If you are just starting out what herb and spices would be on your list to purchase. This is usually dependent on your taste and your level of cooking skill. But I will give you my list and the reasons why.
Salt or a salt substitute. This one is kinda basic but salt makes everything taste better and is in almost all recipe’s.
Pepper- Not ground if I can choose I would rather have pepper corns mix that has all 3 peppercorns, Red,Green and Black. Either use a small bladed coffee grinder to crack it and this mixture just has better taste.
Garlic- Garlic love is universal and is found in almost all cooking. Fresh chopped in a jar if I can. Put a little bit with chicken olive oil and let sit for a couple hours and then cook or bake it.
Ginger. I do a lot of Asian cooking and you need ginger in almost all Asian recipes.
Thyme . I love Thyme both in Italian cooking and in by itself sprinkled over some beef or placed in a soup.
Sweet Basil Basil goes wonderful in Red Sauces and allows you not to put any sugar in. Buts it is a bit delicate so it should be put in towards the end. If you can get fresh it makes a nice herb to add to fresh salad dressings.
Oregano . Is such a strong herb you have to careful. Buts great on chicken or in a Greek Salad Dressing and of course it is important in Red Sauces from Italy.
Bay Leaf. This one of my favorites for sauces and Stews or soups. I put it in early and then pull it before I serve the dish. Adds a very nice flavor.
Onion If I don’t have fresh I will use some dried chopped onion to almost any dish. For me onion is a universal spice and goes in almost anything.
Cumin. I use this both in my Mexican Dishes but also some Indian recipes also. It add a wonder flavor to a few other ethnic dishes also like Jamaican Jerk Chicken.
You might have noticed but I put no mixes in there. No Chili Powder though I love it and no Italian Herbs mixes this was just a list of my favorite spices. In creating any list of spices you will be influenced by what foods you enjoy.
