# Preferred Brand of Dry Spices?



## iridium12 (Feb 24, 2015)

Now I know I will be opening a can of worms here - but please do entertain me here 

I wanted to check in with all of you if you happen to have a favorite spice brand?

Will most likely more appeal to the home cooks here (as in the professional setting I have seldom encountered a "brand" - more like a supplier or two), but still - would just really like to know what your favorite brand is, and why that is so 

Thanks in advance


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## millionsknives (Apr 25, 2014)

Penzeys has good stuff, but expensive.  I stay away from blends and pre ground spices in general since they don't last as long as whole spices.  I toast and grind my own for every dish.  Penzeys blends are always off by a little bit, like they are trying too hard to find use for one extra spice they sneak in.

Whole foods bulk spices are actually a really good deal.  It's in the indian food section usually.  You can find cumin, fennel, and a few others in bulk.  Good quality, good price.


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## pete (Oct 7, 2001)

I agree with MillionsKnives about Penzeys having good stuff.  It's pretty much all we use at home.  They aren't cheap, but the quality is excellent.  I buy a variety of dried herbs and spices from them, whole spices for those items that may sit around for a while and ground, for stuff that we blow through in a couple of months.  As for their spice blends, they are hit or miss.  They have a lot of different blends, some I think are lacking, while others are great.  Their Turkish Seasoning has become my "go-to" seasoning for grilling all kinds of meats and I use it just about any time I am not doing barbecue and using one of my own, personal blends.  You can order online, but they also have a presence in  a lot of major cities.  I don't know where you are, but its worth checking out their website and seeing if there is Penzeys close to you.  They usually have open jars of most of their products so you can smell and taste them to see if you like them.

I can't comment on Whole Foods, and their spices as I don't have a Whole Foods near by so don't purchase from them.


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## iridium12 (Feb 24, 2015)

@MillionsKnives @Pete

Thank you for the great insight - will definitely check out Penzeys - maybe they even ship to the Far East


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## couture cuisine (Jan 27, 2016)

Ditto on the Penzey's- I have used them for many years now. Great quality and I feel the prices are fair. I also tend to create my own mixes. It helps me to use up the herbs and spices while they are still fresh. I am seriously considering trying their pepper grinder. I know Bill put a lot of research into the design although my old Wm. Bounds still does a serviceable job.


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## millionsknives (Apr 25, 2014)

Ah out of the US I don't know if it is worth it to pay shipping.   You can't find good local suppliers?  That is where so many spices are imported from!


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## iridium12 (Feb 24, 2015)

Buying spices locally is not actually difficult as we do have spice markets - main reason I was asking about the favourite brands is because I am researching Spice Brands at the moment - more of a private undertaking (nothing academic or anything), just something out of curiosity


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## steve tphc (Sep 18, 2012)

Iridium12 said:


> Now I know I will be opening a can of worms here - but please do entertain me here
> 
> I wanted to check in with all of you if you happen to have a favorite spice brand?
> 
> ...


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The News and Record ran an article here in Greensboro about a new spice store that opened in the Friendly Shopping Center in Greensboro, NC called *the Savory Spice Shop*

Savory Spice Shop has an online presence and four company-owned locations in Colorado. Savory Spice Shop offers common to exotic herbs and spices which the freshly package to order in large to very small quantities. They also feature more than 140 blends of traditional seasonings to Savory creations. I was impressed that they had Summer Savory, three different types of Saffron, real wasabi powder and Shichimi Togarashi. I found their prices very affordable.

Quality and freshness are important but the help from staff that know their product has helped a lot. When I was trying to buy "real Ceylon cinnamon", the staff said smell the organic one too. It is a bit more expensive but we like it better. Turns out, they were right. You cannot chat with the big stores but you can chat with the staff here at any of the stores. You are only a phone call away (888) 677-3322.

In learning to master the role of chilies in South American dishes, having access to ingredients across that continent has been key. The shop has 66 varieties of chilies. I commonly use these 20:

Aji Amarillo, Ground Aleppo, Crushed Ancho, Ground Cascabel, Whole Cayenne, Ground Chipotle, Black & Red (Chipotle Morita, Mora or Colorado), Whole Crushed Red Pepper Flakes De Árbol Pepper, Whole Ghost Pepper (Bhut Jolokia), Ground Guajillo, Ground Habanero, Ground Jalapeno, Diced Japones, Mulato, Whole New Mexican, Hot Red, Ground Pasilla *****, Ground Pequins (Piquin), Whole Smoked Serrano, Whole Thai, Whole Mapuche Style Merken Seasoning (Merquen). Some of these add not only to the nose of the dish but too its unique color. Aji Amarillo imparts a nice yellow tint and is highly aromatic.
[h1]Trust is a key issue. Spices are expensive. Some places sell Spanish saffron that is a facsimile. [/h1][h1]Making "Basque Chicken" where will you get Paprika, Piment d'Espelette? No, I am not an employee but I did teach some cooking classes there.[/h1][h3] [/h3]


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## maryb (Mar 21, 2008)

Penzeys! I have bought from them for years and have never been disappointed! Mostly whole spices but their onion and garlic powder are good stuff!


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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

I also use Penzeys for anything I cannot find locally.


