List of Spices for Shopping

Shopping is less of a bear when you have a list of spices to check off. Here's a spice chart, sort of a spice dictionary complete with flavors and uses.

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You can print off this list of spices as is, or, if you prefer a "cleaner look," download the pdf file by clicking here.

Name	Need?	Flavor	Comes in	Description	Uses	Notes
allspice		a combination of cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg	ground or whole	berry of myrtle family tree	soups, stews, marinades, seafood, baking, desserts	not a blend
anise		licorice	seeded, extract	seeds of parsley family plant	baking, salad dressings, seafood	used in liqueurs
capers		piquant, spicy	large or small buds. packed in brine	bud of caper bush	garnish for seafood, vegetables, marinades	similar taste to olives
caraway		sweet	seeded	seeds of parsley family plant	breads, vegetables, dips	rye bread and german dishes.
cardamom		sweet mint-like flavor	seeded, pods and ground	seeds of ginger family plant	pastry, fruit pies, cookies, cakes, puddings, sweet potatoes, spiced wines, bbq sauce	used in indian restaurants as a breath freshener.
celery		aromatic, slightly bitter	seeded, flaked leaves	seeds or chopped leaf of celery plant	canapes, dips, soups, garnish, cooking of seafood
cinnamon		spicy but sweet, mildly pungent	rolled up like a scroll or ground	bark of tree of the laurel family	breads, cakes, cookies, pastries, apple and other fruit dishes	put whole into spiced cider or mulled wine
cloves		pungent, hot	ground or whole	bud of myrtle family tree	ham, pork, fruits, marinades, sauces, soups, cakes, breads	insert into an onion to make a stock
coriander		slight lemon flavor	ground and in seed form	seeds of carrot family(cilantro) plant	candies, cookies, pastries, seafood, fruit sauces, stews, pork, vegetables	also called cilantro or chinese parsley.
cumin		strong, pungent, savory	ground and in seed form	seeds of parsley family plant	chili and curry powder, barbecue sauce, marinades, salad dressings, beans	used often in spanish dishes
fennel		licorice flavor	seeded	seeds of parsley family plant	salads, eggs, soups, sauces, seafood sauces, garnish
garlic		strong, pungent	fresh bulbs of cloves, powdered, minced, juice	bulbous root of lily family plant	sauces, soups, dips, marinades, salad dressings, garlic bread, garlic butter	keeps away vampires?
ginger		spicy, sweet, hot, savory	roots, crystallized, candied or ground	root (rhizome) of ginger plant	marinades, cakes, cookies, sauces, oriental dishes, curries
juniper		slightly bitter	berries	fruit of the juniper bush	rather strong, so good for game, poultry, and pates	gin flavor
mace		delicate nutmeg	whole or ground	skin (aril) of the nutmeg shell	cakes, cookies, pastries, puddings, breads, meats and poultry
mustard		pungent, hot	ground or whole	seeds of mustard plant	vegetable, meats, salads, egg and cheese dishes, sauces
nutmeg		sweet, spicy	ground or whole	fruit of the nutmeg tree	drinks, puddings, soups, sauces, desserts, pastries, glazed vegetables, pasta	use whole, freshly-grated for the best of tastes.
onion		aromatic, sweet	fresh or dried, flaked, ground or juice	root member of lily family	dips, soups, sauces, salad dressings, gravies, stuffings, egg and cheese dishes	put in the freezer a few minutes before cutting to help with tearing.
paprika		pungent, peppery but not hot	ground	pods of sweet red chili pepper	garnish, seafood, meats, soups, sauces and egg dishes
pepper, cayenne		very hot	ground	fruit of pepper plant	hot spicy dishes, chilies, blackened seasoning
pepper		pungent, hot biting	whole or ground and cracked	black or white fruit of pepper vine	general seasoning except baked goods	freshly cracked in a mini-grinder is really better.
pepper, red		hot biting	dried seeded, cracked or ground	seeds of a variety of hot red pepper plants	Mexican and italian dishes, sauces, meats
poppy		nutty, mild	dried seeds	seeds of poppy plant	garnish, breads, baked goods, pasta, eggs and cheeses
saffron		subtle flavor but beautiful color	stigmas or ground	stigmas of crocus flower	rice, soups, sauces, seafood, pasta, and vegetables	costly because of painstaking hand collection
sesame		nutty as tahini or flavoring for oil	whole, paste	seed of sesame plant	garnish for breads, salads,mid-eastern candy, oils
turmeric		slightly bitter and peppery	ground	root of lily family plant	salad dressing, bread, soups, rice, noodles, seafood	a beautiful yellow coloring. for rice
vanilla		sweet, rich	whole bean (cut open down the middle and scrape seeds out with a paring knife), or liquid extract	fruit (bean) of orchid plant	desserts, drinks, fruits, candies or french toast	the pure extract is much better than the artificial

To use the list of spices, simply run it off, match it against what you've got in your pantry, and put a checkmark wherever you need a particular item!

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This spice organizer does not have the "spice blends" that are so plentiful because they are unique to different brands and now, so plentiful in the stores. Personally, I would not be without fines herbes or herbes de Provence blends.

Like the list of spices, Formula Easy Recipes emphasizes charts and graphs for that "at a glance" guidance that frees the home cook from the tyranny of the cookbook.

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