A Pinch of...

A friend of mine wanted to start cooking with herbs (at my frantic urgings) so we went to the grocery store and she spent over $70 on the beginnings of a good spice collection. Rosemary, basil, bay, marjoram, savory, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, thyme, chinese five spice, allspice, cream of tartar, parsley, coriander seed, mustard seed, cayenne, dill and perhaps a couple of others.

Outragous.

I told her that perhaps it was too spendy to buy in such small quantities, but she shrugged me off wanting to dive in. After taking care of her mother that had no use of her kidneys, she just never put any spices of any kind into her food. I freaked out when I saw no spices at all in her house other than some basic salt and pepper. Now, she thanks me a lot for introducing her to the chart that tells you what to cook with what. But I'm still sorrowful that she wasted all that money on pretty jars with hardly enough to get my family through six months of regular cooking. For what she paid for a half ounce, she could have bought a pound from my favorite bulk herb internet store.


Beans (dried)
cumin, cayenne, chili, parsley, pepper, sage, savory, thyme

Beef
basil, bay, chili, cilantro, curry, cumin, garlic, marjoram, mustard, oregano, parsley, pepper, rosemary, sage, savory, tarragon, thyme

Breads
anise, basil, caraway, cardamom, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, dill, garlic, lemon peel, orange peel, oregano, poppy seeds, rosemary, saffron, sage, thyme

Cheese
basil, caraway, celery seed, chervil, chili, chives, coriander, cumin, dill, garlic, horseradish, lemon peel, marjoram, mint, mustard, nutmeg, paprika, parsley, pepper, sage, tarragon, thyme

Chicken
allspice, basil, bay, cinnamon, curry, dill, fennel, garlic, ginger lemongrass, mustard, paprika, rosemary, saffron, sage, savory, tarragon, thyme

Corn
chili, curry, dill, marjoram, parsley, savory, thyme

Eggs
basil, chervil, chili, chives, curry, dill, fennel, ginger, lemon peel, marjoram, oregano, paprika, parsley, pepper, sage, tarragon, thyme

Fish
anise, basil, bay, cayenne, celery seed, chives, curry, dill fennel, garlic, ginger, lemon peel, mustard, oregano, parsley, rosemary, thyme, saffron, sage, savory, tarragon, marjoram

Fruits
allspice, anise, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, ginger, mint

Lamb
basil, bay, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, curry, dill, garlic, marjoram, mint, mustard, oregano, parsley, rosemary, savory, tarragon, thyme

Potatoes
basil, caraway, celery seed, chervil, chives, coriander, dill, marjoram, oregano, paprika, parsley, poppy seed, rosemary, tarragon, thyme

Salad Dressings
basil, celery seed, chives, dill, fennel, garlic, horseradish, marjoram, mustard, oregano, paprika, parsley, pepper, rosemary, saffron, tarragon, thyme

Salads
basil, caraway, chives, dill, garlic, lemon peel, lovage, marjoram, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, tarragon, thyme

Soups
basil, bay, chervil, chili, chives, cumin, dill, fennel, garlic, marjoram, parsley, pepper, rosemary, sage, savory, thyme

Sweets
allspice, angelica, anise, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, fennel, ginger, lemon peel, mace, nutmeg, mint, orange peel, rosemary

Tomatoes
basil, bay , celery seed, cinnamon, chili, curry, dill, fennel, garlic, ginger, gumbo file, lemongrass, marjoram, oregano, parsley, rosemary, savory, tarragon, thyme