Also things like mustard powder and celery seed/salt have no taste in low quantities.
I like a good dose of celery salt in my bloody Mary. I also like to add some to my chili and use it as a substitute in soups if I forgot to pick up fresh celery. Really though, bloody Marys are all I buy it for.
And smoked paprika is good, too. not spicy at all, but super tasty. It's great in sauces and SUPER common in stuff like marinated pork loin.
I was talking about plain paprika. Smoked paprika is awesome! I use the hell out of it in jerk chicken, rib rub, roasts, etc..
What fucking third-world niggerland are you from?
I have met people from all over the globe and not once have I heard fries called breakfast potatoes
Keep your panties on and ask your "people from all over the globe" why they have never heard of something
that shows up thousands of times with a simple internet search.
I'm always confused by White pepper. Does anyone use it for anything?
It has it's uses. Soups, stews, and meatloaf and seasoned flower (for breading+frying) come to mind. It's not as versatile as black pepper but it has it's place on the spice rack.
I also can't taste much of tumeric. I know it has a smell, and it tastes the way it smells.
Really? I think turmeric tastes really bitter. Like others already said it is a staple for yellow curries and rice. Supposedly it is very healthy too, although it will stain your fingers and work area if you aren't careful.
I grow and dehydrate my own and the difference is incredible. Especially for dill, parsley, garlic, sweet paprika, basil, bay, etc.
Dried Cilantro = Absolutely Useless
Dried Basil = Pretty Good Actually
My other contenders are dried cilantro, dried basil, dried epazote, and dried rosemary.
There is no substitute for fresh dill and they difference between fresh and dried basil is huge. I love a slice of fresh mozzarella with some olive oil and fresh basil on it. Mamma mia!
Dried basil is good for making marinara or just red pasta sauce in general. Likewise I like adding dried dill weed to chicken noodle soup but would never pickle with it.
You guys are all right about dried cilantro. The only thing that makes that (and dried parsley) useful is it is shelf stable and both are used as garnishment.
Dried rosemary still has a strong flavor and is wonderful on roasted meats. Of course fresh is better, but again, it is shelf stable.
Cardamom. In powder form it tastes like nothing, but in pod form it tastes like shit.
Ah, that's another one I don't bother keeping around. Usually recipes that call for it (like garam masala blends) have other strong spices in them so you never notice it missing anyway.
I think what you are calling coriander is what us amerimutts call cilantro, correct? To me dried coriander refers to coriander seed ground or whole. I didn't know anyone bothered to dry the leaves, that isn't something I've ever seen.
Yeah, the leaves are usually freeze dried. It makes it shelf stable (but pretty much kills any flavor), I already discussed this above. Most amerimutts don't know that coriander and cilantro are parts of the same plant with completely different flavors though.
I thought of another contender for semi-useless though: Fennel? Unless you are making Italian sausage (or absinthe) then what do you use it for? Just like anise, it's easier to keep a bottle of 5 spice around.
I know from experience that trying to substitute one for the other doesn't quite work.