Stocking the spice cabinet

[Vanquisher]

I have a lot of spices in my cabinet already, but I am sure there are some that I am missing that I would like to have.

I will be meeting a friend of mine in Atlanta in a few weeks. She is from Toronto and lives by a market that sells bulk dried spices. Apparently, she has access to about any spice I may want or need, and she can get them to me for cheap. Wohoo! My problem is that I don't really know what to get.

I looked up on Wikipedia the spice list, and I was overwhelmed. I have a lot of spices already, but not that many.

Here are the spices I have:

allspice
basil
bay leaves
blackening seasoning
cayenne
celery salt
chili powder
cinnamon
cloves
cream of tartar
crushed red pepper flakes
cumin
curry
dill
Emeril Southwest Essence
Emeril Original Essence
garlic powder
garlic salt
garlic bread sprinkle
garlic pepper
garlic herb blend
ginger
italian seasoning
lemon pepper
meat tenderizer
montreal steak seasoning
msg
mustard
nutmeg
Old Bay
onion powder
oregano
paprika
parsley
poppy seeds
poultry seasoning
rosemary
sage
sesame seeds
tarragon
thyme
tomato basil garlic blend


So, help me decide what I need to ask her to bring me.

I was thinking of:

More sesame seeds. I use a bottle of these at a time in certain salads, and it costs a ton.
More Basil. I use this a LOT.
Anise
Fennel
Mace
I also go through bay leaves quite a bit, thyme, rosemary, oregano (I have a lot of oregano already).

Do I need asofaetida or fenugreek or whatever else is in those indian potatoes. Will I use them that often or for anything else? Cardamom? Tumeric? So many others...

My spice cupboard is already overflowing, but I don't care that much. DH does though.

So, tell me what other spices I MUST get.

Maybe check the spices you have and see if any need to be replaced? I buy bigger sizes (by mail) of stuff I use often enough that I can just refill the jar. It's nice. Other things that go bad quickly, like poppy seeds, I keep in the freezer.

Do you have a spice grinder? Getting some things whole, like the fennel, will keep it fresh longer. Same for nutmeg. Maybe some whole cardomom and star anise for indian cooking? Does the store have other bulk items like cocoa powder? Just adding to your list. Sounds like you're well-stocked to start with though.

asofeda and fenugreek won't get much use outside of Indian cooking, in my experience. fenugreek helps to up breastmilk production ... but i don't think you're looking for that.

[Sheherezade]

Coriander. That's the only thing I don't see on your list that we use in bulk. Other than that, I'd just check out new recipes that you'd like to try and buy things for them. I also think that you are well-stocked. ITA that buying spices in whole form and grinding is a great option. We do that for a number of things.

[Stella]

Agreed. And the stuff that I don't use that often, I try to by fresh whenever possible. I also try to use fresh basil (actually makes a great smelling decoration in the kitchen), mint, rosemary, etc.

Otherwise, I think you are pretty well stocked. I use red pepper flakes more than anything else!