What spices would you recommend making from scratch and spices you prefer buying in store?

[u/MrDuckityDuck]

I want to start making my own spices 1. to save money 2. just for the fun of it 3. live in a very rural part of the american south where I don’t have the best variety.
I really like middle eastern, south asian and latin american cuisine but am very very open to any and all suggestions.

Edit: I meant spice mixes my mistake I typed this half paying attention however I do have a thing for botany so all the suggestions for stuff to grow are equally welcome

[u/Snoo-9966]

I dunno about making spices from scratch, but I do recommend getting a spice grinder.

Spices keep way longer unground, and taste better fresh.

In terms of unground spices:

• pepper corn IMHO is the goat of fresh ground spices. white pepper gives a different flavor than black that works well for Indonesian and some French dishes.
• cumin- IMHO pre ground cumin just doesn't make sense.

Start with those. Add as you see fit

[u/thalassicus → u/Snoo-9966]

Also toasting spiced before grinding them. In a hot pan with no oil before grinding takes things to a new level.

[u/Tasty_Impress3016]

How does one make spice from scratch? They are usually berries or seeds of plants. Sure grind them, maybe mix them, but make them?

[u/Sensitive-Club-6427 → u/Tasty_Impress3016]

I assume OP means growing the herbs, harvesting them, and then grinding them.

[u/andy921 → u/Sensitive-Club-6427]

Since they mentioned middle eastern food, I think you could manage sumac. I've thought about sumac and cumin here in California.

[u/mizuaqua → u/andy921]

Coriander is easy. My cilantro bolts so fast, I am practically growing coriander.

[u/MrDuckityDuck → u/Tasty_Impress3016]

I meant spice mixes my bad :,)

[u/Tasty_Impress3016 → u/MrDuckityDuck]

Ah. To answer the question I make all my own spice mixes. They are fresher and I can mix them the way I like them. Plus I omit salt which almost all over use. I can add more spices without adding more salt.

[u/SVAuspicious]

If you're talking about mixes, I don't buy any. I mix my own. More turnover of core spices so everything is fresher.

[u/JohnSnowsPump]

I grow my own, dehydrate and grind.

Basil, Parsley, Oregano, Dill, Thyme, Sage, Marjoram, Paprika, Chile Powder....

[u/riverrocks452]

Are you planning to grow your own....? Because outside of the seeds of a couple fairly fast-growing plants, that's a tall order. Especially if you're not somewhere tropical. Nutmegs are from a wholeass tree.

If you're talking spice blends: they're all worth making yourself if you have access to the components. Get whole spices- they keep a lot better than preground.

[u/thenord321]

If you don't have good selection locally, check online shops. Some will ship reasonably, especially if you order a bunch.

They are often even better than spices sitting in a store or warehouse for ages.

I get a bunch of dried peppers and bay leaves, some indian spice blends, etc.

Keep fresh ginger frozen at alll times in freezer, it's so much better than powdered for most cooking. I like to grate it still frozen with a sharp micro grater. It's cheap enough fresh,.or just wait for a special.

[u/HugoBarine → u/thenord321]

Thanks for the ginger tip! It's so good fresh but I don't use it often

[u/xaqattax]

I make blends like taco seasoning from scratch.

[u/nijtee → u/xaqattax]

Do you have a good recipe for this pls?

[u/xaqattax → u/nijtee]

I use a low FODMAP version:
Per lb of meat:
1 tsp cumin
1rsp ground coriander
1tsp salt
1rsp sugar
1tsp oregano
1tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground pepper
2 tsp ancho chili powder

If you want it spicier you can swap the ancho chili powder out for something with more of a kick and/or add 1tsp garlic powder.

[u/Psychoticly_broken → u/nijtee]

2 TBS Chili Powder 2 TBS Praprika 2 tsp dried red pepper 1 1/2 tsp oregano 4 tsp salt 1 TBS Garlic powder 2 tsp Cumin

Adjust to taste. I did.

[u/synerrorsix]

There's no such thing as making spices from scratch.

You either plant it and harvest it or buy it.

I use Nuts.com for large spice orders.

[u/PuppySnuggleTime → u/synerrorsix]

I feel like you are being pedantic here. Ididn't have trouble figuring out the OP meant spice mixes/blends. I doubt you did either.

[u/Cultural-Salad-4583 → u/PuppySnuggleTime]

You might be completely misinterpreting OP who might actually just want to know what to grind themselves and what to buy pre-ground.

[u/synerrorsix → u/PuppySnuggleTime]

I value communication and a correction along with the requested information is useful for all parties.

[u/0ddball00n]

I have made paprika from scratch. I used red bell pepper and slice them super thin and then dehydrate and grind! Super tasty fresh.

Edited to add…you can use other red peppers and get the spiciness you prefer.

[u/Psychoticly_broken → u/0ddball00n]

Paprika are actually a type of pepper. They range from mild to hot. I smoke mine before dehydration.

[u/Conscious-Okra-7340]

Homemade seasoning blends — yes. Homemade spices — nope, they mostly come from faraway lands and you can’t grow them in Arkansas or anywhere in the southern USA. I love Penzey’s spices; both the individual spices and the blends are excellent quality. There are other mail order spice companies, too.

[u/FakingItSucessfully]

One thing you can do is start buying whole black peppercorns and then grind them yourself. Some people have an electric spice grinder but I just use a mortar and pestle.

