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Could you live with just nine spices?

post #1 of 43
2/15/07 at 2:49pm
Thread Starter 
I got that neat magnetic spice set from Target as a gift. I've put the cylinders up on my fridge, and I love it! The only problem is that I have WAAAAAY more than 9 different spices. I'm wondering if I should use this as an opportunity to pare down my spices. I'm not sure if I can live with just 9 though!!!

Could you do it? What would be your nine? (not counting salt and pepper)

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post #2 of 43
2/15/07 at 2:57pm
cumin
chili powder
super spicy mystery powder
sage
herbs de provence
pumpkin pie spice
nutmeg
chipotle curry
crushed red peppers.

hmm, I guess I could do it. So why is my spice rack so crowded?
post #3 of 43
2/15/07 at 3:07pm
My staples:
Garlic salt
Garlic powder
Basil
Parsley
Rosemary
Oregano
Dried Onion
Cinnamon
Thyme

I tend to make a lot of recipes that call for a smidgeon of something I don't normally use, so I have a mish mash of all kinds of spices.
post #4 of 43
2/15/07 at 3:12pm
cumin
coriander
oregano
nutmeg
onion salt
garlic powder
cinnamon
chili powder
basil

those are my top nine. but i have others i wouldn't want to get rid of!
post #5 of 43
2/15/07 at 3:40pm
nak

I am so so so incredibly spice challenged. It comes from growing up with a family who were spice-phobic...maybe even spice-haters. I remember i put sage or something in potato salad one time when I was a teen....just a tiny tiny bit. Nobody would eat it. they said I changed it and they were scared of what i may of put on it. I swear it was only like a teaspoon or two. :

anyway, that explains my spices I use regularly so nobody rolls their eyes and laughs at me:

1. 21 seasoning salute from Trader Joes (or similar salt-free spice blend from some other store)
2. Adobo
3. basil
4. oregano
5. cilantro
6. Parsley
7. cinnamon
8. Garlic

thats it.

I have about 1001 others, and use them once in awhile, for dips or soups or stir fry (dill weed, cumin, tarragon, kelp powder, celery seed, bay leaves, whole bunches of other stuff i don't know what to do with) I bake with ginger, nutmeg, etc...but those don't really count.

i mostly follow recipes and get what they tell me, but don't really know alot of mixing spices or what tastes good with what (thats why I love that 21 seasoning salute...I put that in absolutely everything)
post #6 of 43
2/15/07 at 3:42pm
I have been wanting to get that but haven't because I don't think I can live with just 9!!
post #7 of 43
2/15/07 at 3:46pm
Oooooh, this is hard, but fun.

-Allspice (in place of nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon for baking)
-Basil
-Rosemary
-Thyme
-Oregano
-TJ's 21 spice seasoning
-cumin seeds (I really only use it for chili, and could combine with allspice to make curry)
-mustard (I make most of my dressings from scratch)
-Cinnamon - I just can't give it up, the allspice won't satisfy my cinn cravings, so I'm having to add it.
post #8 of 43
2/15/07 at 3:48pm
I couldn't do it. I have a 16 jar spice rack that I use every spice of almost every day and a bag of other spices in the cupboard I use occasionally.

What is pumpkin pie spice? I've never heard of it/
post #9 of 43
2/15/07 at 3:51pm
The dried spices I use the most:

1. Basil
2. Oregano
3. Thyme
4. Rosemary
5. Old Bay
6. Sage
7. Paprika
8. Tarragon
9. Cumin
post #10 of 43
2/15/07 at 3:55pm
No way could I have just 9.

Maybe I could pick the 9 most used and keep the rest elsewhere. I guess they would be (in no particular order)
1. ginger
2. cayenne pepper
3. basil
4. thyme
5. cinnamon
6. nutmeg (though I keep this in a special nutmeg grinder)
7. garlic powder
8. red pepper
9. chili powder

My old spice rack held 50. There just isn't a place for it in my new kitchen, so I've dedicated a very large drawer to hold my spices and it is still too small.
post #11 of 43
2/15/07 at 3:55pm
I could never live with just nine spices -- maybe nine savory and
nine baking spices.

I use pumpkin pie spice mostly in baking but also in some sweet potato recipes. It's just a mixture of a few spices -- nutmeg, etc.
post #12 of 43
2/15/07 at 3:59pm
I try to use fresh garlic and ginger wheneverpossible so I could get rid of those.

My 9 would be:

- Cinnamon
- Chili powder
- Italian seasoning
- Nutmeg
- Allspice
- Cayene
- Basil
- Greek Seasoning
- Bay Leaves

I guess I could easily do with just 9.
post #13 of 43
2/15/07 at 4:37pm
I could never live with just nine spices! One of the things that makes us successful at not eating out is cooking new and exciting things at home, which always seem to require new spices... I have a full set for Indian, Chinese, Mexican, African, and European cooking. I keep telling myself that I don't have the declutter them, because they're not 'clutter' if they're always getting used, but I don't know...

My 'Top 9', excluding garlic and ginger would be

1. Cumin
2. Tumeric
3. Thyme
4. Ancho Chili Power
5. White Pepper
6. Five Spice Powder
7. Bay Leaves
8. Berebere
9. Rosemary
post #14 of 43
2/15/07 at 4:45pm
If we're not counting salt and pepper, I do live with only nine spices in my cupboard. (I have containers of frozen, home-grown herbs in my deep-freeze, though, so I do have more than 9.)

*cardamon
*garlic
*dry mustard
*cinnamon
*whole nutmeg
*bay leaves
*paprika (but I'm reconsidering this, because I only use it to add colour...)
*fennel
*cloves
post #15 of 43
2/15/07 at 4:59pm
I could never live with just nine spices!!! I have a huge amount of spices and we use them all regularly.
post #16 of 43
2/15/07 at 5:25pm
At last count, I had 47 items in my spice cabinet, but I do need to work on paring that down. I don't think I could get all the way down to 9 though.
post #17 of 43
2/15/07 at 5:28pm
I could do it... but why would I WANT to?



Aren't there other things to de-clutter? *looks at bathroom suspiciously*
post #18 of 43
2/15/07 at 5:29pm
I couldn't do it. my staples are :
cinnamon
nutmeg
ground ginger (also use fresh a lot)
ground cloves (also use whole a few times a year)
allspice
cardamom
paprika
cumin
5 spice powder
lemon grass (for when I can't get fresh)
white pepper
szechwan white pepper
whole pepper - 5 kinds (ok maybe that is over the top!)
chile powder
whole and crushed chilies
cayenne
I also have a collection of spices that don't get used as regularly.

I grow my own herbs so use fresh in the summer (and some in the winter)
I dry the following:
sage
rosemary
parsley
oregano
marjoram
lovage
various mints
lemon balm
thyme
and whatever else I have a large ehough crop of.
I dry in large quantities so I use canning jars.

My thought is can you get 2 sets which would give you 18?
post #19 of 43
2/15/07 at 5:35pm
What I would do is put my 9 most common spices on the spice rack ,easy to get to, and keep the rest in a cabinet or pantry. (along with bigger jars of my commonly used ones for refilling the little jars.)

I personally would never attempt to "declutter" my spices. As a PP stated, they get used so they're not clutter, and they make eating at home fresh and exciting.
post #20 of 43
2/15/07 at 6:00pm
Considering that I'm a spice moron, I could definitely make due with just 9. I usually spin the spice canister, pull one out at random, give it a little sniff, and add it to whatever I'm cooking if it smells appropriate. I really don't know what is supposed to go in different types of food.

Hmmm, may explain why my daughter claims that my food is deadly.

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