Essential Seasonings You Need to Stock Your Kitchen

Stock your pantry with these fundamentals, and you’ll be able to turn out flavorful, healthy meals any day of the week. From Just Married & Cooking: 200 Recipes for Living, Eating, and Entertaining Together.

Turning out tasty, well-seasoned food takes a little more than that starter spice rack you got for your first apartment. This is a fantastic list of fundamentals that’ll get you through every recipe in this book. Buy whole spices when possible and grind them (with an inexpensive coffee bean grinder) as needed. If that’s not an option, buy them in ground form and be sure to store in a cool, dark area (directly above the stove is not the best place to store spices). Vinegars and oils are also best kept in a cool, dark place.

• kosher salt
• whole black peppercorns, for your pepper mill
• cumin
• coriander
• paprika
• smoked paprika
• cayenne
• dried basil
• dried marjoram
• dried oregano
• fennel seed
• mustard seed
• ground cinnamon
• ground ginger
• nutmeg, buy whole and grate on a Microplane as needed
• onion powder
• garlic powder

Non-Spice Essentials

• vanilla extract
• almond extract
• honey
• sriracha hot sauce
• vinegar-based hot sauce — Tabasco or Cholula
• soy sauce
• fish sauce
• Worcestershire sauce
• sesame oil
• vegetable oil
• olive oil
• vinegars: balsamic, red wine, white wine, cider