Herbs and spices no kitchen should be without
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Perhaps the most valuable part of your kitchen is your spice rack. With a few well placed spices even the most basic dishes can be made to taste amazing. But if you don’t know much about cooking a spice rack can seem incredibly daunting. The sight of all those different coloured powders is a lot to take in.

Try to think of your herbs and spices as your toolbox, with each one being useful for a different job. We’ll show you what each can be used for.
Basil
Basil is popular in Italian cooking and is often used to add a little extra something to a dish. It’s particularly good for pasta sauces or in soups or pizzas. Basil with some onions, tomatoes and a bit of chilli powder makes for a great sauce served on some turkey and pasta.

Works well in: Turkey bolognaise with gnocchi

Black pepper
You know what pepper is. It’s right next to the salt. Whether you use it during the cooking or add a little after the dish is served, this is an essential part of your kit.

Works well in: Turkey meatballs in tomato sauce

Chilli powder
The chilli powder is what you bring out when a dish needs a little extra kick. It goes well on anything, meat, vegetables, potato wedges, anything where you want a dish with a little spice. Alternatively, mix it into some mayonnaise for a great dipping sauce. Just be careful not to add too much!

Works well in: Turkey chilli con carne

Chinese 5 spice
Chinese 5 spice is a mixture of ginger, fennel, anise, cinnamon, liquorice and cloves. Sprinkle this into any dish you like and it’ll give it that special far eastern flavour.

Works well in: Anything you want to give a Chinese flavour to!

Coriander
Coriander is the go-to spice for homemade Indian or Thai style curries. If you look at the ingredients of any curry or stir-fry sauce you’ll find this spice very close to the top of the list.

Works well in: Turkey tikka masala

Garlic powder
Where possible we always recommend using fresh garlic cloves. Garlic is great for curries, pasta sauces or even just in homemade garlic bread. However if you’re out of the fresh stuff, having some garlic powder handy is always good for a fallback position.

Works well in: Turkey Caesar salad

Ground cinnamon
Cinnamon is one of those magic spices that seem go well with anything. Whether it’s a savoury dish or a sweet dessert, or even just your morning coffee, cinnamon adds just a hint of sweetness and spice.

Works well in: Turkey curry

Ground ginger
You probably already know that ginger is great in cakes and biscuits. However the tangy, spiciness of it works fantastically in Thai or Chinese stir fries and curries. This is one of those spices where just adding it to a dish on its own is enough to give it a unique flavour.

Works well in: Stir fried turkey with ginger

Oregano
Like basil, oregano works well in pasta sauces or just added to meat. However, while basil is more commonly used in Italian dishes, oregano is more popular in Mediterranean cooking.

Works well in: Turkey pie

Paprika
If you want a dish that has spice, but doesn’t have the burn that chilli powder does, paprika is the way to go. It’ll give your dish a really smoky flavour that works well in Mexican dishes such as fajitas, chilli or burritos.

Works well in: Turkey goulash

Parsley
Parsley is another good fix-all herb. However it’s particularly good in Sunday roasts or mixed in with mashed potato.

Works well in: Turkey steaks with herbs and lemon
Rosemary
While most of the herbs on this list are pretty easy to describe, that’s not the case with rosemary. Rosemary just tastes like rosemary. If you normally go to basil and oregano for your sauces, try substituting this herb in instead.

Works well in: Turkey parmigiana

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Herbs and spices no kitchen should be without