7 essential spices every new cook should have in their kitchen

Do you love to cook? If so, then you understand the importance of having the right tools for your kitchen. Picture: Pexels/Marta Branco

Do you love to cook? If so, then you understand the importance of having the right tools for your kitchen. Picture: Pexels/Marta Branco

Published Mar 31, 2022

Share

Do you love to cook? If so, then you understand the importance of having the right tools for your kitchen.

This includes a wide variety of appliances, good sharp knives, mixing bowls, pots and pans, and the best ingredients for bringing your favourite recipes to life. Every kitchen needs great spices for adding maximum taste.

Fortunately, you have come to the right place for advice on the best spices for your kitchen.

Below we take a look at some of the cooking spices that you should keep on hand throughout the year.

Cumin

This bold spice has a spicy-sweet aroma that is easily detected in many dishes. It is part of many boldly spiced dishes like stew, curry, and chilli. It is also commonly used in vegetarian dishes to create a “meatier” flavour.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is versatile and works great for breakfast sprinkled atop a fresh fruit salad, low-fat yoghurt, oatmeal, or whole-grain cold cereal. Ground cinnamon is very high in antioxidants and studies suggest it can help regulate blood sugar levels.

Onion flakes

Onion flakes are made from fresh onions that have been finely minced and then dehydrated. Used to replace fresh onion in cooked foods, onion flakes are a definite help when we are pushed for time but want that onion flavour in our dish.

Kosher salt

Okay, so maybe salt is not a spice but could you really imagine a kitchen without salt? Unless you suffer from an iodine deficiency, please ditch the table salt. This coarse salt is chef-preferred for its flavour and the control in seasoning. Get your hands in there and measure kosher salt in pinches.

Do you love to cook? If so, then you understand the importance of having the right tools for your kitchen. Picture: Pexels/Karolina Grabowska

Red pepper flakes

If you are a spice lover like me, red pepper flakes are a must-have seasoning. They are a simple way to add heat without having to deal with chopping peppers. Use them to kick up pasta sauce, stir into chilli, sprinkle on pizza, or add to veggies. Plus, research has found that spicy ingredients can help suppress appetite and may even help boost metabolism, too.

Black pepper

Mostly used in savoury dishes, black pepper is so common it is not always thought of as a spice, but rather a seasoning that is only effective when partnered with salt. Black pepper is ground from black peppercorns and has a sharp and biting flavour that tastes good when sprinkled over savoury dishes to add just a bit of heat.

Sage

When it comes to making comfort foods that help you feel warm and cosy, it is hard to overstate the importance of keeping sage in your kitchen. In fact, sage provides a smell that is reassuring and will help you feel like everything is going to be fine. It’s also delicious, and is the ideal ingredient for a wide range of popular dishes, like salmon, breakfast sausage, and meatballs, just to name a few.

Read the latest IOL Food DigiMag here.

Related Topics:

foodieslife hacks