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!

Here’s a secret for garlic powder - add just enough drops of water to hydrate it then toss it in the microwave until it bubbles. You’ll turn your garlic powder into *hot* (like spicy) garlic. I’ll add butter too when I microwave it and leave it in there until the water boils away to make the best garlic bread.

Interesting. You might be right. The whole “does x taste the same to me as it does to you” question is fascinating, and I hadn’t thought about it here. For me, jarred garlic lacks a bit of the bite and spice of fresh garlic, and tends to be weaker after cooking, but I don’t associate it with any sour flavor. Basically, it’s “rounded-off” garlic to me.

Now I’m curious how you experience powdered garlic. That tastes even less strong to me than jarred, and maybe slightly processed, but I wonder if that has a stronger effect on your palate.

cardamom is exotic in coffee. Rosemary and potatos just work.

This probably is gonna give away more info about me than it should (iykyk)

Hatch Green Chili powder. I put a little bit of that stuff in and near everything, except in chili season, where I use fire roasted fresh green chilies instead.

Edit: Autocorrect for->fire

Cinnamon. Goes in both breakfast and dinner recipes.