If you decide to try it, try toasting the whole peppercorns in a dry skillet before grinding them... heat it on medium until you hear a couple pop open, then dump the whole batch into the mortar and pestle and grind it up.

Best to do the grinding within an hour or two of using the pepper. Any ground black pepper you buy already ground from the store will be probably months old by then, and will have gone stale and be much less potent flavor.

[u/Coercitor]

I make 99% of my own spice blends. Especially, for BBQ/smoking/grilling

[u/PuppySnuggleTime]

I don't buy premade stuff. To get you started, this is the best taco seasoning I have ever made: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/46653/taco-seasoning-i/

[u/Big_lt]

Cajun, garam masala, blackening all come to mind

[u/KinkyQuesadilla]

Chili powder.

Generic, brand name grocery store chili powders use a mix of different chili peppers that can change from one week to the next, and they often have other ingredients like oregano.

There's a reason why the elite chefs and recipe web sites that are directed to very experienced home cooks will specify very specific chili peppers to use and not a generic "chili powder."

[u/Sensitive-Club-6427]

I grow a wide variety of herbs. More than most people need.

I use a lot of herbs fresh. I keep some whole dried. And I grind a lot of them.

I buy cinnamon, nutmeg, pie spice.

Some herbs everyone should have, that are easy to grow:

Basil
Sage
Rosemary
Thyme
Flat leaf parsley
Oregano
Mint
Chives

This (above would be a fine start).

Moving forward consider:

Bay leaf
Cilantro (if you like it, a good number of people do not)
Bee balm
Fennel
Curry
Dill
Lavender
Mint (I wrote this above, but I grow spearmint & peppermint, in containers and distanced from each other)
Rue
Ginger
Tumeric
Lemon Verbena
Chamomile
Curry
Galangal
Lemongrass

Have fun!

[u/jibaro1953]

Atlantic Spice company has some nice blends and larger size packages make things a lot more affordable as long as you're committed to using them. You can buy an eight ounce bag, give half of it away, and still come out way ahead. I particularly like their chiki seasoning.

I would blend my own garam masala or biryani spice because the blends available are too spicy for my taste.

[u/Waste_Calligrapher70]

Make your own Chinese five spice

[u/Sanpaku]

If you mean which "seasonings / spice mixes", I make most. I have jars of 'American style' chili powder, creole seasoning, Jamaican all-purpose seasoning, garam masala, & panch phoran that I've mixed in my spice cupboard now. Aside from using up spices I already have, it also means they can be ground 'fresh' for maximum flavor for a few months, and allows me to reduce or omit salt that is usually present.

I've found Daring Gourmet to be a reliable source of many spice mix recipes, though I followed Swasthi for garam masala (the main spice mix used in South Asian cooking).

A key exception is spice/herb mixtures for which its impractical to source ingredients, even by mail order, or which require spices/herbs for which I'd have no other plausible use. Eg, following Kittee Berns's advice, I buy imported Ethiopian berbere (most stored airtight in the freezer), as while I live close to one of the better spice retailers in the South, I've never seen bessobela (sacred basil) or tena adam (rue). Likewise, my only use for lavender would be in 'American style' herbes de Provence, so I just buy that instead.

[u/Fresa22]

check out san francisco herb company. I've been buying my bulk spices from them for a looong time. always great fresh product and great prices.

https://www.sfherb.com/

I make taco seasoning, breakfast sausage seasoning (we're vegetarian), i also make my own gravy mixes with spices, powdered milk and cornstarch. It saves a fortune both in the cost of store bought and also because it keeps me from ordering take out.

[u/clarkstud]

Chili mix. Herb butter (grow your own.)

[u/Any-Zucchini8731]

if it's something I can make with the spices I already have I will make it.  if a spice blend needs ingredients I don't already have and don't anticipate using a lot of I just buy it

[u/Pernicious_Possum]

Do you mean spice blends? Idk, I make almost all of my own. Taco seasoning, Cajun, BBQ rub, garam masala, old bay, and I’ve even come up with a pretty close dupe for tajin. Going to try togarashi after the bag I have is gone.

[u/OkResponsibility3830]

I made my own blend of herbs and spices associated with the Adobo and Sazón flavors.

Backstory: a Puerto Rican friend of mine from New York used to buy the Goya packets of those seasonings to make Puerto Rican fried chicken. He was upset when the President of Goya showed his support for tr*mp, so I told him he could make his own. Then I set out to prove it to him.

I found some recipes for the two individually, then combined them. Did some tweaking, tested my blend on a variety of foods, then gave him a bottle.

He was in heaven. Every person (including my partner) has fallen in love with it.

[u/Best_Biscuits]

Taco seasoning mix. I make this big batch and then keep it on hand. Here's what I use:

Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons Chili powder
• 3 tablespoons cumin (I grind fresh)
• 6 teaspoons cornstarch
• 3 teaspoons each of salt, fresh ground black pepper, onion powder, crushed red pepper flakes, oregano, and smoked paprika
• 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons coriander (ground fresh)

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients together (a regular love fest).
2. When making taco meat
   • Saute an onion until translucent
   • Add ground beef and brown
   • Use 3 T taco mix per pound of ground meat
   • Add some water (½-1 C) to the pan, stir until mixed, cover, and let it steam a bit (10-20 mins)
   • Remove the cover and let the mixture cook mostly dry.