I’ve really enjoyed working with the Spice Islands team, creating recipes for the Flavor Explorer blog, using their excellent spices and learning from their experts on what makes their spices stand out from others. I use spices daily in my baking, often mixing cinnamon and cloves in spice cakes, or infusing vanilla beans for ice cream or syrup for poached pears. And while I spent some time with classic flavors, I also got a chance to play around with seasonings like wasabi and garam masala, too.
The next Explorers will be Todd and Diane of White on Rice Couple, who have a beautiful garden, and endless ideas to use their fresh produce. I can’t wait to see what recipes they come up with!
But I’d like to share some of my favorite spices and baking ingredients from Spice Islands before I hand the baton off to Diane and Todd. I’ve assembled 10 baker’s chests of seasonings that you can have a chance to win. Simply leave a comment mentioning your favorite baking spice or seasoning, and you’ll be entered to win. The winners will be chosen at random (please see contest rules here.)
Bonne chance!
Spice Islands ground Saigon cinnamon
Once you start using Saigon cinnamon in your baking, you’ll never go back to ordinary cinnamon again!
Spice Islands Saigon cinnamon sticks
I use cinnamon sticks when poaching fruit or infusing in custards to add a spicy-sweet background note.
Spice Islands whole nutmeg
Grated fresh nutmeg is a wonderful addition with other spices in gingerbreads and spice cakes.
Spice Islands cream of tartar
I’ll often add a pinch to egg whites to help them stabilize when beaten. Great for meringues and soufflés.
Spice Islands crystallized ginger
These zippy nuggets are perfect tossed in a bowl of oatmeal or baked in an apple crisp, or creamed into gingersnap cookie dough.
Spice Islands cinnamon sugar grinder
Fresh, aromatic cinnamon is yours at the turn of a wheel. Grind cinnamon over warm, baked apples with a scoop of vanilla ice cream melting alongside.
Spice Islands orange peel
Soak a little dried orange in orange liqueur, and include the bits of concentrated flavor in a fruit compote or pancake batter.
Spice Islands ground cloves
A touch of cloves adds a bit of zing to fall desserts that include apples or pears, or add a pinch to give a plum compote an elusive note of flavor.
Spice Islands pure vanilla extract
I always have a bottle of vanilla extract within reach when baking; its sweet, smooth scent accents everything from chocolate chip cookies to quick breads.
Spice Islands vanilla bean
Plump beans are filled with tiny seeds, waiting to impart their floral aroma to a batch of freshly churned vanilla ice cream.
Husband and wife team LINDSAY LANDIS and TAYLOR HACKBARTH are entrepreneurs by day, running a web and graphic design business out of their home in Nashville, Tennessee. By night they cook, bake, and eat all manner of delicious things. Their food blog, Love & Olive Oil (http://www.loveandoliveoil.com), chronicles their culinary adventures in and around the kitchen. Lindsay is the author of The Cookie Dough Lover's Cookbook (June 2012, Quirk Books), and their next book, a joint endeavor entitled Breakfast For Dinner, is set to be published in February of 2013.
Gaby Dalkin is private chef, recipe developer, food stylist and photographer specializing in simple and sassy recipes for the home cook! Her website, What's Gaby Cooking started in 2009, and includes her latest original recipes as well as her adventures in the food world. 
Other than salt, I’d have to select cayenne pepper as my favorite spice. I use it more than I do black pepper–just less at a time. I use it in soups, too add that zing, on eggs, with most meat dishes, eggs, just about anything other than sweets. But I’ve even used it with sweets that are chocolate based.
Whole Nutmeg…. love it in egg dishes, mac and cheese… and so on! mmmmmm
My favorite spice when baking? Cinnamon. For seasoning, it’s salt, all the way.
I love mace. I use Sheila Lukins scone recipe and add mace instead of nutmeg, it makes the best scone ever!
Vanilla beans are probably one of my most favorite spices. There are no substitute when making ice cream.
I can’t get enough of cinnamon. I love it’s warm, spicy flavor but also it’s healthy anti-inflammatory qualities. I use it often as possible, including decadent David Lebovitz recipes!
Love cinnamon on my morning “bowl of goodness”. Freshly ground black pepper is a must on almost everything!!
I love baking with cinnamon. I know it sounds pretty plain, but it really does accent so much, so well!
Cinnamon by far !!!!
In baking, cinnamon is my first love… but lately I’ve been falling for cardamom. I’ve used it in rustic fruit tarts, to flavor whipped cream, in ice creams, in teas — delicious.
Although not mention, Cardamom is my favorite spice. If I had to choose from the list above, I would choose the Vanilla Bean.
my favorite baking spice is definitely vanilla bean – there’s just nothing else that comes close to that intense aroma.
Cinnamon. Cannot imagine life without cinnamon.
There would be a strong battle between vanilla and cinnamon. Both are very useful and necessary in my baking.
Cumin. Most overlook spice in the cabinet, and useable in so many ways!
Without a doubt, Saigon cinnamon. The warmth and intensity are so intoxicating! It lifts up everything I combine it with — chocolate, other spices, vanilla, orange.
Love saigon cinnamon!
There are so many…but my overall favorite is probably freshly ground pepper. It adds a nice note to sweet foods as well as savory. I just made a batch of strawberry preserves with balsamic vinegar and black pepper…delicious!
I love vanilla in baking and cumin in seasonning!
I love smoked paprika and use it in many recipes. It provides a nice smoky flavor with warm paprika flavors but not the heat of chipotle.
