A Dinner Dad’s Guide to Spices 🤌

The best gift for dads who cook

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May 24, 2026 2:35pm EDT

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Ethan here! Earlier this month, I wrote about my love for Black Mineral Salt to great success: it became our best selling spice that day. It’s inspired me to spotlight more of my favorite spices with you, especially if you’re looking for something to gift your favorite “Dinner Dad.”

Dinner Dad Collection from Burlap & Barrel

THE DINNER DAD COLLECTION

I cook a lot. Some may call me a “dinner dad”—if I don’t cook a proper meal, we’re all eating cereal that night.

While my restaurant days are long behind me, I still spend every week churning out daily menus of toddler breakfasts and snacks, WFH lunch for my wife Shahla and a nightly pièce de résistance for all the family and friends who drop in. Having spices is not only essential to making tasty meals, it’s how I’m able to have the most fun in my role as the unofficial private chef of the household.

Black Mineral Salt is the magic umami backbone of my cooking, borne of fire and rock. It's my ultimate cooking hack, and life would be so much blander without it and my other favorite spices:

Herbes de Provence: These herb(e)s elevate everything. The piney, resinous qualities of thyme and rosemary are balanced with fresh, summery aromatics of oregano and savory. Pro tip: In soups and sauces, add them late in the cooking process or shortly before serving to keep them tasting fresh. Try it in this easy vinaigrette that doubles as a marinade.

Herati Saffron: Simply magic. Saffron is the glowing ember of springtime, with deep aromas of honey and hay, packed full of medicinal compounds and one of the most valuable things in the world since antiquity. I steep it for a few minutes in hot water and then add to sauces, beans and marinades, or sip it straight as a warming, transportive tea. When cooking rice, add a few strands of saffron (2 per person) and 1-2 teaspoons of cumin seeds to the water before cooking.

Purple Stripe Garlic: In 2022, Ori and I traveled to a remote area of northern Vietnam, close to the Chinese border. There we met Ms. Dam and Ms. Huen, farmers excited to be replacing chemicals and commodity crops with specialty, organic garlic. I think of her every time I use it! I use garlic powder for quick flavor pickup (lots of surface area!) and smooth sauces, as well as in rubs, where it dries out and toasts lightly. I use granulated garlic for longer cooking applications, where they rehydrate into toothsome little nubs.

Brand-New Unreleased Blend: As a native New Yorker, this is a classic, but I've never tasted a version like this. We made the blend into a seasoning with bright, hot black pepper, crunchy pearls of sea salt, as well as herbal and earthy notes from caraway and cumin. I love cooking with it, using it as a crust on salmon, chicken or veggies before roasting. We'll be launching it officially next Sunday, but it's currently available in the Classics Reinvented Collection, May Spice Club and the 17-Spice Dinner Dad Collection for gifting!