Traveling with Spices ✈️

Don’t you hate it when you get to a house rental in a remote place, and there are no spices in the pantry? If there are, you have no idea how old they are or where they came from. Room service isn't always available 24/7, but these little jars of spices can be!

What spices should you bring?

• Think about how you will be eating on your trip. Are you arriving late at night? Options are limited to convenience stores or gas stations. Silk Chili Flakes can improve most microwaved food. Its mild spiciness is great for instant noodles, hummus, and yogurt dips.

• If you’re eating out, a more unique blend like Illyana Maisonet’s Adobo can refresh your palate when you take a break. For ambitious traveling cooks, it also plays well with roasted chicken, braised beans, and pots of rice.

When cooking most of the food yourself on a trip, the basics are key: something salty, something spicy, something herby and something crunchy. Here are some of our favorite examples:

• Rather than buying salt and pepper separately, invite Chef’s Best Friend, a salina crystal salt and Zanzibar black peppercorn blend. Wickedly simple, but it packs a punch on pan-fried fish and roasted veggies.

• Herbes de Provence are excellent on fresh tomatoes with a good crusty bread.

• Black Lime & Chili Salt is a savory 5-in-one! Use it as a rim for cocktails, sprinkled on sliced watermelon, mango or cucumber.

• Dash a little Royal Cinnamon in your morning coffee to add a brown-buttery note or mix it with sugar for easy cinnamon toast.

If you have room in your carry-on, bring an extra jar to gift to your host or to other vacationing family and friends as a party favor to take home and to remember the fun meals you shared together. Bon voyage!