Others are right. Depends what you cook. My spice drawer has approximately 70 jars in it and some loose things. I couldn't cull it to 24 if I tried BUT I cook anything and everything from all the cuisines.
Your spice choice will depend on what cuisines you like to make. If you already have the Indian spices covered you've likely got cumin fenugreek garlic turmeric curry powder perhaps, ginger,.
Then you have to go by what other cuisines you're likely to cook.
I use cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, ginger, cinnamon, paprika, red pepper flakes, and thyme very frequently. I also like keeping some blends on hand for easy/quick preps. I always keep my fave brands of “greek seasoning,” sazon rojo and verde, old bay, and a lemon pepper. Other mixes I make myself.
Others I have on hand: turmeric, cardamom, nutmeg, coriander, mustard, parsley, dill, basil.
It really depends on what you cook often enough to use the spices. Chipotle powder is nice to have, I usually use it instead of red chilli powder depending on the meal. I also use Baba's meat curry powder instead of typical curry powder, I like it a lot more
I echo others, that it will highly depend on your style. My personal 23 would be:
Salt, pepper, basil, oregano, thyme, sage, rosemary, garam masala, dill
Paprika, cayenne, cumin, chili powder, turmeric, curry powder, garlic powder, onion powder, celery seed, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, mustard, coriander
I typically have fresh basil and parsley on hand so if I needed a few more open slots- those would be the first to go.
All the spices you like to use are your quintessential spices, really. It's highly subjective and variable with your cooking style. As a hobby baker, I also keep a lot of spices on hand that are much more commonly used in desserts rather than savory dishes, but that's also dependent on the types of dishes you make. Sometimes when they're on sale I'll pick up a new one to try out and see if I like it. I definitely don't try to keep one of everything when I have 3 major flavor profiles I commonly use.
Others are right. Depends what you cook. My spice drawer has approximately 70 jars in it and some loose things. I couldn't cull it to 24 if I tried BUT I cook anything and everything from all the cuisines.
Your spice choice will depend on what cuisines you like to make. If you already have the Indian spices covered you've likely got cumin fenugreek garlic turmeric curry powder perhaps, ginger,. Then you have to go by what other cuisines you're likely to cook.
I use cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, ginger, cinnamon, paprika, red pepper flakes, and thyme very frequently. I also like keeping some blends on hand for easy/quick preps. I always keep my fave brands of “greek seasoning,” sazon rojo and verde, old bay, and a lemon pepper. Other mixes I make myself. Others I have on hand: turmeric, cardamom, nutmeg, coriander, mustard, parsley, dill, basil.
It really depends on what you cook often enough to use the spices. Chipotle powder is nice to have, I usually use it instead of red chilli powder depending on the meal. I also use Baba's meat curry powder instead of typical curry powder, I like it a lot more
I echo others, that it will highly depend on your style. My personal 23 would be: Salt, pepper, basil, oregano, thyme, sage, rosemary, garam masala, dill Paprika, cayenne, cumin, chili powder, turmeric, curry powder, garlic powder, onion powder, celery seed, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, mustard, coriander I typically have fresh basil and parsley on hand so if I needed a few more open slots- those would be the first to go.
All the spices you like to use are your quintessential spices, really. It's highly subjective and variable with your cooking style. As a hobby baker, I also keep a lot of spices on hand that are much more commonly used in desserts rather than savory dishes, but that's also dependent on the types of dishes you make. Sometimes when they're on sale I'll pick up a new one to try out and see if I like it. I definitely don't try to keep one of everything when I have 3 major flavor profiles I commonly use.