Only 25 spices?
I just moved from a large house with a huge kitchen to a small apartment, which a small kitchen. In the house, I had about 80 jars of spices, which the ex got, along with the house. I know there's no way I can have that many spices in the new kitchen, and figure I have to limit it to about 25. I just don't know which ones!
I cook Indian fairly often, so cumin, coriander, garam marsala, et cetera are required. I bake enough that I'll need powdered ginger and cinnamon. I know you can't go with out basil and oregano and such, but I'm having a lot of trouble narrowing it down.
What spices do you think are absolutely required?
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20 Comments:
cayenne pepper, chipotle, thyme, rosemary, basil, cumin, smoked sea salt in a grinder, cinnamon, smoked paprika, red pepper flakes, various rubs for various meats, magic dust...
hmmm... uh...damn, that's all I can think of at the moment.
Southern_bella at 1:04PM on 11/11/08
Seems to me the answer is to buy as needed. That'll give you an idea of how things go. I've probably got 80, too, but I know perfectly well that at least half of them haven't been touched in waaay more than a year.
lemons at 1:07PM on 11/11/08
You need to get creative with your spice storage. Because I also have a bunch of spices, I am still stuck in the "just till I get Penzey's bottles" stage of snack-sized bags of spices on a small two-tiered lazy susan. I really do plan to buy bottles, I just haven't gotten around to it. I also plan to keep the little lazy susan since I know that no spice rack I've seen in stores since can handle what I'm trying to do. I would look at wall-mounted options and look at ways to maximize your space (maybe storing less often-used spices out of sight in a less convenient spot.
I like to cook Indian too, so here's a list off the top of my head of what I normally have on hand, cause while I'm probably over 25, I'm not up to 80.
cayenne
crushed red pepper
turmeric
curry powder
coriander seeds
cumin
garlic powder
ground ginger
chili powder
white pepper
poppy seeds
cinnamon
garam masala
allspice
nutmeg
celery salt
saffron
mustard seeds
cardamom
basil
parsley
oregano
marjoram
sage
dill
thyme
bay leaves
black pepper
sea salt
kosher salt
joyyy at 1:21PM on 11/11/08
I think Southen-bella got most of them. Don't forget about bay leaves! Other suggestions: nutmeg, cloves, cardamom pods, curry powder, turmeric, fennel seeds, vanilla beans, saffron.
emmab at 1:37PM on 11/11/08
I guess joyyy beats all of us! Haha.
emmab at 1:38PM on 11/11/08
I think @lemons nailed it -- buy what you need as you cook. You'll find that you are getting what you need. What I think is absolutely necessary may be something you absolutely hate or rarely use. It won't take long to find out what you use often.
And be very vigilant about only keeping what is fresh and usable. Date each jar/tin as you buy it and if it is old and rarely used, toss it to make room for something you will use.
kjgibson at 2:27PM on 11/11/08
Also, what about finding spots in your apartment to grow things like rosemary, oregano, thyme, things like that? Then, not only would you have fresh herbs, you'd have less of a need to keep them in your cabinet,
nightowl at 2:45PM on 11/11/08
I'd hate to do without smoked paprika.
MichaelNatkin at 3:05PM on 11/11/08
If you have to keep your herb and spice selection down, the best bet would probably be to buy those you've mentioned, then buy others as you actually need them; then, you'll have a solid collection of things you really like and use.
If your shelf space is at a premium, how's the space on your window sills? Quite a few herbs grow well in pots without becoming massive (an issue, if you haven't much space). I like my basil fresh, so I keep a basil plant or two around.
Herbs and spices that I like but don't use much I buy at a health-food store (it's Integral Yoga, on 13th Street, in you're in New York) from their bulk bins; you can get very tiny amounts, and I keep the little bags in a large amber jar.
I find that I only use a handful of spices on a regular basis, and don't keep that many around in any significant quantity. I would hate to be without marjoram, sage, rosemary, and saffron.
mongoose at 3:33PM on 11/11/08
I can't cook well without Miracle Blend from http://www.aldenmillhouse.com ... it seems the best for eggs, sprinkling on steaks and such before grilling, etc. The stuff just seems to work. Everything else I have is secondary to it ... except for the coarse sea salt ...
LunaPierCook at 3:43PM on 11/11/08
That's tough! In addition to the ones you have already mentioned, I would add:
rosemary
dill
garlic powder
bay leaves
allspice
white pepper
seasoning salt
Hillary
Chew on That
Chew on That at 3:48PM on 11/11/08
My container garden has basil, thyme, rosemary, parsley and chives.
The only dried spice I don't see listed above that I, personally, couldn't live without is dry mustard. I use it for deviled eggs, spice rubs, and my ham glaze.
PerkyMac at 3:54PM on 11/11/08
I'd get creative with storage. Like doing those racks that go inside cabinet doors.
As far as weeding out, it makes sense to buy as you need, but the other thing to look at is spice mixes. In some cases, the mix makes more sense because if the mix is the only way you use those spices, you've combined multiple bottles into one. However, if everything in that mix is also something you would use separately, you can nix the mix and just buy the individual spices and combine as needed.
dbcurrie at 3:58PM on 11/11/08
Well, if it helps, I keep all my "red" spices in the fridge. That keeps them fresh longer and frees up space in the cabinet. Also, here you can buy small amounts of spices at Central Market and they have really small containers.
ocarol at 6:51PM on 11/11/08
I've fantasized about seeing an entire fridge covered COMPLETELY with those magnetic windowed spice jars.
Maybe you can make my dreams come true.
sailordave at 9:18PM on 11/11/08
Can't you get some sort of rack and hang on a wall or inside a cupboard or keep in a box to store all the spices? I cringed when I read this because I love all spices and use tons of it. Send them my way if need be all pay for the shipping lol.
pjracz10 at 9:25PM on 11/11/08
@sailordave - that is the best idea I've ever heard.
joyyy at 1:45AM on 11/12/08
As others have said- buy as you need. We all use different spices so it's not really going to work for most people to work off of somebody else's list.
cmtigger at 2:05AM on 11/12/08
OMG!! I don't think I could survive with only 25 herbs and spices. I have 64 just in 3 drawers. Then there are about a dozen on the counter, lots more on a spice rack, and a couple of cupboards full. The ones in the drawers are in alphabetical order. There are no duplicates and yes, I use them all frequently. Oh, that doesn't count the different dried chilies or the liquid seasonings and vinegars & oils.
This week we're moving to a much smaller house and I'm going to have to cram my kitchen into a significantly smaller space so I can feel your pain.
I start buy getting the basics and then adding things as you need them. Buy small containers. I used to keep the bulk of mine in a covered plastic bin on a shelf when we lived on the boat. (Then we were dealing with 200 sq feet total living space for 2 adults, 1 cat, and 4 pugs)
Fanciesmom at 1:40PM on 11/12/08
@joyyy- if I had the $ I would do it right away, but...
Maybe whatever company makes those will sponsor me...
sailordave at 6:11PM on 11/12/08