Spices you need for making delicious meals

Spices enhance the flavour of food and make it easy to create interesting meals. Adding in a pinch of turmeric spice to a poultry seasoning can give baked chicken that kick of flavour it needs.

These spices can add heat, sweetness or even freshness to dishes.

1. Pepper is one of the most popular spices and can be used on virtually any savoury dish. For more flavourful fine pepper, throw some peppercorns in a spice grinder.
2. Saffron has a bitter and semi sweet flavour. It is most commonly used in Spanish, Portuguese and Turkish cuisine.
3. Coriander has a lemony-citrus flavour when crushed. It complements curries, sausages, soups and stews. It's also a great pickling spice.
4. Cumin has a deep, smoky flavour. You can use it to enhance the taste of rice, soups, quinoa or hummus.
5. Paprika has a smoky flavour and deep red hue. It is most commonly used to add colour and flavouring to sausages and stews.
6. Cardamom has an exotic flavour and is used in curries, meats, baked goods and breads. You can also use it to flavour coffee.
7. Cayenne pepperwill add serious heat when ground up and a peppery taste to your meals. Cayenne goes best with chillies, curries, stews, sauces and spice rubs for meat.
8. Chinese five spice is a blend of five spices that is used primarily in Asian cuisine. It is commonly confused with allspice.
9. Chilli powder is a combination of one or more types of chilli, ground into a fine powder. It delivers on the promise of heat, so use it to punch up casseroles, marinades and chilli con carne.
10. Allspice has a combined taste of nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and pepper. It goes great with chutneys and fruit desserts.
11. Sea salt is considered to have a softer taste than table salt, making it a preferred choice for seasoning food after preparation. It's ideal for sprinkling over potatoes or roasted veggies.
12. Turmeric has a warm, bitter taste. It is the main spice in curry and frequently used to colour and flavour mustards, butters and cheeses.

Spices can maintain their flavour for years if stored correctly. Here are some tips to ensure your spices reach their life expectancy.

• Store ground and organic spices in a dark, cool area
• Avoid storing them near a stove or other heat sources
• Protect them from moisture by storing them in airtight containers or spice jars
• Refrigerate red-coloured spices like chilli powder and cayenne pepper

Whether you want to blend cumin and chilli power to make a nice Mexican spice mix, or pepper and sea salt for simple seasoning for chicken, spices give dishes flavour and dimension. Keep this list in mind when restocking that spice rack.

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