Hands down, it’s ginger, whether in dried, crystallized, or fresh form. There’s just something about the sweet warmth that makes all the difference!
My favorite spice is probably clove. One time on accident I added something like 5 tablespoons of ground clove to brown sugar thinking it was cinnamon for cinnamon rolls. Thankfully I was able to scope most of it out and add the cinnamon instead, but it made the cinnamon rolls extra delightful!
love the vanilla extract!
I love Mexican vanilla extract. The smell is divine, and I swear that it adds a little extra somethin’ somethin’ to chocolate chip cookies.
The whole nutmeg is my favorite in making desserts as well as entrees! (Pick me!)
I love the Orange Peel, I use it in my cinnamon bread and everyone just loves it!!! Of course I also love the cinnamon…..Spice Islands are the BEST!!!
Cinnamon – you can do so much with it! For seasoning, I really like chile powder.
Aurrrggg, how can I choose? I use all but the orange peel ( I use fresh) on a weekly basis, but I’ve never heard of a cinnamon sugar grinder. Sounds wonderful!
I’m a spice freak, but the most versatile might be whole nutmeg since I use it for sweet and savory dishes and even drinks. It goes in every bechamel, grated over dark greens, egg nog, cookies, cakes and even tastes good in iced coffee.
I love vanilla beans….
I use vanilla extract in almost everything I bake! It’s indispensable to me.
Definitely nutmeg! I put it in everything, from sweet to salty. It gives a lil something extra, especially in dishes with cream in them!
I love cinnamon. It use it in a least something everyday – coffee, oatmeal, salad dressing, roasted chickpeas, grilling.
Whole nutmeg is wonderful. It’s great in so many baked goods and also as a “secret ingredient” adding that special something to things as varied as a cream sauce or stir fried spinach.
I love using amazing Saigon Cinnamon in my baking, but even more on my son’s beloved “Banana Porridge.” He now thinks Banana-Porridge-with-Special-Cinnamon is all one word!
For baking, it’s cinnamon. For everything else, I’ve been on a black mustard seed kick. I’ve been spluttering them and putting them in just about everything. I’ll have to think about baking with them too.
Smoked paprika…swoon.
Cinnamon for baking. And I love Cumin: so smoky without too much heat.
I’d say cayenne pepper… a dash of it makes most things better!
My favorite baking spice is pumpkin pie spice. Fall is my favorite season and getting all those warm comforting spices together in one jar is heavenly. I like mixing some with warm milk to add to my coffee or spicing up my regular cookie or brownie recipe. Also necessary for making a beloved fall dessert: pumpkin cheesecake! I love it so much I add it to simmering water on the stove top with orange peels, and whole cloves and cinnamon sticks to fill my whole apartment with warmth.
I’m hooked on ginger lately – for baking and cooking. It ads a freshness and snap to simple dishes. Love it, and crave it!
I love the combination of orange and anise.
Coriander!! I slip it into so many dishes, sweet and savory.
I love Vanilla Beans and Grains of Paradise!
I am a big fan of vanilla for sweet applications. As far as savory goes, New Mexico chile powder is another favorite .
I’m loving the vanilla bean lately. Have made a few patches of ice-cream – and saved the pod in some sugar – creating vanilla scented sugar. Delish in coffee.
Whole Nutmeg–grated in to sweet milky black tea–pure comfort in a cup.
Vanilla Bean – hands down! I have to fight the urge to put it in everything!
I love vanilla beans & Grains of Paradise!
I love cumin and cayenne pepper!
yum! my fave spice lately is smoked paprika. just a little bit packs a big punch!
My favorite baking spice is ground cardamom. It gives a hint of spiciness to sweet dishes!
I love crystallized ginger! Its such a multipurpose flavor, I can use it in orange and ginger scones for breakfast, or for a spicy green onion and ginger salad dressing or even toss a few chunks into a fresh apricot reduction to top ice cream with!
My husband gives me a hard time about the amount of cinnamon I add to everything. It’s the only spice I buy in bulk!
I love Spice Islands pure vanilla extract ONLY when I bake my chocolate chip cookies.
My favorite seasoning has to be red chili flakes. I use them in almost everything except desserts.
Cardamom is the best!
I use the Smoked Paprika and the Nutmeg in my Chili’s. It adds a wonderful warmth to the dish and elevates it! I also use the Cinnamon Sticks like their going out of style, anywhere from shaving one over a Hot Chocolate to using it as a stir stick in my Peach Tea. Pick Me!!
Vanilla bean/extract is definitely my pick. I would drink the extract if I could! However, I always see the Spice Islands Saigon cinnamon and am really curious about it!!
… in the middle of a recipe when I decide to add a touch of something, Spice Island orange peel is the perfect touch – especially when orange not available!
Paprika is a wonderful spice that can be used in so many unexpected places… I especially love all the variations this spice has to offer… smoked, spanish, etc. etc.
Depends of course…Cooking = cumin. Baking = cinnamon.
Vanilla bean – the quintessential ingredient for so many of my favorite desserts!
I love nutmeg – brings out flavor in both sweet and savory dishes. It’s one of those spieces that makes people go, “what’s in there? I can’t place it” which makes it super fun!
I think cardamom is my favorite lesser known spice. I love how it goes sweet or savory. One of my favorite apple pies contain granny smith apples, dried sour cherries, and cardamom.
I agree with Hanna and Nicole—-I cannot go without a really good cinnamon!
I love to bake with nutmeg, especially when I make bread pudding.
