Seasonings... different brands, different prices

[bethie_alane]

Seasonings. Me and boyfriend are learning to cook and buying spices are expensive!

Are the cheap ones just as good? What is the difference between the expensive and cheap ones, are you loosing quality? What brands do you recommend? What are essential spices one must have??? (We eat lots of chicken)

[AndersonGal]

Well, I use alot of the cheap (grocery cheap brand or even Dollar Store kind)brands and I grow my own herbs. I use the cheap ones and make my own taco seasoning mix and the such.

I would say try the cheap FIRST, if it is not the quality you perfer, work your way up.

My MUST have:

Garlic
Crushed Red Peppers
Paprika
Chili Powder

These are the ones I would start with then add as you can.

Note: Just my thoughts on it.

[cata5]

To save money,buy spices in the grocery store that are bagged not in plastic jars. In my store they are near the produce and are store brand.I think freshness is more important than brand or price. If you don't cook that often don't buy a huge container because it will lose its strength before you can use it all. I'm not sure what the shelf life is for spices but I'm sure I keep mine longer!LOL You will have to experiment.

I would add oregano, bay leaves,and basil to the list.

Are you into marinades? We always use a marinade with chicken. You can buy packages or one that I use alot is fat free italian or zesty italian dressing. It is fast, easy and fairly inexpensive when you buy it on sale.Plus if you put it in a ziploc bag you probably won't use as much as you would if you put it in a dish. Good Luck! Let us know what tasty dishes you come up with!

[TeresaD90]

For chicken: The last time I cooked it I rubbed dry ranch dressing into it before I cooked it and it was a wonderful taste!

[bethie_alane]

Originally posted by cata5
To save money,buy spices in the grocery store that are bagged not in plastic jars. In my store they are near the produce and are store brand.I think freshness is more important than brand or price. If you don't cook that often don't buy a huge container because it will lose its strength before you can use it all. I'm not sure what the shelf life is for spices but I'm sure I keep mine longer!LOL You will have to experiment.

I would add oregano, bay leaves,and basil to the list.

Are you into marinades? We always use a marinade with chicken. You can buy packages or one that I use alot is fat free italian or zesty italian dressing. It is fast, easy and fairly inexpensive when you buy it on sale.Plus if you put it in a ziploc bag you probably won't use as much as you would if you put it in a dish. Good Luck! Let us know what tasty dishes you come up with!

regarding marinades, the only ziploc bags i have are sandwich size, what size bags do you use and how much marinade do you put inside? how many pieces of chicken do you put inside each bag? do you leave the chicken to marinade overnite?

[cata5]

I usually eyeball it! To give you a better idea:
If you want to try a marinade package, my latest favorite is Durkee Grill Creations marinade mix-White wine and herb.I bought them at sams club but they may be available in your grocery store.It comes with a bag and you add 1/4 cup water and 1/4 cup oil and 2-4 lbs of chicken. So you can see that you'll have 1/2 cup liquid that will work well with 2-4 lbs of chicken. BTW I almost always use boneless chicken breasts. This marinade mix works in 15min but the longer you use it the better in my opinion. In any case I would say 1 hr is plenty.

Back to the ziploc bags.I use gallon bags, but for 2 people a quart size or smaller should work if the chicken will fit. Add the italian dressing to coat the chicken. It doesn't need to swim in it.The bag usually works well because you use less dressing. I try to leave the dressing marinade/chicken in the fridge overnight because it isn't as potent as the packaged mixes, but I have also done it a couple of hours before cooking. See, there are no set rules so don't worry- just try it!

Another tip: When you buy your chicken you can bag portions with your marinade and freeze them. Make one container of marinade,coat the chicken, and place it in separate bags to freeze. You'll use less marinade,and have several meals ready to thaw and cook!

You can use marinade as a sauce but you MUST bring it to a boil to kill any bacteria from the raw chicken!!

Another good marinade package mix is Grill Mates zesty herb by McCormick which I know is sold in grocery stores for about $1 each.
I have been meaning to make my own marinade but these are so easy!

[cata5]

Ok I broke down and started looking for marinade recipes.Here are 2 but I haven't tried them. It gives you an idea of what you can use tho. I'm sure homemade marinade could save you money too.

2/3 c.reserved pineapple juice (from can of chunks -used for kabobs but you can use them for something else like dessert)
1/4 c. honey
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. ginger

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and cook over med. heat until honey is melted. Pour over chicken pieces. Marinate for 20 minutes. Then you can bring the sauce to a boil (after removing the chicken) to use for basting the chicken while you grill it.
------------------------------------------------------
Another:
2/3 c. vegetable oil
1/3 c. lime juice
2 Tbsp chopped green chilies
1 tsp. minced fresh garlic

Mix. Add chicken. Marinate for 45 min. Grill.

If you try them let me know how they are.

[AndersonGal]

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Well, you guys *were* talking about marinades.
So here are some free recipes.

[cata5]

Tavolo has tons of spices,herbs,marinades,and rubs on their clearance. Most run about .75-$1 (75% off) Shipping varies but my $50 order was about $7. For someone who is just starting out or those who cook alot this would be a great time to stock up. Plus you can get a rebate from ebates or stockback.
They still have other things to make a nice order-jams, nuts, and a huge selection of beans!
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[Lainie_01@msn.com]

I would suggest getting the 50 cent ones from Walmart!!
I usually use these cheapie ones...except for Lawry's garlic salt...thats the only garlic salt I use!! The spices I seem to use a lot are
Seasoning Salt
Minced Garlic
Minced dried onion
Parsley
Cilantro
Chili powder
Garlic powder
Italian Seasoning mix(oregano&basil)
Boullion cubes

[hootieman]

Well, it depends on how much cooking you are going to do. I would say black and red pepper, parsley (unless you grow it), garlic, cinnamin, basil, thyme, bay leaves, and cloves. I have many more but you are just getting started. Spices go a long way so go lightly until you learn to use them. You can cook chicken without grilling it just use an onion, salt, pepper, and butter.