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## iridium12 (Feb 24, 2015)

Thanks a lot to all of you for your feedback


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## mickey1123 (Jan 21, 2014)

Try Spices, ETC. I have had good Luck with them.

www.spicesetc.com


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

I've done a number of spicesetc.com orders over the years. I'm especially fond of some of their oddball powders that are otherwise hard or impossible to find:

Smoke powder More versatile than liquid smoke and you have more control over the intensity. I think the flavor is better than liquid smoke. Keeps flavor a long time, but clumps up HARD. Grinds back up just fine. Very handy in a barbecue rub and some other fun places.

ground bay leaf--dried bay leaves don't grind well in a mortar & pestle or my repurposed coffee grinder. Not really hard to find but not common either. Surprisingly useful in sausage. Order in small amounts, doesn't hold flavor for more than 6 months really.

Dried cheese Powder This is more for some of my camping expeditions where cheese is desired but problematic to store. Can be hard to find in home consumer size amounts.

Wine Powders Kind of fun for rubs, injections and such where you want some concentration without the liquid. Not as strong as you might think though. Clumps and gets sticky, but breaks up OK again.

Soy Sauce Powder Powdered Kikkoman as I recall. Again handy for rubs and such. Clumps HARD, doesn't grind up again well by hand, but the coffee grinder handles it.

And since local Penzey's outlets were mentioned, I did some Googling. Got some place new to go visit now. It's out in traffic-light strip-mall hell though. 280 12300 S, Draper, UT 84020 10 AM to 6 PM.


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

I went out and visited the local Penzey's store. It was fun to browse and they had jars for sniffing from and such. It was a good adventure. Picked up some thyme and some sweet curry powder. The curry is mostly for Vietnamese cooking which doesn't go for heat in the curry so much. Conquering Banh Xeo is still on my list.


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## millionsknives (Apr 25, 2014)

Hmm I never used curry powder just turmeric.

I think from your post you need some more corn starch to make it crispy.


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## foody518 (Aug 6, 2015)

Wow, this is the first I've heard of Penzeys! And I've got one 20 miles from me too...shows my uncultured tastes 

I feel like I had heard from a friend Turmeric is more for the color than anything? Can anyone confirm/deny?


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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

foody518 said:


> I feel like I had heard from a friend Turmeric is more for the color than anything? Can anyone confirm/deny?


I can deny. Turmeric has a lot of taste.


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## pete (Oct 7, 2001)

Yes, turmeric is a pretty powerful coloring agent but it does also have quite a distinct taste to it.


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## millionsknives (Apr 25, 2014)

Anato seed is probably what I would use for the same color but less distinct flavor.  Or safron if you have too much money


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## chicagoterry (Apr 3, 2012)

I don't find annatto and turmeric to be very similar in color. Annatto is very red. Turmeric is very yellow. I've had to bleach stains from both out of my white Formica countertops more times than I can count!


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

If you make annatto oil, it is quite yellow. It's also used to color butter.

And cheese which is orange. Or the pibil dishes which tend to go red.

It's more versatile than just one color.


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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

MillionsKnives said:


> Anato seed is probably what I would use for the same color but less distinct flavor. Or safron if you have too much money


IMO Anato and Saffron each have their distinctive aroma and flavor, both completely different from Turmeric. I would highly recommend everyone makes their own test tastes and opinions because I find that most of what you read about those spices is BS. For example, I've often read that saffron was used for the color it added to dishes and not for its flavor - because it didn't have any. Which is obviously a huge nonsense.


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## foody518 (Aug 6, 2015)

Thanks for the input all. Definitely going to work through more spices and have more personal experience and opinions on them.


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## millionsknives (Apr 25, 2014)

@French Fries Safron has a smell that it is prized for. My point is that it is more subtle than turmeric, which has both a very strong smell and taste.


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## msbirdchat (Dec 1, 2015)

I love Penzey's. Most of their spices can be purchased in a small jar, so there is little to no waste, I buy more often and therefore the herb or spice is fresher. Also, they are always giving away free herbs or spices if you are on their email list and they offer a nice catalog monthly with good recipes in it.
Best of all, for me, they are very close to my home!!!

I grow fresh basil, thyme, parsley and mint in my garden.


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## sylviam (Jan 4, 2012)

Because of the recommendations in this forum I ordered some spices from Penzeys. I have to say the whole nutmegs I bought from them are bigger than any others I have purchased. When I ordered they had a special - and it seems they always have specials - spend a certain amount and get a spice (or two) free. I was very happy with them.


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## mhatter-1 (Jan 3, 2013)

That is one of my favorite sites as well


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## casinada (Apr 13, 2016)

FYI - Penzeys is great, very fresh. Patty Penzey Erd and her husband own The Spice House, which is the original business started by her parents, Ruth & Bill Penzey, Sr, in Milwaukee in the '50s. Online mail order available, large inventory, and also has some organic herbs and spices. 

Mountain Rose Herbs has a lot to offer online also - mostly organic.


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## kokopuffs (Aug 4, 2000)

In addition to Penzeys I also shop at *MySpiceSage.com*. For saffron I get Iranian saffron somewhere here in the southeast. Very veeeery red colored.


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## henryowen (Apr 13, 2016)

I prefer Simply Organic brand for spices


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