What's in YOUR spice cabinet?

When cooking, you always need to know what the plan of action is ahead of time. Whether you have a detailed list of ingredients and utensils or a vague idea in your head, you need to know what will happen in the kitchen. Since I get distracted very easily (you could even say I am, wait for it, spazzy), I usually require a list of things I'll need for the day or I will always end up missing a key ingredient. It's happened before and it will happen again. That being said, I do keep a variety of spices on hand that make my life incredibly easy when I need to add flavor to a dish.

Here's a list of spices I use most frequently:

• Salt. This should go without saying, really. It's one of those standards that every kitchen should have and use. There are different types of salt and it should be up to your personal preference which one you go with: plain table salt, kosher salt, iodized salt, sea salt, Himalayan pink salt, etc. I even own a small jar of salt smoked with wine barrel wood. It's lovely on red meat.
• Black pepper. Whether you buy it in a jar or have a pepper mill is up to you, but this is one of those unassuming spices that will give a fantastic pop to your dish and bring it a bit of spice.
• Garlic powder. This is the money spice. Every time I am cooking something and I feel like it's missing flavor, I just add garlic powder and suddenly it becomes delicious. Of course it's always better to use garlic cloves instead, but let's be realistic about time constraints and general desire to be lazy - it's just not going to happen. Also, garlic powder is very cheap and available everywhere. And since you're already at the store, pick up garlic salt as well. You're welcome.
• BBQ rub. Some people prefer to use liquid BBQ sauces and there is nothing wrong with that. Personally, I prefer to use dry rubs because they give me more control over what kind of spices go into my food; I do read the label whenever I pick up a new jar. It's one of those things that you can just throw on a piece of meat, stick it in the oven for a half hour and suddenly you have a delicious meal. It's magic.
• Ground chile/ground Chipotle chile. This spice is fantastic with BBQ foods, Mexican dishes, or just about anything involving meat. It has a little bit of kick, but the flavor is divine. The smokiness of Chipotle chile is fantastic. This tends to be my go-to spice when I'm making eggs and bacon.
• Paprika. I know, this one is weird. Paprika doesn't necessarily have a lot of flavor, but I use it whenever I need to add some heat to my food without altering its flavor.
• Vanilla extract. It always feels like at least 75% of baking recipes ask for vanilla extract. Even when you think they don't, you should probably add it anyway. A teaspoon here, a teaspoon there and suddenly you went through the entire bottle. If you love baking, you must have this. A nice substitute is an almond extract. It's more expensive, but quite delightful - add it to pancake batter sometime.
• Honorable mentions: allspice, bay leaves, basil, cinnamon, cumin, curry, dill, oregano, rosemary, thyme. They are all fantastic spices, but perhaps not necessary for a beginner spice rack. You'll want to get them eventually, though.

I feel like this list is a good beginning, but shouldn't be the end. Experiment with new things and see where it takes you.

Enjoy!