Cooks and chefs ... Which herbs and spices ...?

Sage & thyme are good for chicken, pork, fish, too.

Rosemary is good with most meats, soups & sauces.

Mint sauce or jelly is required with lamb.

Onion & garlic are good with almost anything.

Parsley & cilantro are more decorative; for soups & stews.

Dill is used in pickles, potatoes, salads, & shellfish.

Bay leaves are great in stews or pot roasts.

Basil goes with any tomato dish or sauce.

Oregano is required in any Italian dish.

Paprika adds some colour & a little heat, to goulash & chowder.

Sweet dishes need: cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger.

Try using real garlic, not the powder. It really adds a good garlic flavor. Try doing pork with slits in it, with tiny slivers of garlic in those slits. Either a roast or pork chops -- absolutely delicious Also, with chicken, I use Seasoned Salt -- It's Lowry's brand -- that's all I put on it, then bake it in the oven -- 350 degrees for about 60 minutes. My mom was a fantastic cook and her secret was -- "Don't add a lot of spices, you'll ruin the flavor of the main dish." I think she was right. If you are cooking a beef roast, you want that great beef roast flavor to come through -- a little salt, pepper, and maybe a bit of garlic powder, then let the roast flavor come out.

Dump the garlic powder and use fresh garlic. Actually, use as much fresh herbs as you can. Most are easy to grow on a sunny window sill.

Thyme and roasted potatoes are a great combo. Don't limit your herbs and spices to your meat recipes. Veggies benefit from them too.

Read cookbooks, or browse recipe websites to see what others use and adapt a few into your repertoire.

Hi B, you have some really good suggestions here all I can add is that I tend to whenever the budget allows buy fresh pots of herbs and garlic.

I used to grow all my own but the climate here is so erratic that it was touch and go whether some made it through or not.

I don't know if you use fresh herbs but the difference I find is quite sublime.

Well, since you don't have your favorite Chef's seasonings, then I guess you have to make your own famous Mashed Potatoes with some seasonings of your own! Any of the following would be absolutely delicious: Salt and Pepper (I use white pepper for smashers, but you can use any pepper you like, even crushed red peppers if you like some heat) Unsalted Butter, Fresh Garlic, finely diced red/white onions, onion powder, garlic powder, chives, scallions, rosemary, thyme, oregano,flat leaf or regular parsley, cilantro, chicken/vegetable base, cayenne, celery seed, horseradish (one of my favs) paprika or tarragon. I have used all of these seasonings (in several different combinations)in my Mashed Potatoes over the years and these are my favorites, so best of luck and happy experimenting in what you and your family likes!

There's a book called the Flavor Bible which is amazing. You can look up an ingredient such as lamb and it tells you things that go with it such as garlic, rosemary, mint etc. Good combinations are in plain font. Great combinations are in bold font. Amazing combinations are in CAPs and bold. There are just too many combinations to list. You need a book like that. The same authors did an earlier version called Culinary Artistry and that book is the same idea. There are literally hundreds of thousands of combinations.

If you contact the spice companies, they will send you a spice chart that list all the different spices and the types of foods that go with them. This is a very helpful chart, or sometimes if you look in an old cookbook they may have one in there too.

Being on my own, and lacking in the required culinary skills and inspiration to cook proper meals, I content myself with frozen, canned, and dried foods usually.

However, I do use herbs and the like to flavour the tinned foods as I warm them up.

Mint & vinegar in the peas and any combination of Black peppers, salt, onion powder, onion salt, basil, oregano, & mixed herbs, with the potatoes.

I have no idea which herbs are supposed to go with which foods, and my experimenting continues.

for poultry I like Sage,Rosemary,Oregano, fresh parsley,

for beef I like Bay leaf, thyme,

for pork I like a blend of spices including garlic,onion,pepper,and a little red wine

for fish I like dill,parsley,lemon zest,lemon juice,pepper.

dont eat animals