As a single person, I don’t bake much except at the holidays. Freshly ground whole nutmeg is a vital component of those holiday pumpkin pies and gingerbreads. Maybe if I win, I’ll have to ramp up the baking….
Spice Islands Vanilla Bean
I use the beans almost every day. It’s perfect for a vanilla/lavender pastry cream, in my waffles, in my tea or coffee and a favorite to store in sugar. I’ve used the beans to make my own extract (which occasionally makes it to behind my ears).
I’ve been going through a lot of yellow mustard seeds lately. I use a generous amount in veggie and chicken stock, add it to every stew and strained sauce, and salad dressing for that nice occasional pop between the teeth. Plus it is key to all the pickling I did last year (hot carrots, indian-style lemon pickles, cucumbers of course…).
I am a pepper kind of gal. I add it to everything. But I am really intrigued by the crystalized ginger that you mention- I’d love to play around with that.
My favorite baking seasoning is definitely vanilla; it makes me sad that it has the alternate meaning of bland or boring, because pure vanilla definitely isn’t, and has so much depth and flavor!
I have a love affair with Nutmeg. Just the smell of it reminds me of Christmas and eggnog. I buy it whole and grate it myself. Its also an unusual but important ingredient in many of my savory dishes like quiche and chicken soup.
i put vanilla in everything!
So many spices that light up my life. But the one that tingles my senses is Cardamom. Some delicious orange cardamom cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. Or a delicious cardamom pistachio cake (thanks David for that recipe)…
I love cinnamon. You can add it to baked goods and you don’t feel like you need as much sugar to sweeten.
My favorite spice is cardamom: great for savory or sweet dishes highlighting flavors from regions as diverse as Sweden and India. Cardamom pods, seeds, or ground–I go through a lot of cardamom at my house. Love it!
It’s been wonderful reading David’s posts here, and I look forward to reading Todd & Diane’s. What a strong roundup of bloggers!
Vanilla beans!
It’s a toss-up between orange zest and vanilla, but combined the two create something heavenly!
Vanilla bean for the win! I love scraping those little suckers into cookie doughs, cake batters and anything else that could benefit from a little sweet, perfumey goodness.
mmm I love cinnamon and vanilla!
I love the cinnamon and the orange peel, I use them both in my cinnamon bread all the time & overall love the quality of Spice Islands!! They are the best!!!
I love nutmeg and crystallized ginger which is great in my hibiscus/rose hips ice tea. I would add also smoked paprika which I add to sauteed kale or chard.
My favorite spice has to be whole star anise. This beautiful little spice packs a huge punch. You can’t make a good bowl of pho without it!
I am an enormous fan of orange peel in baking. I’ll rehydrate it in some of the recipe’s liquid (say, rum for stollen) to add a new note to almost any recipe. I like it in oatmeal cookies with coconut, in almond cake with plums, and in baked rice puddings. I also it as an ingredient in Chinese-style “red-cooked” dishes; in simple syrups to flavor summer drinks, and in sun tea with chocolate mint.
David – my favorite Spice Islands spice is the cyrstallized ginger. I love to use it in my Pumpkin Bread receipe!
Merci!
sandy
I love the Roasted Saigon Cinnamon. I add it to many of my ice cream and baked goods recipes.
Cinnamon for sure!
I have to say vanilla. It’s in nearly everything I bake, and it’s probably my favorite smell in the world, as well.
For cooking, I probably use cumin, cayenne, and chili powder the most. For baking, I love cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.
My favorite spice is the vanilla bean. I use it for vanilla sugar, ice cream of course, but I also but pieces in my coffee grinder with the coffee beans to add a subtle vanilla flavor to my coffee.
I love nutmeg. It adds an unmistakable warmth to both sweet and savory dishes. I have some most days grated over my coffee.
The women in my family have a great tradition of mass baking sprees when we get those few precious times that we all can be together. My mother and I would both agree that when we bake we love to use cinnamon in many of our shared recipes, but my favorite spice for baking delicious diablo cookies is cayenne pepper.
My favorite spice is cumin. I love the earthy flavor it lends to so many dishes.
I love cinnamon – it’s so versatile great in cinnamon raspberry torte, cinnamon ice cream and with tomato with loin of tuna that’s been spiked with rosemary and garlic. \
Basil, all the way. It’s clean, warm, and fragrant, and every time I use it the kitchen smells like home!
I love cooking and baking with ground cardamom. It adds a savory element to sweet baked desserts or ice cream and adds an interesting depth of flavor to savory dishes like roasted chicken.
I love crystallized ginger – it is great in baked goods, cereal, granola, ice cream, or even tea. Sweet and spicy! Also great heated with carrots and a little butter – delicious!
I like to rub baking potatoes with Olive oil, sea salt and chipotle chile seasoning prior to baking. I like the crispy salty/spicy potato skins.
I love, love, love nutmeg! There is nothing like fresh nutmeg in baking and in cooking. Everything from baked mac & cheese to apple crisp!
Vanilla extract. I go through it like nobody’s business. I looove adding a dash to my buttermilk pancakes.
Lately I have been putting curry in everything! I especially love Spice Islands curry, it’s a perfect combination of sweet and spicy.
I love cinnamon and vanilla for baking! The cinnamon sugar grinder looks neat!
Oh! It has to be vanilla beans! I am out of them and it seems that every recipe that I have been drawn to this week uses vanilla beans. I want to make some jam this summer using vanilla beans….ruhbarb/vanilla bean? strawberry/vanilla bean? maybe pear?
