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- Black peppercorns: Get a simple pepper mill and your culinary life will change. Fresh ground pepper can give the most mundane dishes an amazing depth of flavor.
- Garlic (fresh): Remember those garlic powders and garlic salts? Forget you even HAD a jar. Buy fresh bulbs and cut the cloves as you need 'em.
- Oregano (dried): This herb figures largely in southern Italian tomato dishes, which form the popular backbone of American-Italian food. This versatile herb is also common to Greek and Mexican cuisines, and holds up well in dried form.
- Basil (dried): Same goes here. You wouldn't make pesto out of this, but dried basil adds a necessary note to salad dressings and most anything Mediterranean.
- Parsley (dried): Believe it or not, this garnish green has a flavor. In both dried and fresh forms, chopped parsley (curly, flat leaf, take your choice) adds incredible depth and body to sauces. Parsley is readily available in fresh bunches, but keep a jar of dried on hand for quick fine-tuning at the stove.
- Cinnamon: Growing up, most kids considered cinnamon that exotic spice that could turn sugar toast into fragrant candies. Nowadays we keep it in the rack for general baking and the occasional nostalgic cinnamon toast breakfast binge.
- Chili powder: Actually a blend of spices—ground dried chilies, garlic, oregano, cumin, coriander, and cloves—chili powder mixtures vary, so shop around for one that suits your tastes. Good for adding distinctive flavor to dips, dressings, and (shockingly enough) chil
