I love to eat but am incredibly lazy. Good thing I’m willing to pay through the nose for items that make me seem like a good cook without any actual technical skill (e.g. SousVide Supreme).
In all seriousness, I think if you use high quality ingredients, your food will taste awesome without too much work. And you don’t have to spend a ton of money. For example, I love the spice blends from local spice purveyor Spice Hound. They’re all really fresh, unique, and tasty and they cost ~$6-7 per half-cup container. I’m always on the look out for new spice blends because they’ll help you save so much time in the kitchen.
I bought these three sugar-free blends at the farmers’ market last Saturday:
Tabil is a Tunisian spice blend with a spicy kick made with coriander, minced garlic, crushed red pepper, and caraway seeds. I cooked up some ground beef and diced onions tonight and seasoned it with some Tabil, salt, and pepper. The dish took minimal work but tasted amazing.
Fajita & Taco Seasoning is a fantastic blend with ancho, Mexican oregano, garlic, thyme, tomato, sea salt, Worcestershire. The crap you get at the store always has tons of sugar. I know you can make your own (and I have) but I’m lazy, remember?
I am really excited to experiment with Dukka. It’s a traditional Egyptian spice blend with hazelnuts, sesame seeds, coriander, and cumin.
The owner, Tammy Tan, is super nice, informative, and helpful. They have a new storefront in San Francisco and stands at a ton of farmers’ markets in the Bay Area. I can’t wait to try more of their spices, salts, and blends!
