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Bill Penzey's sister has her own shops in Chicago and Milwaukee. She has a broader variety of spices and is willing to answer just about any question you would ever want to know about any spice.
Is there a Winco in your neighborhood? The bulk bin spices at Winco are usually quite good. They do enough business that the spices are fresh, and the prices are reasonable.
I buy some of my spice at the Mexican market. Many of the Mexican spices are also used in Indian, Jamaican, Cajun, and African, recipes.
For unusual spices, I've bought from Penzey's before and had a good experience. I don't like Penzey's 5 spice, but everything else has been good.
If you have Cash And Carry, or other restaurant supply, the Tradewinds brand does a really strong fresh dried herb. I've bought their oregano, basil, black pepper, and sea salt, all of them excellent. My son says I can't use that big a bottle and I said that for what I paid, I can throw half of it away if it goes stale and still come out ahead on money.
Bill Penzey's sister has her own shops in Chicago and Milwaukee. She has a broader variety of spices and is willing to answer just about any question you would ever want to know about any spice.
Both can provide you with high quality spices. However, if you have special needs, Patty Err, owner of the Spice House is a great resource.
Yep - I'm firmly in The Spice House camp. I always loved Penzeys, but when I discovered The Spice House, I found I much prefer their merchandise and selection. From what I gather, the siblings aren't close.
Spice House's Vulcan's Fire and Gateway to the North are two herb and seasoning blends we make sure we never run out of. Those are also two blends that Penzeys does not market an equivalent version of.
Yep - I'm firmly in The Spice House camp. I always loved Penzeys, but when I discovered The Spice House, I found I much prefer their merchandise and selection. From what I gather, the siblings aren't close.
Spice House's Vulcan's Fire and Gateway to the North are two herb and seasoning blends we make sure we never run out of. Those are also two blends that Penzeys does not market an equivalent version of.
Here are my experiences with the two firms.
Penzey's has a lot of physical stores all over the country. The employees are helpful but there is no culinary experience among their staff. They are friendly and can tell you where you can find things but miss an opportunity as there is no place to really try the spices.
Bill Penzey gets too political in a lot of his catalogs. I am less interested in what he has to say about the Wisconsin situation as much as the spices.
The Spice House is VERY interested in the local community and has sponsored a LOT of events including the Midwest Foodways Alliance at the midwestern state fairs.
The Spice House also has a better selection of specialty spices. Also, the owners and their staff are experts on spice and are willing to share their experiences with their customers.
As for spice mixes, I would rather make my own. It keeps down the number of spice jars in my spice rackS.
I did sneak into Penzey's yesterday as I am out of a couple of necessary spices (bay leaves, basil, etc.) even though I promised my spouse taht I was using up the stock that I have.
They have been around for years and their stuff is sustainably harvested. They carry loads of organics, and the country of origin is listed for each spice they sell - this is huge if you are trying to avoid toxic and counterfeit Chinese spices.
Their quality is A++++++++
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