The 2 things I consistently replace because I use them A LOT in all my baking: vanilla and cinnamon. I could not live without either. Both of these scents connote “home” and “love” because my mom and I have always loved baking.
Hmmm. Cumin, can’t make Mexican food without it!
For me, cardamom is the most wonderful spice for baking!!!! But I do love cinnamon and vanilla bean too!
definitely vanilla beans, but i recently grated nutmeg fresh for the first time and it’s now a close second.
I use vanilla extract in almost every dessert, if I don’t use a vanilla bean.
I love cinnamon for baking – it’s not innovative, but it’s warm and comforting!
My favorite spice to bake with is ginger–in any form. I love the warmth that it imparts to baked goods. Crystallized ginger is a sweet and spicy addition to anything with citrus and apples. I use ginger in a lot of the things I cook, savory and sweet.
My favorite spice is white pepper. While it’s milder than black, the flavor is more delicate. I love adding a peppery flavor to light-colored sauces and soup. I’m crossing my fingers for this giveaway.
If it’s for baking, it’s a tough call between cinnamon and ginger (I usually avoid the dilemma by using both). For other types of dishes, black pepper is my favourite. As a child, I used to be fascinated by the way my grandfather would put pepper on everything, even desserts. Now I find myself sprinkling strawberries with pepper – I guess the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree!
I always add kosher salt to all my baked goods & desserts, even if the recipe doesn’t call for it. For baking spices I’m a fan of all of them: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, allspice …. but lately I’ve fallen in love with cardamom & try to find new ways to incorporate it into my favorite recipes.
I love cinnamon and fresh ground pepper. They’re my two go-to spices!
I love vanilla extract; almond extract too! Can’t beat a little cinnamon. Finally, I LOVE sea salt! Yum, let’s go bake!!
I love vanilla, I always use an overflowing teaspoons in everything I bake. Love the flavor and would love to make my own vanilla sugar one of these day.
Well, cinnamon AND vanilla! How can a girl pick just one for baking. I also use alot of kosher salt for seasoning!
Vanilla is my most-used flavoring, if we’re talking about volume. I don’t know where it all disappears to, but I use a lot of it. Cinnamon comes a close second.
I would have to say extracts. Any extract, vanilla, lemon, cinnamon, I absolutely love using extracts!
While some might consider it pedestrian, I adore pumpkin pie spice. Yes, it’s a *combination* of several spices, but every time I use it, it puts me into a good mood. Lately I’ve been using it in oatmeal.
I absolutely love cardamom. It brings back memories of baking for Christmas and the fall season.
I. Love love love vanilla it is so simple and clean but also so complex.
Chipotle powder is great, whether adding some kick to a soup, or a little extra something to a batch of brownies.
I love using nutmeg! Not the pre-ground kind, the whole kind that you grate yourself. Just adds so much to baking as well as those leafy greens!
Probably whole nutmeg, it just adds that certain something.
Hard to say what my favorite spice is since it just depends what I’m making! I love cinnamon, cumin, ginger, nutmeg, chile powder (especially New Mexican chile), and, of course, vanilla.
I agree with Ann – I love mace. I use add mace instead of nutmeg consistantly, it makes a similar impression without being overpowering to the other flavors – Nutmeg is an alpha personality and nutmeg is a team player.
It is so hard to pick just one favorite spice! I think nutmeg and cloves are my favorite, though cloves can get overwhelming pretty quickly. I also adore ginger in just about anything, in just about any form. All of them are just warm and cozy and make me think of my Mom and wonderful treats like her nutmeg-y sugar cookies, ham baked with cloves and pineapple, or a hot piece of gingerbread!
After salt and pepper, I got to go with NUTMEG! it is good in so much. I use it in potato dishes, with meat, over yogurts and of course in baked goods. I especially like how well it complements other spices.
I cannot live without VANILLA! or Freshly cracked black pepper!
Oh, overall it must be the Tahitian vanilla bean. It is my Desert Island spice.
I love ancho chili powder! I love it with chocolate, in salsa, in rubs, and even in ice cream. It’s a wonderful, textured flavor with a rich aftertaste. Love.
cinnamon, my favorite.. it adds an exotic touch when i bake..and for seasoning, well i use salt..
I like crystallized ginger and powdered ginger and fresh ginger…DL’s fresh ginger cake and non-fat gingersnap cookies are some of my favorite recipes of his!
the SI Saigon cinnamon – no sugar for me on my favorite burnt rye toast and butter – heavenly!
I feel like I have to say cinnamon, just because my world would be an unhappy place without it. But also, ginger. Ginger adds so much yet can be so subtle. I’m smitten.
Without a single doubt, curry is my choice.
Behind every good cinnamon use is a dash of cayenne pepper!
My favorite baking spice is cinnamon.
My favorite is vanilla extract. Its one of the most asked for in baking recipes for a reason!
My favorite spice has always been cumin. I love being able to give foods that little punch – the thing which makes people say, “I make this all the time, but yours tastes so much better – what’s the secret?”.
Currently, my favorite spice is cardamon…especially in curries. But really, I never met a spice or herb yet that I didn’t love
crystalized ginger is super yummy in ginger cupcakes and one of my favs
Vanilla has got to be one of my favorite spices. Extract and/or the bean!
Baking is probably my biggest forte, and I use vanilla in nearly everything I make. It just makes all the more difference in my recipes!
I love baking with cardamom. It started with a recipe for challah that called for it, after which I had most of a jar of cardamom to use up. I got creative and found I love it in most any baked good (and savory food, too!).
