The 9 Spices Our Food Editors Use Most in Their Home Cooking

From anise to za'atar, there are many spices to fill your spice rack with—in fact, it's easy to get overwhelmed by the range available. Stocking up on spices eats into your food budget and takes up space in your kitchen, so it's wise to shop thoughtfully. But where to begin? What is the essential spice list that works for most home cooks?

We asked our food editors for their recommendations for a general spice library. While you may have heard that you can't cook unless you have 30 spices in your kitchen, our experts say that's not the case. These nine essential spices are the ones our editors reach for the most and should be readily available at your local supermarket.

Buying and Storing Spices

Our test kitchen editors recommend buying whole spices whenever possible and grinding them as needed since ground spices don't last as long as whole ones. Ground spices taste fresh for about six months; give them a quick sniff before using to make sure they are still potent. Buy those you need less frequently in the smallest containers possible, and store all spices in a pantry or another cool, dark, dry spot.

Allspice

Allspice is often mistaken for a spice blend because its flavor is so multi-dimensional. In fact, it's just one spice, a large brown dried berry of the tropical Pimenta dioica tree. Allspice is a relative of clove and native to the West Indies and Central America, and it shines in both sweet and savory uses. It's an essential element of Jamaican jerk seasoning and Swedish meatballs, and is used in mulled wine and pumpkin pie spice. 

Cayenne Pepper

Cayenne pepper is the ground form of a dried chile pepper. It's not the same as chili powder. Cayenne is the backbone of many hot sauce recipes and provides the heat in Cajun and Creole recipes like jambalaya. It's also an essential ingredient in chili powder and balances out some creamy or cheesy dishes like Mexican-style street corn or mac and cheese. It also adds a touch of heat in spicy chocolate cookies.

Cinnamon

A favorite warm spice, cinnamon is used in many baking recipes, from apple pie to cinnamon rolls to snickerdoodles. But it is also good in savory dishes and is featured in popular spice blends like five spice, berbere, and pumpkin pie spice. While we generally recommend whole spices, cinnamon sticks are difficult to grind at home, so go with ground cinnamon.

Cloves

A richly aromatic spice, cloves are powerful, and a little goes a long way. We often use them in baking everything from gingerbread to pumpkin pie, but they are essential to a number of savory dishes too, including pho. We recommend keeping whole cloves in your spice rack as some recipes use the whole spice, and grinding them when you need the powdered version.

Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

A little bit of heat is useful for many dishes; that's where crushed red pepper flakes come in. We use them to finish dishes as much as in cooking. Try them on guacamole or pasta or sprinkled on pizza, anywhere you need that heat.

Cumin

A very versatile spice, cumin adds an earthy, aromatic, slightly nutty note to all kinds of dishes, from lamb tagine and carne asada to roasted acorn squash. It's also an essential ingredient in well-known spice blends like curry powder and chili powder. We prefer to have cumin seeds on hand and grind them fresh, but if you don't have the time or energy to grind the spice, buy a small jar of ground cumin. 

Ginger

Maybe you always have fresh gingerroot in your refrigerator? Ground ginger is powerful in a different way and is a spice we always have on hand. You can't make gingerbread or ginger cake without it (or pumpkin pie spice).

Nutmeg

While we previously mentioned we prefer whole spices to ground, nowhere is this advice more important than with nutmeg. Use whole nutmeg and a nutmeg grinder or grater (or your spice grinder) because pre-ground nutmeg is just not as good or as pungent as freshly ground. It loses its vibrancy quickly. Make sure your nutmeg is fresh for béchamel sauce, creamed spinach, and especially for grating on top of eggnog.

Sweet Paprika

Sweet paprika is a powder made from ground red pepper pods. There are also hot and smoked paprikas. (If the type is not indicated on the spice jar, it's most likely sweet.) Paprika has a rich red color and is used with meat, poultry (like chicken paprikas), seafood, and vegetables. It's also used as a garnish on deviled eggs.

Our Test Kitchen's Basic Seasoning

Use some of our basic spices (plus kosher salt) to make this great seasoning for pork, chicken, or fish:

Combine:

• 4 teaspoons sweet paprika
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

Store in a jar for up to three months.

Watch and learn the right way to grind spices: