people say they dont taste like anything so its a bit of a controversial subject.

Theres a huge conspiracy post from years ago about them that had me dying laughing when someone shared it with me, so here for you and anyone who many not have read it.

The Vast Bay Leaf Conspiracy

The Vast Bay Leaf Conspiracy by Kelly Conaboy Maybe you’ve had this experience: You throw a bay leaf into a broth, and it doesn’t do anything. Then you throw the rest of the bay leaves you bought …

Medium (medium.com)

I’ve heard this a lot actually. Maybe it’s like the cilantro thing. Some people taste it differently.

It’s a huge difference for me. Night and day. Garlic and…sour memories of garlic.

I normally don’t think of sugar as a spice but Flavor by Ottolenghi seems to use sugar as a spice.

There is a little sugar in most recipes but not a lot of it

Aromat is MSG I think

Oh I misunderstood. Yeah its interesting what is considered a spice in these comments

A recent cookbook I was using seemed to use sugar as a spice. It was used only in small quantities.

I just consider it one of the standard Italian spices… I rarely use it on its own.

See i consider onions and garlic as aromatics since they add depth and flavor with a more volatile flavor that is more aroma based.

So like dried chilis? Or bay leaves? They often are removed and not eaten but i would think they are spices.

Yup. Cause its more or less something that amplifies/modifies flavor of the original items, and that can mean a lot of things to a lot of different cooks.

Its also cultural. Food is a really interesting history and up until recently was not so easily shared.

You can never have too much thyme. \runs

Paprika I’ve found to be pretty key for anything chicken.

But I use MSG for basically everything now.

Cumin. It’s used in quite a lot of cultures in different ways.

A little bit can go a long way in most dishes. You get used to sweet though and soon you demand more and more.

Not what I use most, but coco powder is very underrated in savory dishes. Just a little bit can add a lot to many dishes. (the ones I use most have been well covered)

I also buy in bulk and did not appreciate how light and fluffy it was. I bought a bag on sale from Mt Rose Herbs, it was a long time ago I don’t remember how many ounces, but was more than 1, at most 4, and it was huge! I used it all the time. Lots of it, in any dish it could plausibly go in. That was more than a decade ago, maybe 2 now, but I’m still heavy-handed with it and use a lot to this day… just not as much as I used to.

/runs

This is a linux shop buddy. I got my eye on you.

I think in culinary terms garlic is most often used as a spice. Garlic powder would firmly fit the definition but might get more murky if you made a garlic dish (for example roasted garlic and potatoes).

I gotta say I also use to hell out of some garlic. If the recipe calls for like 1 clove I’m gonna be like I think you mean 5.

Grind it fresh. It’s soooo much better

Cocoa and cardamom go so well together. There’s even a high end chocolate shop named that in Houston. $5 per truffle and absolutely worth it. Your legs melt out from under you as you taste it.

laoganma

I wish I could get fresher jars of that stuff. It definitely has a shelf life. I tried several of the made-in-the-usa varieties and they all suck. Looking at you, J Kenji Lopez Alt’s momofuku chili crunch. Trash. It has no msg or fried soybeans in it!