Cardamom! It can be used in both sweet and savory applications (and as a breath freshener!)
Cinnamon is my favorite spice when baking. Sel de Mer for seasoning.
Salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and oregano. If I have these four, I’m happy to make a pizza, some pasta, a soup, white beans, roasted broccoli, etc.
Vanilla and Cinnamon are my most favorite ingredients!
I put nutmeg and cinnamon in my oatmeal. It tastes great and cinnamon lowers cholesterol.
I love using dried thyme in my new favorite – a classic vinaigrette made with dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper and dried thyme. I haven’t used “store bought” dressing since making this.
Vanilla is my go to spice – it enhances so many foods both sweet and savory and the bean is amazingly versatile. Can NOT imagine running out in my kitchen!
Spice islands chrystalized ginger in a lovely pound cake-HEAVENLY!
I love allspice. I will put that stuff in everything. It makes my zucchini bread taste like magic.
I love vanilla extract – I use it at least twice a week for the recipes I make. Sometimes like to just put a tiny drop of it in my coffee, too!
Nutmeg! I love it in creamy pasta sauces, on salads & in baked goods AND sprinkled on top of eggnog!
My favorite seasoning has to be cayenne pepper. I put it in all of my savory recipes. I add it to hamburgers, spaghetti sauce, roast beef in the slow cooker, chicken rubs, soup…
I love cinnamon with abandon, but the secret weapon is allspice.
I’d have to go with fennel.
I heart peppercorns. All types. Ground. Not ground….they are great. I could eat pepper on just about anything
So many spices, Vanilla is probably the one I use the most, but I do love Cinnamon, oooh & Nutmeg and sometimes just need to add a little chile powder
I love the richness a little nutmeg can add to a savory or sweet dish.
My favourite seasoning is a whole nutmeg, its amazing how much flavour a tiny grate of it can add. I also quite like cassia bark, the rougher version of cinnamon, I use tons of them in my cooking for both sweet and savoury dishes.
I love cinnamon in both savory and sweet dishes. But I have never tasted Saigon cinnamon, and you have me curious!
Cinnamon. It goes in so many wonderful things – a favorite is to add it to brownies with Kahlua. Warm and wonderful.
White pepper is quickly becoming a favorite. Since salt and pepper are the most widely used seasonings in my kitchen, I invite the slight difference in taste that the white pepper provides over the standard black pepper. It’s fun to change things up every once in awhile!
LOVE smoked paprika…it’s been my pantry favorite for quite a few months now.
Garlic!
I’ve been using vanilla extract in many of my recipes, but your book opened my eyes to the fact that baking with real vanilla beans could result in superior flavor. I’m looking forward to a head-to-head comparison and potentially switching to a new favorite!
If I could, I would use cinnamon in everything I cook or bake. It gives a little heat, some sweetness, and works great with savory foods too. Not bad for a little tree bark.
Favorite spices of all time are probably vanilla and cinnamon, but I love using cardamom with all this summer produce!
Cumin, Cinnamon, and Cardamon have been some of my go to spices as of late. Particualarly cinnamon in more savory applications… Yum!
my lastest favorites are cardamom and grains of paradise – i put one or the other in almost everything i can think of
Vanilla beans are my favorite – however do to the cost and labor involved in getting every last bit of goodness out of the bean – I use them in cooking for special occassions.
by far, ginger is the best spice.
I’d have to say I love ginger… it works for any meal of the day! Ginger in my green juice, ginger in my soup… love it!
Cinnamon wins out for me whether making an apple pie, rice for an Indian dish, or just because my morning coffee needs a little dash of the exotic.
Vanilla beans-after I scrape the seeds and use the pods to infuse whatever I am making, I rinse the pods and dry them, then put them in my sugar bin. Some people crush them right into the sugar, but Spice Islands pods are so vibrant they can be used to fragrance pounds of sugar, over and over again.
My favorite spice is anise, it’s so interesting!
Definitely have to say whole nutmeg grated into all kinds of dishes – mashed potatoes, bechamel sauce, french toast, coffee, etc.
I’ve got to go with cinnamon!
I love cinnamon and also cardamom, they make everything yummy!
I love spices! Lately I’ve been hooked on fennel seeds… yum! I also love cardamom!
Favorite baking spice is cardamom! Love the flavor it imparts! But vanilla beans are a close second!
My favorite spice is Turmeric but cumin runs a close second!
Pure vanilla extract and sea salt for baking. If I had to get rid off all of my other spices I could survive baking with just those two. But then again, I also love cinnamon because it is so universal and phenomenal in both sweet and savory dishes. OK, I can’t pick just one!
I’m partial to ginger! Love it either savory or sweet
Hands down, vanilla bean. Although my favorite application is not a baking one, per se, being David’s vanilla ice cream.
I love using nutmeg. It looks so pretty when you’re grating it to use!
Choosing one favorite baking spice is an exercise in impossibility. Alas, I will off the one which is too often under respected (in my humble opinion) – almond extract. I’ve found that a little adds so much to a buttercream frosting a generous dash to the mix for French Toast contributes complexity to the flavor profile. A splash with a vanilla custard again hints at something without overpowering the other flavors. I love me my almond extract.
My favorite spice seems to change with the season, but right now it is cumin.
