Just unpacked my spice order from Penzey’s, including a lot of freebies. Anyway, for those of you who shop at Penzey’s, what are you favorite spices, herbs or blends?
Mine are:
Vietnamese Cinnamon
Tellicherry Peppercorns
Turkish Blend
Chicago Steak Seasoning
DH loves their seasoned salt ( formerly 4S), paprikas, and some of their barbecue blends for his rubs.
Anyway, how about you?
Aleppo pepper is my favorite, hands down. Second place goes to their ground Chipotle pepper.
My favorites are asterisked below…or bullet-pointed, because HO didn’t understand my asterisks. LOL
I always have their Aleppo pepper on hand too - love the stuff!
I knew you would have a catalogue of Penzey’s favorites. 
Because we use za’atar by the PSOT* I get mine from Korbani’s in Methuen, MA, where you can find a large bag of the stuff for something like $5.00 or so.
*proverbial you-know-what ton
Linda, I think our spice cupboards or drawers probably look very similar! Such good products they have! 
I really like their products. The two items I just hate to purchase else where are the bay leaves and the oregano. They are much, much better than I’ve had elsewhere.
Bavarian Seasoning
Shallot Pepper mix
BBQ of the Americas
Cajun Spice
Chili Con Carne
Italian Seasoning
I had to buy McCormick’s Thyme this past weekend because I was about to run out of Penzeys thyme, and didn’t want to pay to order just one jar (because I definitely do NOT need anything else from Penzeys!) nor did I have time to drive to Arlington, mA to pick it up at the store. So I bought the smallest jar I could - will be interesting to open it up and see the difference of McCormick’s to the bit I have left in my Penzeys jar.
Oh - and BTW - the Tuscan Sunset is now salt-free (has been for years) so there’s no more Aleppo pepper in it. I just add some of my own to the mix based on the listing on the jar (ingredient order). I think the Aleppo adds just the right oomph to the TS seasoning.
If Sichuan Chinese cooking matters to you, Penzey’s is a reliable source of high quality Sichuan peppercorns (prickly ash or 花椒). You can get similarly high quality product at Asian supermarkets if you can read Chinese; Penzey’s is a solid option if you cannot. https://www.penzeys.com/online-catalog/szechuan-peppercorns/c-24/p-1415/pd-s
Agree on the peppercorns, if they’re not under a ban. Just a few years ago Penzey’s had none due to the illegality, so people would have to bootleg them in. A few years ago in Charleston SC, we went to xiao bao biscuit, where the owners had gotten some really good ones while traveling in China I had a drink with them in it and crushed around the rim. Think my mouth was numb for hours. When I got home I tasted my unopened Penzey’s jar and yep, pretty much the same.
Sichuan peppercorns can be sold in the U.S. as long as they have been heat treated prior to importation. This hypothetically kills off the canker that hypothetically might grow on the peppercorns and could hypothetically endanger the U.S. citrus population (Sichuan peppercorns being a citrus fruit). It does kill some of its potency, so as with decaf coffee, you need to start with prime quality ingredients, and Penzey’s consistently gets same.
Yes, but I happen to know there were periods when the peppercorns weren’t available at all in this country, same with kafir lime leaves. Drove me crazy. YMMV
So, possibly this was all before heat treatment days.
I’m aware of that, and I’m saying that Sichuan peppercorns have reliably been available in the U.S. for at least a decade. Admittedly, more than once you would have to go to an Asian supermarket, and be able to make out that the peppercorns actually came from SiChuan province, rather than GuangDong or GuangXi or TaiWan or any of a number of alternate second rate producers. But Penzey’s has had a reliable supply in place for several years.
Yes, Dr Jimbob, I’m sure you’re right! We old timers remember the old bans and no way to get product. I’m glad things have moved forward! I still frequently struggle to get fresh kaffir lime leaves despite going to many Asian stores in the greater Seattle area. Think I may order a tree & try to baby it along. I seem to have a black thumb however…damnit!
A typical order
Penzeys Air-Dried Shallots 49089 net 3.6 oz 1.5 cup bag 1 $7.49 $7.49 Add to cart
Berbere Seasoning Blend 1 12842 net 3.2 oz 3/4 cup bag 1 $6.29 $6.29 Add to cart
California Sweet Paprika 47846 net 3.6 oz 3/4 cup bag 1 $8.69 $8.69 Add to cart
Aleppo Pepper
and Chipotle.
There are many more but I’m watching a movie.n[quote=“shrinkrap, post:17, topic:18661, full:true”]
What do you like to use the shallot pepper mix for? We received some as a gift, but I haven’t used it yet.
How do you use your chipotle?
What do you do with the shallots?
