by Scarlett de Courcier

Created on: February 17, 2009   Last Updated: February 20, 2009

The importance of a well-stocked spice rack cannot be underestimated. Of course, you can't have everything all the time. Not if you're as pushed for time as most of us are, anyway. So, what are the basics? The simple (and obvious) answer to this question is that it depends what you cook most often. Personally, my day-to-day cooking tends to be:

~ French ~ Mediterranean ~ Romani ~ Entirely made-up

... and, from time to time, when we need a treat, it will include:

~ Curry ~ Cake

Curries and cakes are wonderful things to make yourself, and far less time-consuming than many people seem to think.

My own spice rack currently contains:

~ Cardamom pods. These belong to the ginger family, and are good for adding a smoky undertone to meat dishes. They're quite strong though, so generally not for the sensitive pallette. But then, I'm one for bold flavours.

~ Hot chilli powders, because I'm a vindaloo girl and he's a sucker for punishment.

~ Hot curry powder, for the same reason. There are also some fresh chillis which inevitably get thrown into any curry.

~ Coriander. Another good curry ingredient, but also lovely in a soup along with carrot and onion. Perfect winter warmer. Which, considering the weather we've had lately, is just as well.

~ Garam Masala. More curry.

~ Mixed herbs. Ok, so it's a herb-and-spice rack. Mixed herbs are arguably the most important thing in my kitchen. I use them in everything. Literally. Apart from cake.

~ Paprika. Yet more curry ingredients. It seems that I have the most ingredients for the foods I make least often. Though I suppose this makes sense, in some ways.

~ Black Pepper. Another staple, and one which people seem to forget. This surprises me. Pepper is wonderfully flavoursome, and shouldn't just be thought of as a 'salt-and...' ingredient.

~ Turmeric. I originally bought this to use in curries, which I do; however, I've discovered it's also quite nice in small doses on chicken. Brush it over chicken that has already been moistened with a delicious concoction of herbs/garlic/spices to give it a little lift and some extra colour. Because let's face it, chicken isn't the most colourful of foods.

~ Cinnamon. For cakes, and to make the kitchen smell good.

~ Nutmeg. For use sparingly in cakes, not quite so sparingly in pork dishes, and with gusto in pies.

~ Ginger. I'm lying: this isn't currently in my spice rack, because I have some fresh ginger that I'm grinding by hand when I want to use it. I like doing things the hard-but-nice way, as my boss will tell you regarding my living arrangements.
Ginger is, however, a staple ingredient in any kitchen; it goes with almost anything, and is surprisingly versatile. Try it next time you cook something you wouldn't put ginger in. And if it all goes wrong, don't blame me.

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