Cinnamon is the spice that gets used the most around our house, but grating nutmeg gives me the most sensual pleasure. It tingles the nostrils and conjures images of freshly made eggnog at Christmas, touched off just before serving to happy guests with that shower of zingy fresh nutmeg sprinkles
I just love nutmeg especially in savory dishes
Cinnamon-I use it in sweet as well as savory dishes.
I love cinnamon. I use it in baking, in cooking, even swirled in my plan yogurt at lunch. I don’t know where this love came from, since my mother hates even the smell of it!
I’m a spice junky! I always look for new recipes where I can try out new spices and flavores. Vanilla still rules, as does DL and The Perfect Scoop. Icce cream maker is out on the counter, always at the ready!
ginger
crystalized ginger – yum! whole nutmeg is awesome, and real vanilla beans to make delicious desserts – I hope I win!
I’m a huge fan of cardamom. I feel it gets underused, but it has an extremely versatile flavor that can work with steaks and sweets equally well.
Lately, I am a bit obsessed with vanilla beans… homemade VB marshmallows, VB swiss meringue buttercream, VB yogurt verrines with fruit gelee. Love!
I think my favorite spice is cardamom – i use it in everything from cakes & cookies, to ice cream and even savory foods, esp. indian. i wish they made a perfume that smelled like freshly ground cardamom
Vanilla beans have got to be my favourite. What would we do without vanilla!!
My favorite spice is Spice Islands vanilla beans. There is nothing quite like the aroma of vanilla. I love to split the bean, scrape the beans out and then steep it in cream or milk for my next baking adventure. will it be pastry cream or ice cream?
My favorite spice (0r herb, rather) of the moment would have to be dried thyme. I use it for roasting chicken, sauteeing cherry tomatoes, seasoning a steak, etc….so many delicious possibilities! It also has several medicinal uses. Who knew?
My favorite go-to spice is cumin. FTW!
Cinnamon! You can use it in sweet and savory dishes to create some exotic heat.
My all-time favorite spice is cinnamon. From oatmeal to coffee to yogurt, it’s the best. mmm mmm mmm
Vanilla! Vanilla! Vanilla!
Nutmeg takes me back to my childhood and frigid winter nights made warm by the spices my mother used in her sweets.
fresh ground nutmeg
Cardamom, absolutely!
Wow. It’s really hard to pick just one but if I have to, it’s probably nutmeg. Nutmeg is good in baked treats, delicious in cream sauces and essential to eggnog.
Mmm. For seasoning, it has to be salt (though with a light hand). Otherwise, I love slicing into a fresh vanilla bean for ice cream or pound cake.
My all time favourite spice for desserts and to bake with is cardamom, followed by cinnamon and cloves, apart from vanilla ofcourse!
Saigon Cinnamon. Yum.
I am quite partial to vanilla bean, for the tiny specks of flavor inside.
I love whole nutmeg. I can grate whatever amount I want into anything, savory or sweet.
I love using cardamom when baking — my mom says it reminds her of a Filipino lime. Out of the ones listed here, I’d have to go with cinnamon. Nothing smells better coming out of the oven!
A toss up between vanilla bean and crystallized ginger
I like Saigon Cinnamon, and use it a lot!
Hard to pick one– cinnamon, cardamom, vanilla beans, and I’m now going to pick up the wasabi
vanilla bean, for sure. what an intoxicating fragrance!
On really good French vanilla ice cream, a fresh grind or two of black Malabar pepper. Nom nom.
I’m studying medieval literature and get excited every time I find a reference to spices–I see them quite often! Women kept their spice boxes under lock and key. I probably see saffron mentioned the most–and I do love it, but I think for baking my faves are cardamom and nutmeg.
Ginger – with many more things than I could ever imagine!
I love Saigon cinnamon and ground cloves in pumpkin muffins. Yum!
My favorite spice is smoked paprika. It’s great in everything, stews, bbq, and especially roasted potatoes.
I just discovered whole nutmeg and it is awesome. My 5 year old sous chef calls it the “secret ingredient.” He likes to grate it onto scrambled eggs.
Fresh nutmeg. This time of year, it’s great on a banana daiquiri!
I love the crystalized Ginger. I use it in almost everything from soups and stews, friends are still trying to figure it out, to salads and deserts, can’t get enough Ginger!
Cardamom is probably my favorite.
I love cumin!
My favorite spice is ginger – it adds life to everything.
LOVE vanila extract. I have the homemade version of extract on my shelf, vodka soaked beans. Kicks up the flavor for anything I’m baking, or when I make Pioneer Woman’s Sour Cream Pancakes
I use more powdered garlic than any other spice. Love it! Second would be cinnamon. And, Spice Islands products are the best!
Nothing goes better in plain oatmeal than a dash of cinnamon and sugar!
All time fave: Saigon Cinnamon. But I would never rule out, in descending order: vanilla, ginger/crystallized ginger, almond, all citrus, nutmeg, poppy seeds, and anise. But Cinnamon is King and I use it daily. Honest!
Chile powder as I am currently in a Mexican sauce mode of cooking for the summer. Chili, sour cream, lime juice, cojita cheese sauce for grilled corn. So good! Red curry for fall squash soups! This list goes on.
I love a little bit of nutmeg or mint…something simple and then a small dash of spice to make a pie delicious.
Vanilla. Anyway, shape or form!
Yum…cinnamon sugar…how can you beat it.
Yummmy. The Spice Islands cinnamon sugar grinder? Come on, though summer is now here, I still think about those cold winter mornings with the seductive smell of fresh ground cinnamon over hot steaming oatmeal. Perhaps not a creative culinary concoction — but it’s morning, I’m just waking up and spending most of the day thinking about what I”m going to make for dinner…ahhhhh dessert? With my SI vanilla beans…oh wouldn’t YOU like to know!
