Thyme
Parties will be postponed and planned meals canceled if it’s discovered that a house is out of fresh thyme. No self-respecting fish head or chicken foot soup would be complete without it, and rice and peas without the occasional stem in it is highly suspect. Thyme is heartier than most cut herbs, but can benefit from being wrapped in paper towel and secured in a ziptop plastic bag in the fridge.
Jamaican Curry Powder
With standard ingredients including turmeric, salt, coriander, fenugreek, red pepper, cumin, allspice, mustard seeds, star anise, and garlic, this is not, nor should it be used as, an Indian spice mix; the flavors are much too brash and uncomplicated for blooming or toasting. Especially for meat dishes, we like to apply curry as we go: first in the marination, and again (in more judicious amounts) at various points of the dish’s simmer-down. It should also be layered in with other seasonings and spices, rather than applied as an all-in-one, stand-alone seasoning.
