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I'd say I have 100 if you include all the herbs & spices in various forms, different varieties of peppers & chiles, hanging bulbs of different garlic varieties, extracts and emulsions, different varieties of hot sauce, liquid smoke, and a few powdered condiments (powdered soy sauce, worchestershire, wasabi, etc).
I built an adjustable spice rack into a stud bay in my pantry wall, 14" x 90", but each shelf is only 4" deep so they stay organized and I don't "lose" any in the back.
When I didn't cook so much from scratch, I had maybe 20-30 with 10-15 blends.
I'm guessing in the 50-ish range. Many in a dry corner cabinet, others in the freezer. I buy quite a few Indian, Ethiopian and Middle Eastern spices at specialty store and online. Blends/pastes such as berbere and curry and garam masala usually end up in the freezer because they seem to keep much better frozen.
When I started canning more, I found that really helped me use up all the weakened seasonings in my cupboard and pretty much keeps me from having any that are over a year old.
Still, I personally found it hard to use up even one of the tiny bottles of some spices before they went flat. But I can use them up in home canning, especially if I give some of those jars away as gifts. For instance, I loathe clove & anise and only use a tiny amount in a couple dishes a few times a year, but several of my canning recipes for condiments use small amounts that aren't overpowering, and the few that are more noticeable my family & friends enjoy. So I can get one of the small bottles and use most of it up all at once before it has a chance to go flat.
Probably at least 100. Just brought back some brown mustard seeds & juniper berries from a recent trip, since you can't buy them around here. I also order online sometimes. Anybody want half a case of green peppercorns? J/k
What's funny, growing up, my Mama's spice collection was Morton's salt, black pepper (ground), & cinnamon. I right now have at least a dozen salts.
The seasoning pack I keep in my camping gear is probably more than some people have in their kitchens.
White iodized salt, pink mineral salt, black pepper, season salt/steak rub, minced garlic, garlic salt, onion powder, chili powder, curry powder, Italian blend, Old Bay, white sugar, brown sugar, vanilla infused powdered sugar, pie spice blend, and Tabasco. I'd say that's the minimum to cook anything you threw at me.
Probably at least 100. Just brought back some brown mustard seeds & juniper berries from a recent trip, since you can't buy them around here. I also order online sometimes. Anybody want half a case of green peppercorns? J/k
What's funny, growing up, my Mama's spice collection was Morton's salt, black pepper (ground), & cinnamon. I right now have at least a dozen salts.
That's funny...I have a sibling who is a major foodie (and can afford to be) and he collects various salts; he probably has a dozen at least too.
On the other hand (I was going to post a thread about this) I recently realized I have NO salt in my house, and I do a lot of cooking! In October it will be three years since I have been in this house and I'm pretty sure I've never bought or owned salt since I've been here.
I do have powdered veggie and chicken stock that I sometimes use in a pinch, so to speak. It's salty. And I use cheese fairly liberally, and cheese contains salt. I use lots of other spices and blends and lots of pepper. But no salt on its own, for the sake of it.
Not weird---different!
I don't use massive amounts of salt, but I have found that if I season the food while cooking, my husband won't put huge amounts on the food I serve. Just a little "kitchen witchery".
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