Most humans, by nature, are undoubtedly nosy, and we here at Serious Eats will be the first to admit that curiosity drives a lot of what we do. There’s a particular joy that comes from seeing how other people live—their relationships, their homes, even their routines. (Just look at the flood of social media content dedicated to how influencers organize their bathrooms or get ready for the day).
So, in this vein, we decided to do our own version of peeking into the bathroom cabinet and asked our editors to share pictures of arguably the most essential part of every kitchen: their spice cabinets. From tidy and chaotic to pristinely labeled and carefully stacked, the Serious Eats team’s approach to spice organization truly runs the gamut. Unsurprisingly, all of the team’s cupboards are stocked with ingredients that make us even more excited about cooking. So for this edition of Into the Spice Cabinet, here’s an inside look at the most well-stocked part of our kitchens.
My absolute favorite spices of all are coriander seed and cardamom; to me, there’s no such thing as too much of either (which is something I need to be mindful of when developing recipes, since a lot of people aren’t quite as extreme about them). In recent years, my spice cabinet has been full of products from Burlap & Barrel; the quality is great, they pay equitable prices to farmers, and Ethan, one of the co-founders, is also a friend who lives in my neighborhood, so I’m happy to support them. I’ve ripped through their wild mountain cumin, cloud forest cardamom (reminder to self: need to order more), and “silk chili,” which is their Aleppo pepper offering. Beyond that, and without cataloging everything in my pantry, I also rely a lot on both basic Hondashi as well as dashi tea bags like these (oh, and the shichimi togarashi and sansho pepper powder are amazing). As for my spice pantry itself, as you’ll see, it’s a mess. A couple years ago I did a big organization project of my pantry, and I had everything neatly arranged and organized in containers, but it’s slowly spiraled out of control as I’ve bought more and more products without the space to hold them. For now, it’s just going to have to stay like that. —Daniel Gritzer, Editorial Director
My spice cabinet is filled with a range of spices from Diaspora Co., Burlap & Barrel, Oaktown Spice Shop, and Kalustyan’s here in New York City. I bake a lot, so you’ll always find vanilla beans, vanilla paste, vanilla sugar, and cinnamon in my pantry. A friend introduced me to chaat masala, a blend that includes amchoor (powdered dried green mango) and kala namak (a black salt with a savory, funky flavor), and now I use it to season all my favorite snacks: nuts, chips, and popcorn galore! Like Daniel, I rely a lot on dashi tea bags, and I make sure to keep bonito flakes on hand so I can whip up a batch of miso soup whenever I want. I also keep a variety of seeds—fennel, poppy, caraway, nigella—so I can make my favorite crackers from Gail’s Bakery in London. Oh, and for everyday cooking: Burlap & Barrel’s Purple Stripe Garlic Powder is my favorite. It just adds an incredible depth of flavor. This unfortunately does not all fit into my spice cabinet and a lot of it lives in my linen closet, which I’ve turned into a pantry! —Genevieve Yam, Culinary Editor
Many of the spices I have are bought at Whole Foods, purchased when I realize I’ve run out (or don’t have) something while shopping for a recipe. However, I do have a handful of favorite things I seek out: peppercorns from Kalustyan’s (I currently have their Tellicherry peppercorns), spices from Spicewalla (I love their turmeric, curry powder, and sumac), spice mixes from Spiceology (their blends are especially fun come grilling season—I like to use them for chicken wings cooked in my Traeger), and vanilla extract and paste from Heilala. We featured the latter in our guide to aromatic vanilla extracts, so I feel validated! —Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm, Associate Editorial Director, Commerce
Having just moved—which entailed throwing a lot of old foodstuffs away—my spice cabinet has been distilled to only include the ones I most frequently use (okay, and a few oddball additions I couldn’t bring myself to give up—looking at you, pickling spice!). And one old reliable, a spice I use very often (enough to buy a bulk bag of from Patel Bros) is cumin. Growing up, my mom would put cumin in tons of dishes, and I’ve followed suit with cumin-spiked chilis, curries, stir fries, and even bean soup. You’ll also find whole black peppercorns for everyday cooking, juniper seeds and wormwood from a vermouth-making stint, and—embarrassingly—everything bagel spice mix. But before you judge, know it was actually for making bagels! I also recently got a jar of Aleppo pepper from a local specialty foods shop, and I sprinkle it on pretty much anything, but most especially enjoy it on my morning hard-boiled egg. —Grace Kelly, Commerce Editor
I recently moved back in with my parents as a temporary venture, and while it’s been an adjustment, the one thing I’m most excited about is using their kitchen. Aside from it being fully stocked with equipment my tiny New York City apartment kitchen couldn’t fit (a spice rack or two is all I could muster), their spice cabinet is also loaded with so many spices that it’s practically overflowing. The main flaw? My mom, the home-cooking queen, uses scent to identify many of the spices, and even after my attempts to label everything, she’s reluctant to follow suit whenever a new spice enters the mix. Until I train my own nose, I need her close by most times I cook, but the trade off is worth it for the ingredients she has available—we’re talking everything from Lebanese tahini to Palestinian za’atar and whole allspice (my mom much prefers keeping whole spices on hand and grinding them every time she cooks).
I’ve also incorporated my own spices since I’ve been back, including Burlap & Barrel’s Aleppo pepper and black Urfa chili, which are my favorites to add to almost anything. (As other staffers have mentioned, the brand’s spices are top notch, and I’ve recently started gifting them to other food-loving friends.) And it never hurts to have Fly by Jing’s Sichuan chili crisp on hand for an extra boost of flavor for anything from eggs to quesadillas. —Yasmine Maggio, Associate Editor
Minimalism is… the spice of life? I won’t pretend my collection is the biggest or best, but I use every jar and tin regularly. Related: I highly recommend steeping milk with lavender, and using it in coffee! It’s fancy and it’s good! Not pictured are my black pepper grinder and emotional support tin of flaky sea salt. –Rochelle Bilow, Commerce Editor