If you are a self-proclaimed home cook, did it ever cross your mind which spices and herbs are essential and must-haves for your condo kitchen pantry?
A collection of spices and herbs is one of the few things modern condo dwellers are eyeing to have inside their condo kitchen racks. Few of us may have been obsessed with how different endemic and exported spices would smell or taste.
However, do we even know what are the most essential out of these various numbers of spices and herbs? This article will help you start looking for the must-have spices in your condo kitchen space.
Essential Spices for your Condo Kitchen
When you are stocking up your kitchen, the options available in the groceries in the Philippines might be for general consumers. However, some stores can give you the most overwhelming spices selection as well.
Aside from everyone having different preferences especially with the spices. Here are some of the lists of spices you certainly must keep around in your kitchen rack.
Red Pepper Flakes
The crushed red pepper or red pepper flakes is a condiment most often produced from cayenne-type peppers. Keeping this spice around can give you the best-tasting homemade marinara sauce.
If you are also a fan of making your meals taste of a bit kick of heat, then red pepper flakes can be an immediate solution to your buds.
Often red pepper flakes are used in pasta, pizza toppings, soups, and marinades.
Garlic Powder
If you have some kitchen emergencies especially when you cannot find any garlic bulb to add to your recipe then storing a garlic powder can be your remedy. Although having a clove of fresh garlic is much better using the garlic powder can save you much time.
Plus, some professional chefs and home cooks dedicated a mixture of garlic powder and salt in one spice canister for their garlic salt.
Ground Cinnamon
Ground cinnamon is an absolute must-have especially in baking and as well as cooking. If you are the typical home cook that loves to bake, then you will never afford to lose cinnamon from your kitchen pantry.
Given the fact that ground cinnamon is used, particularly in pastries. It can be applied in savory dishes too for additional flavor and dimension.
Whole Nutmeg
As everybody knows fresh is always better and keeping a whole nutmeg is better than the pre-ground counterpart.
Nutmeg can be used in baking, entrees, and desserts. The distinct pungent fragrance and a warm slightly sweet taste can give a flavorful addition to your recipe.
If you cannot seem to find the whole nutmeg in your local stores a good alternative is the mace which has a more delicate flavor but a little bit lighter in terms of sweetness.
Cayenne Pepper
Cayenne pepper is a moderately hot chili pepper used to flavor dishes. Enjoying a meal with added cayenne pepper can help the body increase heat production.
It is a spice with high metabolism-boosting properties. A meal with cayenne pepper can help in your diet with its thermogenesis capability.
This type of spice is usually used fresh and applied to seafood, eggs, meats and stews, hot sauces, and curries.
Ground Cumin
One of the most essential Indian spices is cumin. It works well with a lot of rice dishes, stews, soups, bread, pickles, sauces, and chili con carne recipes.
This aromatic spice can be used any time in a recipe as its application does not need any heat or even time for its flavor to be infused.
Ground cumin has an earthy, warm, and slightly peppery flavor to it and its aroma works well with chili recipes too.
Onion Powder
Similarly, with garlic powder, onion is predominantly used in most dishes. With an onion powder, you can easily save much time seasoning any recipe, especially during hectic schedules.
You can use onion powder as rubs, spice blends, other dressings, and vinaigrettes. This commonly used seasoning is incredibly useful in the kitchen as it provides a similar flavor to fresh onions.
The pungent flavor, a hint of sweetness, and sulfur can be a shortcut substitute whenever you ran out of fresh onions in the rack.
Essential Herbs for your Condo Kitchen
The use of herbs generally differs from spices by the culinary needs of a given dish.
Ultimately, herbs are plants with savory and aromatic fragrances. Herbs can help in the flavors, garnishes, and medicinal properties of a dish.
Hence, it will also be fine to keep and store some of essential herbs in your kitchen.
Dried Bay Leaves
Bay leaves are mostly used to season long-cooking dishes such as braises, stews, and soups. It can also be used to enhance the richness of flavor among quick-cooking dishes such as risotto.
The woodsy aroma of bay leaves can help a dish with a little amount of liquid to get the process of infusion going. Meanwhile, you may also watch out for using dried bay leaves as too much of it can cause bitterness in your dish.
Before eating a meal applied with dried bay leaves, do not forget to remove the leaves before serving the meal.
Dried Basil
Are you fond of Italian cuisines? If you answered yes, then, it is mandatory to keep dried basil inside your spice cabinets. It is also recommended to store fresh basil during its season.
Dried basil is three to four times stronger than fresh herb. It is generally used for pizza sauce, salads, and pasta. It can also be used for tea and marinades.
Celebrate Italian cuisine with the use of the aromatic dried basil in your next home recipes.
Dried Oregano
Mediterranean flavors of cooking use a lot of the pungent flavor from dried oregano. It is mostly used in dishes such as meat, pizza, and vegetables.
Oreganos are also affiliated with medicinal herbs and have been attributed to curing many ailments including muscle pains and skin sores.
If you have run out of oregano you simply substitute it with basil.
Keep Your Spices and Herbs at Bay in a Neat and Clean Condo Kitchen
Before starting to collect and keep your herbs and spices in your condo kitchen, it is a rule to have them stored in a cool and dark place. Many home cooks tend to keep the spices above the stove to have an ease of reaching it easily during cooking.
However, with the increase of heat exposure, you can reduce your herbs and spices potency. The same thing goes for having your spices and herbs above the fridge.
You may also see to it not to amass so much of these herbs and spices for their potency can also last that well for six months. But it is still fine to use if you can have them completely stored properly inside your condo kitchen.
Design your Condo Kitchen Appropriate for Storage
Having to layout your condo kitchen as early as you move in from the time you purchased it can serve you better in the long run. Especially if this is your most favorite part inside your condo.
Keeping those spices at bay will also require a good condo kitchen layout. Well, if you are planning to find a good condo unit layout for your dream kitchen then start looking at Vistaland and Lifescapes Inc. the newest brand of mid-rise condo developments in the Philippines, Camella Manors.
Camella Manors offers promising project locations which offer affordable and high-quality condo investments across the country.
The movability and comfort of having a good space for your kitchen await you in every Camella Manors project through economical sizes of condo units for sale.
Check out a few of our affordable condo properties for sale today and discover the home cook inside you!
