Welcome to 10 Ingredient Spice Mix! This blog is my home for sharing recipes built around an incredible spice mix that I have been concocting in my kitchen for the last three years. The spice mix has 10 ingredients and it’s great on everything from popcorn to roast chicken to chocolate chip cookies. It’s a versatile, flavorful spice mix that you can use on almost anything – that’s why I call it “all-purpose”!
In the recipe section you’ll find over 50 ideas of how to use the spice mix in your own cooking. The Spice Mix page gives you the ingredients and directions for making your own batch at home. And don’t forget to check out my Instagram account where I share new uses for the spice mix as well as other recipes, food photography, and lots of other fun stuff.
If you want to make delicious food, but don’t have time to measure out a lot of different spices every time you cook, you need to make yourself a stash of 10 Ingredient Spice Mix.
The mix includes: salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cumin, mustard powder, chili powder, turmeric and cinnamon.
To make the mix: Add one part each of the 10 ingredients to an air-tight container and shake well. I like to use a large mason jar for this step. If you have extra space in your cabinet or pantry, you can keep your spice mix in the mason jar. Otherwise transfer to an air-tight spice bottle or container.
Store in a cool dark place away from open flame (spices can become flammable).
To use: For most recipes that call for salt and pepper, replace with 1 tablespoon of 10 Ingredient Spice Mix.
I’m a huge fan of Dave Chang and his Momofuku restaurants in New York City. I’ve cooked through the Momofuku cookbook and think it’s great. But I don’t always have the time or the ingredients to make some of those recipes, especially because I live in the middle of nowhere. So when Chang published a list of the ten ingredients you need to make almost any recipe, I thought it was a great idea.
This is my blog about cooking with that ten ingredient spice mix. It’s a way for me to keep track of everything I’ve learned about cooking with this awesome spice mix. If this sounds interesting, read on!
Cumin and chili powder are two of my favorite spices. They are both wonderfully aromatic, have a delicious warm flavor and have the ability to kick up the flavor of any dish. Surprisingly, I don’t use them all that often.
Chili powder is just too specific for me. I usually only reach for it when I’m making Mexican food. Cumin is great but it’s flavor is subtle enough that I end up using so much that it can dominate a dish.
So, in an attempt to get more of these great spices into my cooking, I came up with this 10 ingredient spice mix. It has cumin and chili powder along with a few other spices to help round out their flavors. With this mix on hand you can spice up almost anything by simply sprinkling some on.
The best part about this mix is that it takes less than 5 minutes to make and costs pennies per batch!
If you love to cook, chances are you have a well-stocked kitchen. It’s not uncommon for cooks to take inventory of the pantry and find many ingredients that they rarely use. It’s also no surprise that many of us are drawn to recipes that call for a long list of ingredients. The more exotic they sound, the better.
But if you’re like me, when it comes down to cooking something fast at the end of a long day, you really don’t want to be bothered with 16 ingredients. So I reached out to my friends at some of my favorite cooking blogs and asked them what they thought their most versatile ingredient was. In most cases, there was little hesitation: salt or pepper, perhaps. But one friend had an interesting suggestion: a spice mix she creates herself, using 10 basic spices that everyone has on hand (and everyone can get on hand).
“I always have these spices within reach,” says Kristin Rosenau at Cooking Channel. “They’re in my cupboard and on my table.”
To make her spice blend, Kristin suggested mixing together 1 tablespoon each of dried garlic powder, onion powder and ground cumin; 2 tablespoons each of chili powder and paprika; 1/4 teaspoon each of cayenne
For anyone who cooks frequently, a great deal of your time is dedicated to cooking.
You can get back some of that time by having a go-to spice mix that you use for most things.
I like this spice mix because it’s got a lot of good flavors and enough robustness to be used on a variety of things.
The 10 ingredients are listed below, along with some notes about the recipe I use.
Now that your spice cabinet is well-stocked, you can use these ten ingredients to create endless flavor combinations for a variety of dishes. Here are some opportunities to try:
Add a dash of Indian curry powder to stir-fries or soups. A spoonful of garam masala or tandoori masala makes a great marinade for chicken, fish, and tofu.
Use chili powder on grilled vegetables, in pasta sauces, and as a rub for chicken, pork, and seafood.
Sprinkle cumin into chili con carne, taco meat, chili sauces, and enchilada sauce.
Add cinnamon to sweet potato dishes and fruits such as apples, pears, and bananas. Sprinkle it on oatmeal or yogurt or use it in any recipe that calls for nutmeg.
Add coriander seeds to marinades for chicken or fish. Use ground coriander in baked goods such as cookies and cakes or in savory dishes like curries or stews. Add it near the end of cooking so that its flavor doesn’t get lost.
Crush fennel seeds in a mortar and pestle or with the bottom of a heavy skillet (or just crush them under your shoe). Use
