Generic Spices

[Anonymous]

Which spices will you buy the store or generic brand (like black pepper, cinnamon, etc) and which do you buy either organic or name brand? I'm trying to determine what I should put money into and what can slide. Thx!

[Anonymous]

Not sure what you mean by generic brand of spice: in some ways all spice is generic - it's not like specific drug formulation where you can buy generic formula or the same exact formula made by the drug company that formulated it. Black pepper has been in use for centuries, there is no patent on it that is held by a specific brand!

[Anonymous]

I think what is most important is to find spices at a store where turnover for spices would be high. Less important is the "brand," as spices loose their potency within months.

[Anonymous]

CVS has very cheap spices like oregano, at least 1/2 the price of the cheaper supermarket stuff. I think it is fine for day to day cooking for but special meals I will get the more expensive stuff.

[Anonymous]

I buy all my spices and herbs by mail order from Penzeys.

http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/shophome.html

So much cheaper and fresher than much of what I can buy in the stores. And it is very convenient.

[Anonymous]

Penzey's is great; if you're in the DC area, I hope you know about the stores in Rockville and Falls Church!

[Anonymous]

I would be concerned with how they are cleaning and processing the spices. I know McCormick has rigorous quality control to ensure you are not getting something in your spice jar which is dirt or someother foreign object. I'd be highly suspect of any spice which is cheap, cheap, cheap. Remember you get what you pay for.

On a side note, I know that McCormick's packs the majority of the store brands in our area, ie, Safeway and Giant.

[Anonymous]

I guess I meant when do I go to Whole Foods or William Sonoma and buy something, or when does something cheap suffice. Do I get foo foo cinnamon for baking or store brand? Do I buy expensive saffron online or saffron from Trader Joes? Do I get stuff from Dean and Delucca or from Safeway? What matters, which spices?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I guess I meant when do I go to Whole Foods or William Sonoma and buy something, or when does something cheap suffice. Do I get foo foo cinnamon for baking or store brand? Do I buy expensive saffron online or saffron from Trader Joes? Do I get stuff from Dean and Delucca or from Safeway? What matters, which spices?

As another poster pointed out, I would be more concerned about buying a reputable brand and buying from a store which does a good turnover.

I would think TJ's, Giant, Safeway, Wegman's, HT, Whole Foods would be good choices. I would be less convinced that specialty stores are having as much turnover of product -- I'm thinking of William Sonoma & Dean & Deluca when I say this.

[Anonymous]

The only spices I'd have any concern about are those sold at the dollar store, that are likely coming from China.

[Anonymous]

First of all, you need to try herbs and spices from Penzey's. They are SO OBVIOUSLY FAR SUPERIOR to McCormick's and ANY supermarket brand. I'm so serious. This store changed my belief about dried herbs for life.

Secondly, Cooks Illustrated did a whole study on vanilla extracts. They concluded that CVS brand imitation vanilla is the best for baked/cooked goods. If you are using vanilla in an uncooked/unbaked product (like frosting) then real-deal vanilla extract would be better. But if you are heating the vanilla, the imitation CVS is the way to go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:First of all, you need to try herbs and spices from Penzey's. They are SO OBVIOUSLY FAR SUPERIOR to McCormick's and ANY supermarket brand. I'm so serious. This store changed my belief about dried herbs for life.

Hear, hear! They really are great!