Spices and jars

[neviditelny]

I'm looking to overhaul my little spice collection that I have and get a set of preferably glass spice jars.

What spices would you say would be the best to use for various kinds of cooking? I'm thinking of different curry spices, chili, paprika, basil, thyme, rosemary. What else would you recommend?

And do anyone have any glass jars that you recommend? I'm thinking about getting a stand for the jars as well so I'm happy for your suggestions

 

[Scam]

What spices would you say would be the best to use for various kinds of cooking? I'm thinking of different curry spices, chili, paprika, basil, thyme, rosemary. What else would you recommend?

Basil is "best" in curry. Rosemary is "best" in Chinese. I always put heaps of mustard seeds in my tomato sauces ..

Sorry, I'm being facetious .Surely only you can answer what spices you use?

 

[PapaLazaru]

I bought the full set of spices in Sainsburys as they come is proper screw on glass jars now.

I now just refill them with bags I buy from the local asian supermarket, so much cheaper.

 

[monkentage]

I buy them as I need them and in as small a quantity as possible. Where relevant whole so I can toast them. If they're over a year old I'll bin them and buy some more.

 

[neviditelny]

Sorry, I'm being facetious .Surely only you can answer what spices you use?

I'm also looking into widening my use of spices as I'm usually just very basic in my cooking.

 

[Scam]

In that case I would just watch some food shows, read some books/magazines etc and get inspired. If you see a recipe you like, go for it and buy everything you need.

I recently installed Yummly on my phone and it's pretty decent for inspiration.

Buying a while set of spices etc might very well just overwhelm you and put pressure on to use them.

 

[Raymond Lin]

I just buy them as I need them, there’s enough of them to last until they expire. It’s a mix of everywhere from Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and M&S.

 

[Glaucus]

Agreed. Buy as and when needed, just look up recipes if you want to cook different stuff. Other than spices you use lot of.

 

[diverse180]

...And do anyone have any glass jars that you recommend? I'm thinking about getting a stand for the jars as well so I'm happy for your suggestions

Can't really recommend any glass jars other than the Kilner ones, but personally I use these little spice tins and they're great...and they stack really well which saves on space.

Bought a box of 12 from Amazon when they were on sale.

 

[Lupis]

Cumin is pretty essential for many Mexican and Indian dishes. Cinnamon is ueseful and I find granulated garlic is good for sauces, especially when I realise I have forgotten to buy a bulb of the fresh stuff (which happens more than I'd like to admit). Dried basil, coriander and oregano are all very good to have.

Edit:

Try and avoid getting the spice jars from Asda, I think it is, (it's either them or tesco) that have the pop open plastic lids with 2 different sizes of holes for sprinkling. They never shut properly and definitley aren't air tight, so the spices won't last nearly as long as they should.

 

[jpaul]

... that have the pop open plastic lids with 2 different sizes of holes for sprinkling.

never 'sprinkle' spices can get steam inside ? (maybe you don't either)

would like spice containers where you can see contents from above - my quorate collection is probably ~15, which look untidy kept on the work surface so kept in a drawer and it is slow to identify them, currently most are old re-filled schawrz-like.
The Kilner type, see through ones, look a bit bulky.

Some eg cumin/paprika/curry have bigger containers since use them in much larger quantities.

For those not in Asian supermarkets, buy online at whole foods, since it is 1/4 of cost of supermarkets & fresher.

 

[D.P.]

Main thing is to not buy too much and try and buy whole. Spices didn't last that long, especially when pre-ground.

 

[ttaskmaster]

What spices would you say would be the best to use for various kinds of cooking? I'm thinking of different curry spices, chili, paprika, basil, thyme, rosemary. What else would you recommend?

Depends what you mean by 'curry'.
I do a lot of South African recipes, so my range will be quite different from yours, I imagine. I also despite corriander and cumin.
Just make a list of what spices you use in all your regular recipes and get those, with more of the frequently used ones.

And do anyone have any glass jars that you recommend? I'm thinking about getting a stand for the jars as well so I'm happy for your suggestions

The wife likes Kilner style jars. They come in all kinds of sizes, from tiny right up to "holds 2kg of rice" large!!

Spice Jar Holder - Make one. It's easy enough with a few basic hand tools!!
If you're a bloke, it's a traditional requirement for your Man-Card and for keeping the wife happy.
If you're a girl, you get double Girl-points and a nice spice rack to use!!

 

[Tuppy_Glossop]

Sunlight degrades the colours and aromas in spices. Avoid glass jars if possible

 

[Lupis]

Sunlight degrades the colours and aromas in spices. Avoid glass jars if possible

Living in Scotland that's not really an issue... I suspect most people keep them in a cupboard or drawer out of direct sunlight (if they are lucky enough to get it) anyway.

 

[-BA-]

I have two of these https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B008KYGLOM/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 in my cupboard. One fits nicely infront of the other within the depth of the cupboard. My most often used herbs and spices are in the front and the less often in the back. They're nothing fancy but serve the purpose well. I don't really like jars and stuff out on the counter all the time so this seems to make the best use of the space in the cupboard.