Awesome Guide to Spices

Allspice
Tastes like: A pungent blend of cinnamon, nutmeg and clove with a hint of juniper and peppercorn.
Great in: Caribbean and Latin savory and sweet dishes (such as Jamaican Jerk sauce), spice mixes, pickles, chutneys, vegetables, soups and desserts.

Anise Seed
Tastes like: Has a licorice-like flavor (different from star anise, which is generally used in Chinese dishes).
Great in: Cakes, biscuits, rye breads, desserts and to flavor fish, poultry, soups, root vegetable dishes and liqueurs such as anisette, ouzo and pastis.

Basil
Tastes like: Its pungent flavor is a gentle blend of licorice and clove.
Great in: Dishes featuring tomatoes, onions, garlic, olives, pasta sauces, and as a flavor for oils. Basil is used in tomato-and-mozzarella salad and in pesto sauce.

Bay Leaf
Tastes like: A robust, fragrant herb from the evergreen bay laurel that lends a woodsy flavor to dishes.
Great in: Soups, stews, vegetables and meats – the leaves are generally removed from a dish before serving.

Caraway Seed
Tastes like: Has a nutty, delicate anise flavor and hails from the parsley family.
Great in: German, Austrian and Hungarian dishes and cheese, breads, cakes, stews, meats and vegetables. Often used in rye bread and sauerkraut.

Cardamom
Tastes like: Available ground or in pods of around 20 seeds, it has a pungent aroma and a warm, spicy-sweet flavor.
Great in: Scandinavian and East Indian cooking. Often used in chai tea.

Cayenne Pepper
Tastes like: Also called red pepper, this hot powder is made from ground dried hot chilies, and has a smoky, fiery flavor.
Great in: Mexican and Southwestern dishes; chili.

Clove
Tastes like: Sold whole or ground, it comes from the dried flower buds of the clove tree. Its flavor is penetrating and sweet.
Great in: Pickling spice, baked ham, mulled wine and baked goods. Chutneys, too.

Coriander
Tastes like: The dried seeds of cilantro, which have a spicy citrus flavor, are used whole or ground.
Great in: Indian curries.

Cumin
Tastes like: Shaped like a caraway seed, this strong spice with a nutty, earthy taste comes in seed and ground forms.
Great in: Middle Eastern, Asian and Mediterranean cooking, and for curries and chili powders.

Dill Weed
Tastes like: This feathery herb with a fresh, sweet, slightly licorice-like flavor is available fresh or dried.
Great in: Salads, vegetables, meats and sauces, as well as potato salad and cooked new potatoes.

Dill Seed
Tastes like: The dried fruit of the dill weed tastes like a mild version of caraway seed.
Great in: Pickling brine.

Fennel Seed
Tastes like: This licorice-flavored seed is available whole or ground.
Great in: Pork, pasta, bread, seafood and to flavor liqueurs.

Fines Herbes
Tastes like: A classic mixture that usually includes chervil, chives, parsley and tarragon. It has a delicate onion-like taste from the chives and also chervil's hint of anise.
Great in: Add to cooked mixture (such as chicken, beef or a casserole) shortly before serving. Nice in omelets.

Fresh Ginger
Tastes like: Has a peppery and slightly sweet flavor and a tan skin and flesh that ranges in color from pale greenish yellow to ivory.
Great in: Asian and Indian cooking.

Ground Ginger
Tastes like: A common baking spice (not an appropriate substitute for fresh ginger) that is pungent and spicy and indispensable in sweets.
Great in: Soups, curries, meats and gingerbread as well as gingersnaps and other spice cookies.

Juniper Berry
Tastes like: These bitter, blue-black berries – the essential flavoring in gin – are usually sold dried and are crushed before use.
Great in: Meats, sauces and stuffings.

Marjoram
Tastes like: Has oval, inch-long pale green leaves and a sweet flavor similar to oregano, but more mild and delicate.
Great in: Meats (especially lamb and veal) and vegetables.

Mustard
Tastes like: The seed of the mustard plant is sold whole, ground or prepared. It can be quite hot and spicy.
Great in: Whole, for pickling and in Middle Eastern dishes. Ground to season meat and salads. Prepared mustard is often found in deviled eggs, potato salad and vinaigrettes.

Nutmeg
Tastes like: Sold ground or whole, it's delicately warm, spicy and sweet.
Great in: Baked goods, milk or cream-based dishes like custards, white sauces or eggnog, and on fruits and vegetables (potatoes, spinach and squash). Pumpkin pie.

Oregano
Tastes like: Sometimes called wild marjoram, it has a strong, pungent flavor and aroma.
Great in: Tomato-based dishes and pizza.

Paprika
Tastes like: Made by grinding aromatic sweet red pepper pods. Its flavor ranges from mild to pungent and hot; color from bright orange-red to blood-red.
Great in: Seasoning and garnish for savory dishes. Creole spice dishes, goulash, roast turkey breast and paprikash potatoes.

Peppercorns
Tastes like: The world's most popular spice has a hot, biting, pungent taste. Freshly ground whole peppercorns have more flavor than pre-ground pepper.
Great in: Nearly everything – delicious freshly ground on salads, in eggs, pasta and even as an ingredient in some sweet dishes.

Rosemary
Tastes like: Available in whole leaf form and powdered, the silver-green, needle-shaped leaves are highly aromatic, and their flavor hints at both lemon and pine.
Great in: Soups, vegetables, meat (especially lamb and pork), fish and egg dishes, stuffings and dressings, fruit salads.

Sage
Tastes like: The narrow, oval, gray-green leaves of this pungent herb are slightly bitter and have a musty minty taste and aroma.
Great in: Pork, cheese and beans, and in poultry and game stuffings. Sausage makers use it to flavor their products.

Saffron
Tastes like: The world's most expensive spice comes from the yellow-orange flower of a small purple crocus. Each flower provides three stigmas that are carefully hand picked and dried. Primarily used as a flavor and to tint food, it comes powdered and in threads and is delicate and pleasantly bitter.
Great in: Bouillabaisse, risotto Milanese and paella, and many European baked goods.

Tarragon
Tastes like: Narrow, pointed, dark green leaves with a distinctive anise-like flavor. Available fresh in summer and early fall and year-round in dried and powdered forms. Can easily overpower other flavors.
Great in: Classic French cooking including chicken, fish and vegetables, as well as Bearnaise sauce.

Thyme
Tastes like: Has a warm, pungent, slightly lemony flavor. Fresh thyme is available in some supermarkets during the summer; dried thyme – in whole leaves as well as powder form – is available year-round.
Great in: Vegetables, meat, poultry and fish dishes, soups and cream sauces. Often used in French cuisine.

Turmeric
Tastes like: The root of a tropical plant related to ginger. It has a bitter, pungent flavor and an intense yellow-orange color. Adds flavor and color to food.
Great in: East Indian cooking and curries. Gives American-style prepared mustard its bright yellow color.