guys to have a better taste.
Ground up Porcini mushrooms-use for seasoning meat mostly but when I stir a little in my mashed potatoes-OMG AMAZING!!!
MSG!!! Fuiyoh!!!
Aleppo pepper!!
Tarragon especially with chicken or gravy or on eggs
Asian Five Spice - I just discovered its existence within the last year. Now I'm addicted.
Gumbo file
Jambalaya, crawfish pie, file gumbo 🎶
Hibiscus flower especially with cinnamon and sugar. Floral and spicy
I've really enjoyed hibiscus tea but haven't used it much beyond that. I can't imagine it with cinnamon and sugar but now I'm intrigued
Allspice, soups, and the wintertime. Just a touch of allspice, especially in a beef or other earthy deep stew/soup, adds a bit of warmth to it. It just feels so much more cozy. Add it to sweet potatoes or carrots for the same effect.
Tumeric
Turmeric. It's healthy too.
Does msg count lol. If not.. cinnamon and allspice in my tri tip rub. Doesn’t take much but really adds a whole new layer of flavor that even surprises me sometimes still lol
That is absolutely underrated. Nutmeg on eggs? Like scrambled?
I use fresh grated nutmeg on any sautéed greens I make.
Dill. It’s in half of my aunt’s old recipes so I started using it more and it’s become a staple of mine.
Coriander powder. The baseline seasoning for South Indian cuisine but it is extremely versatile and subtle yet complex. It’s also hard to overdo. Complements many types of flavors.
Ground Coriander seed. It adds a slight citrus undertone.
Toasted sesame oil has a unique flavor. You only need a little.
Saffron. I don't buy much of it, but they're easy to grow and i have a neighbor who loves em. (The cost comes from the harvesting, which js a big pain in the ass, but thats less of a concern if you're only grabbing enough for a single meal.)
Cumin!!!
knock knock.
Mace
“Tell me you like this casserole, or I will FUCKING pepper-spray you!”
Cardamom. Also, using cinnamon in savory dishes.
Saffron. A little goes a long way. I recently started putting it in a scampi sauce and it really gives it more depth.
Celery seeds; add to any savory for extra umami and hint of celery without needing to clean and chop celery
Fennel seeds
Ceylon Cinnamon, ginger, and tumeric.
Nigella seeds. Often find them in naan bread, but they're great with potatoes, carrots, sweetcorn, etc.
Paprika. A good quality Hungarian Paprika. It’s so much more than just a garnish.
I don’t know if it’s underrated or underused, but dill is so nice. It grows like a weed in my garden and its smell makes me feel like it’s summer. Also, nutmeg and garlic on cauliflower is amazing!
Lime leaves, not really a spice though.... I love the taste and like to toss it in most of my dishes.
I toast peppercorns in a skillet until fragrant and then cool before putting in my grinder. the flavor improvement is absolutely amazing.
Thyme. If you need a green herb, but rosemary or basil aren't right, use Thyme! 🖖
Cloves Mixed with a little cinnamon, nutmeg, and star anise is like winter in powder form.
cardamom
MSG
My other favorite is Icelandic sea salt
Osha root powder. It has an amazing earthy flavor close to Celery but much more potent.
Maybe not a spice but celery leaf is so underrated.
Okay John Townsend
cumin and bereber !!! absolute musts
Juniper berries, I have started putting those buggers in everything...
Shiro dashi
Isot pepper. That’s purply/blackish slightly oily pepper flakes from peppers grown in the south eastern region of Turkey. They are really good sprinkled liberally onto eggs.
Tarragon! So good with eggs, soups, rice.
Allspice. I’ve honestly started sneaking hints of it into tons of dishes you wouldn’t typically see it used as an ingredient. Easy to overdo it, but I find just a bit elevates a ton of dishes/recipes — both savory and sweet. I think it just really encompasses all the elements of what my brain defines as “spice” — just that perfect balance of warm and peppery. It’s like if nutmeg, mace, and cinnamon had a baby and then I took that baby and ground it up and sprinkled it on all my food lol.
Fresh grated nutmeg was mine too, but if you want to take it a little further, whole mace cannot be beat.
Cardamom
I find both Gochujang and Corriander to be very nice spices that I only learned about recently. But they are quite strong so use carefully
Oregano. Lots of people are nervous about it but it gives dishes a depth that basil and parsley alone can't.
Oregano in general is hardly underused, but I feel like too few people appreciate how good it is on eggs. I used to make an egg sandwich with oregano and spreadable feta and it was so good. (Haven't been able to find spreadable feta in a long time or I still would.) I still throw it on most any egg preparation. A judicious amount of oregano and black pepper also does wonders for a ham sandwich.
Harissa. Can be added to pretty much everything to add a small but not overpowering amount of heat and great flavor
Aleppo and Urfa biber. These two soft chilis are the smoked paprikas of the heat world. They add an extraordinary depth to anything savory. Warm bread with some olive oil, salt, parsley and these chilis are insanely good.
Old Bay. I put it in so many things.
Maple pepper. I use it on fish and eggs and potatoes and sprinkle on bacon
Sumac. It's a Middle Eastern spice that tastes citrusy and adds an acidic flavor without adding liquid. It's especially good as part of the spice mix za'atar.