My absolute favorite is the Cinnamon Sugar grinder, jus the best for warm buttered toast!
Spice Islands Saigon Cinnamon is the best.
(As is David Lebovitz!)
I’d say for baking my favorite spice is probably cardamom. I go a little crazy with it when I use it!
I think ground nutmeg is my favorite. It adds a little subtle something to so many dishes. I think it is underrated!
Cinnamon, bien sur!
Excellent recipes, as always, David!
Whole nutmeg is my favorite spice. I love how it swings sweet and savory and how it still smells fresh when ground into a recipe.
I probably would put cinnamon on anything, but as a Scandinavian I seem to have an irresistable attraction to cardamom…
I love the warm smell of any kind of cinnamon! Takes me back to childhood. Yum!
David is my foodie crush!
oh yeah I love orange peel!
My favorite spice is cardamom. It`s wonderful in savory foods, but I absolutely love it in sweet things…chocolate ice cram with a pinch of cardamom, oatmeal cookies with cardamom, pumpkin pie…and my favorite is a simple tea made by steeping cardamom in milk. With a little sugar, it`s truly amazing.
xox.
I use the Spice Islands Cayenne Pepper all the time!
I recently rediscovered Cardamom as a spice in baking. It adds so much to breads, cookies, cakes, muffins, you name it!
These look like very quality ingredients. May have to make a cinnamon vanilla ice cream…
A favorite? Vanilla bean hands down… even the smell is intoxicating!
I’d have to say that Whole Nutmeg is my go to spice. for both sweet and savory applications (it’s my secret to a good Bolognese sauce). How fun that Davis is working with Spice Island. My mother and I have used your spices for years.
Santé
I like fresh grated nutmeg in both sweet & savory uses. Bechamel sauces, squash dishes, fruit pies & cobblers, esp rhubarb, and of course on my friend’s family recipe for bourbon egg nog.
I heart the Vietnemese Cinnamon! I use it baking, savory, and my morning breakfast!
I love using vanilla bean in my baking. The seeds impart a great flavor and also adds some texture.
I’d have to either vote for vanilla or cinnamon as my favorite spices to cook with.
My favorite spice to bake with …I have to go with plain old vanilla, which isn’t really plain at all, because how would we get through any recipe without a smidge of vanilla? Even if you can’t quite taste it, you know it’s there, and that’s comforting.
So right about the saigon cinnamon – it’s the only kind I use now! I’m making maple roasted cinnamon almond butter with it right now, yum!
for baking, a pinch of cardamom in muffins, cupcakes and scones is delicious.
Vanilla bean! Truly lovely in ice cream and so much more.
Cardamom is my go-to baking spice. I’m addicted to Indian flavors! Thanks for the chance to win this incredible collection of spices.
I absolutely love spice islands vanilla bean and ground cloves for my morning pb banana smoothie!
Aside from having made an amazing lavender-lemon syrup tonight, I have to say that I love thyme in nearly everything–eggs, chicken, marinades, salads, seafood. I discovered a patchouli plant this year that is growing beautifully in the garden. Anybody have an idea if it’s edible enough to become a syrup?
My favorite seasoning is cumin! Whole or ground, I love cumin! And for baking my favorite spice is definitely cinnamon with vanilla in a close second.
Cinnamon is definitely my favorite. Snickerdoodles, spice cake, yum!
It’s basic, but I love cinnamon. My favorite childhood memory is making cinnamon toast. I love any dessert (well, maybe not lemon meringue pie) with cinnamon flavor. Redhot candies? Bring ‘em on. But, now that I’m older, I appreciate the flavor differences that can be found in different cinnamons.
I love the fresh taste the whole cloves have when you grind them.
I love Spice Islands nutmeg… a fine addition to hot chocolate or a little sprinkle in my coffee… Happy me!
Love using crystallized ginger in my ginger molasses cookies. I’ve not used Spice Island’s but putting it in oatmeal sounds great, thanks!
I love the combo…star anise, cinnamon, juniper berries. really spices up my braised fruits or my poaching liquid.
My favorite spice is cinnamon!
My favorite baking spice is Cinnamon. It’s really good on oatmeal & cinnamon toast.
I love using salt in baking! A sprinkle of beautiful quality sea salt on a reaallyy dark chocolate fudge cake or velvety caramels just elevates the flavor to a complicated but addictive level of delicious!!!
i love nutmeg! good in cutout cookies, but also applesauce. my favorite way is putting it in my latte!
I just love your Vanilla Bean to make my Creme Brulee!
I love baking with crystalized ginger and 5-spice powder. These spices together make the tastiest ginger snap cookies ever!
Whole nutmeg is indispensable for freshest flavor. Useful in savory as well as dessert dishes.
Cinnamon! Wonder what’s in those ten chests??? Thanks for posting about this on Facebook, David.
Would love the vanilla beans in particular. The cinnamon sugar grinder is interesting too.
Recently, my favorite spice has been paprika; smokey or sweet, it adds a nice flavor to everything.
