"variety is the spice of life" the same goes for your spice cabinet. You should always have on hand in your closet at the very minimum salt and pepper. These two spices have been around forever. Lets talk about salt and salt substitutes. With the rise of diabetes and high blood pressure people shy away from salt and or the quantity that they need to make a specific dish. Salt is personal, when chefs cook with salt it is always "to taste". Taste is also personal and every palate is different. So don't get wrapped around the axle on how much salt to use or how bad it is for you. Your body needs salt even in moderation. Now let's get to the types of salt. There is a difference in sodium levels between salt types. So the most popular are sea salt, kosher salt and iodized salt. Iodized salt has the highest sodium level per serving 590 mg , then comes sea salt at 470 mg of sodium per serving, and finally kosher salt which comes in at 280 mg per serving. There is also a distinct flavor amongst the three, to try and describe the taste is like describing the texture of rocks so for example iodized salt is like touching a brick it is hard and rigid no give, however we use iodized salt all the time in baking and cooking. Sea salt would be described as a piece of granite smooth, detailed and very clean. I like using coarse sea salt ground up in a coffee grinder (when you grind sea salt it becomes like a powder) on salad dressing and vegetable marinades as it brings out a cleaner taste to a healthy dish.
Then there is kosher salt which I would describe as marble, it is also smooth, refined, mild, and it has a very clean taste. When it is used in correctly in recipes it helps bring about a harmonious concoction of natural flavors that the dish is made up of.
So that is the skinny on salt, whatever you do try to always use the real thing verses substitutes when it comes to spicing with salt.
Now we come come to pepper, there are many different types of spice pepper: black, white, cayene, peppercorn, red pepper flakes to name a few. Pepper works differently than salt in such a way that we take it for granted when we prepare dishes. As salt brings out the natural flavor in foods, pepper enhances those flavors on a completely different level. I am not just talking about heat either. Hot and spicy is always great but what I am talking about here is the enhancement or upgrade of the final product.
Pepper is salt's best friend like ebony and ivory these two are always matched together, given the right amount and continually striving to have the perfect balance between the these two amazing spices is a difficult thing to do even for a veteran.
Finally other spices that should be in your closet besides the two mentioned are as follows:
Paprika
Salt
Pepper
Oregano
Basil
Garlic
This is a very short list but this should get you started rather quickly for any dish that you have in mind. Thanks for reading talk to you soon.
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