For baking I really love vanilla and cardamon
My favorite would be Spice Islands Pure Vanilla Extract. Best vanilla extract I’ve tried so far
Picture a day of cooking and eating without spices. Now, imagine the disillusion your taste buds will have when you bite into bland oatmeal. You salted it right, but there is something missing… Some vanilla, perhaps? Or maybe a cinnamon stick (or two)? How about lunch? If you want to feel light, you can have that juicy, zesty salmon on a bed of leafy greens, but… Why are the greens so… tasteless? After a couple of snacks and a horrible trip to America’s worst fast-food chain, you get home and pour some joe, add a hint of chocolate. Yum… that combination is perfect, but with all the blandness throughout the day, don’t you deserve a zing? A zap? Something to make you extra fuzzy inside? Finally, you conclude that though you deserve it, you won’t be able to have it… Why? Well, that was a day of cooking and eating without spices, no?
That’s how important spices are in your ordinary household – and more so in the life of the average foodie. You can survive without spices, yes; but taking them away would keep you from turning your usual grey into the polychromatic (yes, you feel a lot of colors inside you when eating, try it) taste experience you DESERVE!
Cinnamon! On everything from soy ice cream to peanut butter and jam sandwiches. Cinnamon makes me happy everytime.
I can’t live without cinnamon! It’s true…I use it in the morning, adding it to banana and honey smoothies and sometimes later at night to coat chicken breasts for Moroccan inspired dishes.
I love ginger.
Cinnamon brings me home and there’s nothing better than that?
Saigon cinnamon on my latte every morning
cinnamon….because it goes with sweet mexican cream and spices up maroccan lamb…a world in one piece of bark
Tumric is a wonderful spice. i use it moroccan fish. the blend of the tumric, sweet peppers, tomatoes, & fish can’t be beat. yum!
For baking or breakfast: cinnamon! For cooking later meals of the day: mustard. Well or cinnamon. Depends on sweetness, I guess.
I have been wowwing friends and family with David Lebovitz’s carnitas recipe. I would love to try it with Spice Isalnds’ Saigon cinnamon sticks!!! And I adore David and his musings!!
Juniper, black pepper, wild fennel seeds.. all on pork!
I use vanilla extract all the time…
I love baking cookies and desserts. I use a great deal of ground cloves, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg in my banana bread. The smell as it comes out of the oven is pure heaven.
I love what cardamom does to my baking . . . . .the whole house just smells divine when I use it, but cant imagine life with out their fabulous vanilla beans either . . . .so hard to chose
Cinnamon is sublime in both sweet and savory dishes, but I’m currently trying my hand at incorporating crystalized ginger into a few menu items (other than sprinkled atop lavender + vanilla bean ice cream for a gentle crunch!).
My favorite is vanilla bean! I love adding it to ice cream bases, ganache, rice pudding, and jams.
Ooh, I love giveaways! My favorite spice is saffron. Great in Indian sweets and in savory dishes!
For savory, spicy dishes, I love Ground Chipotle. It’s hot and smoky! For sweet things, I’ve just started exploring Ground Cardamom–almost always adding a pinch to anything with a strong cinnamon component.
oh david! how could you miss cardamom?? that’s absolutely my favorite baking spice these days
goes well in my cardamom barley nasturtium cookies…yum!!!
Even though I have a tremendous love for Mexican Food, my favorite spice is Curry.
I love vanilla but my favorite spice has got to be cinnamon. The taste and fragrance puts me in a world of wonderful memories.
I adore pure vanilla extract and add it to everything I bake and especially love it in my oatmeal with cinnamon and maple syrup!
I love to use my old-fashioned grater to grate little slivers of nutmeg. It’s so fragrant. I’m also a big fan of a pinch of cardamom for that “what IS that?” response from eaters.
I love cinnamon, the stronger the better! Especially mixed with chocolate.
Right now my fave is smoked paprika. It makes almost anything taste better
I love cardamom! I add it to most things: chocolate baking items with some cinnamon and chipotle powder, iced coffee, chocolate frosting, oatmeal muffins, etc. I just love it!
Can’t get enough of the “caviar” you get from whole vanilla beans! Will also pick up the sugar/cinnamon grinder next time I am at the store.
My new love is Garam Marsala – I love it in butternut squash soup and in curries. For baking, smoothies, yogurt – Cinnamon! Great for balancing blood sugar too! Love your recipes David – thanks for doing what you do!
I bake all the time, and love pure vanilla extract for the depth of flavor it provides. And no dish is complete without sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
I love using vanilla beans! Such great unique flavor! I’m fascinated with trying to find great savory recipes with vanilla beans such as risotto.
I use all of the spices mention but could not cook without oregano and thyme.
Corriander is great when I added into my Lime and Rhubarb tarts.
I love your garlic pepper. I use it in almost everything, it is so versatile and chameleon-like it seems to enhance every dish. I do find it is an endangered seasoning, and is not always available at our Safeway. Everyone should love it, I am surprised that they feel free to let the supply lapse. Thank you. Kathleen Koch
Hi Everyone!
Thanks so much for your comments and participating, and the give-away is now closed for entries. We’ll be announcing the lucky ten winners here on the Spice Islands Explorer Blog shortly. Stay tuned…!
I love Chinese 5-spice, both in sweet and savoury applications. It adds beautiful sweet tones to savoury dishes, and gives lovely warmth and spiciness to sweet ones.
Vanilla Beans
Two of my favorite Spices from Spice Islands Seasonings is Cumin and Cinnamon.
I use Cumin exclusively in my foods from scrambled eggs to tacos.
We love the flavor enhancement to all my food entrees.
Thank you so very much.
Faye Stamper
I have used Spice Islands Old Hickory Smoked Salt in the past, and cannot find it now. I miss it! Can you help me find it in Tulsa, OK? Thank you.