Penzey's....cinnamon!!!!! And granulated garlic.....and more cinnamon!
Their cinnamon is head and shoulders above any other I have ever sniffed and that includes the spice markets in the Spice Islands in the Indian ocean!
Linda C

I'm especially fond of their vietnamese cinnamon.
Just go in and smell as you go. your nose will tell you what's good and what you'll use. I buy the smallest jars of most products, that way I have lots of variety and it's always fresh!

I think I've posted this before, but their Shrimp/Crab Boil is just fabulous. We eat a lot of seafood, and I think I've tried every commercial product there is, plus a lot of recipes for homemade versions. NOTHING has ever given such excellent results as their mixture!

Also, on the current WFD thread, pkramer said she marinated a pork tenderloin in Penzey's Greek seasoning, plus some red wine vinegar and olive oil. Can't wait to try that!

sm

I am another fan of the Vietnamese cinnamon! MMMM, so much better than the grocery store stuff!

I bought their Italian sausage seasoning and Breakfast sausage seasoning at the Penzey's in Grand Rapids last fall, and I really like the Italian. The breakfast sausage was good, but not quite the flavor combination I was looking for.

I have a lot of things on my perpetual list!

Liinda

Look for things you can't get at home.

Smoked paprika, chipolte powder, one of their specialty salts. I've heard others say that their salad dressing mixes are very good, Italian and Ranch seem to be mentioned often. oh yeah, the cinnamon!

Brace your self for the prices at Whole Foods, very pricey.

At Penzey's, just walk around and sniff everything. I LOVE that place!! I walk in with the intent to buy one or two things I need and end up spending $50 on stuff that smells good (oooh! maybe I better try me some o' this stuff!).

Aside from the items mentioned above, I like their sandwich sprinkle, great for shaking on chicken salad for example. Their Trinidad lemon/garlic mixture gets used a lot in my house. The Chicago seasoning is great for steaks. I JUST picked up some vanilla sugar the last time I was there, I'm going to mix it with their cocoa and use it to rim the glasses for chocolate martinis. That vanilla sugar smells divine, I can't wait to try it.

I agree to buy the small jars. They are a great way to try lots of different items, then you can buy the large jar next time if you find you use a lot of any given spice.

I don't go to Whole Foods too often because I like Central Market (local to Texas) better. But yes, they are pricey. I agree with H&D being very high $$$. I almost never buy stuff there, but they do have an outlet store in San Marcos which I go to twice a year. Unfortunately they don't discount their goodies there, but I have picked up a few serving pieces there at great discounts.

World Market is great and their prices are reasonable. What a variety! I've bought kitchen items, foods, jewelry; we even bought our bar stools there - they were perfect, exactly suited to my kitchen, and about half the price of the bar stools we'd seen at furniture stores. But the best thing at World Market is their wine selection. I cannot walk in there without buying several bottles. Great prices, great variety, fun to peruse all the labels.

Have fun!!!

We bought a pound of Tellicherry peppercorns at whole foods, then saw them at Penzey's for about 25% less, so definately get your spices at Penzey's. The things I usually buy at Whole Foods are the staples, such as their cheese, Super Nutty Granola, cheese, fruit, their 365 Olive Oil, and cheeses. Sometimes I get their Seeduction bread, which is soooooo good, but way more than Dh and I can eat. Lately I've started splurging on the milk at Whole Foods and Central Market. They carry a brand, Organic Valley, which buys from local organic dairies, although the price of that milk really hurts the pocket book, I like buying milk I know comes from a town just down the road.

Half the fun of shopping at Whole Foods is the people watching.

World Market is so much fun because it has such a variety of stuff. It has dishware, kitchenware, linens, toys, furniture, spices, wines and beers, chocolates, coffees, teas, cookies, cakes, and such, and I've bought olive oil there, too, when I haven't made it to Whole Foods. World Market is a lot closer to me, so I've started buying their olive oil more frequently than Whole Foods, although the Whole Foods oo fits in my cabinet better. lol

Have fun!

Sally

Stacie, I too was Penzy virgin up until 2 weeks ago today. They finally opened a second store in CT in the town where my DD doctor is...yeah! He validates the parking and I get to shop at Penzy's.

Their prices are so much cheaper than our grocery stores...so I bought the Kosher salt, double strength vanilla and because I knew hubby would gripe about me shopping there I bought him the hot red pepper flakes, 2 bottles the american which is mild (but hotter than than any other kind in a store) and the indian which according to him is really hot...he loves them..so I have the go ahead to shop there for my spices.

DD laughed at me as I was walking through the store acting like a school girl laughing and giggling that I was actually there : )

Have fun!
Heidi

Definitely the Vietnamese cassia cinnamon, but I also love their 4 blend peppercorns. Wow! Fabulous!

I agree with Sherry, I love that 4 peppercorn blend and I always buy the chinese cinnamon. I'm also a big, big fan of their cardamom, LOL, since the local Walmart had some for $12 a jar and I got the same amount at Penzey's for $3.49!

As other's have said, just go in and sniff. They have jars of things sitting out so you can smell and taste and see the consistency.

Oh, and they have the best almond extract I've ever used, I just open the bottle and sniff it regularly, LOL. Their dried orange peel is nice too....

Annie

Walk around and sniff all the sample jars.

As to cinnamon? Last time I needed it at home, I ordered a small jar of each of their 4 varieties. Then I did a taste test--mixed up 4 batches of cinnamon sugar and made 4 samples of cinnamon toast. The vietnamese is NOT my favorite. Korintje Cassia is the one I prefer for 'everyday' use (spice cakes, cookies, toast), and I like the Ceylon--it's quite different--for using with fruit (apple pie, peach cake, etc). I'll be keeping both on hand.

The Italian spice blend is good to have on hand for making dipping oil for your Italian bread.

Pretty much anything you buy there will be a treat. Last time I was there we spent $70 and had a small shopping bag when we left. Even DH--who isn't a cook--was enjoying walking around and sniffing the samples.

Whole foods is great. I don't find the prices high at all. They're comparable to any other supermarket in our area--of course, you always have to compare, no one's the cheapest or most expensive on everything. As a matter of fact they sell my shampoo for $3-4 less than I can get it in the grocery store (when I can find one that carries the organic brand I use). If they have it--give the Prairie Bread a try if you like breads with lots of seeds, etc It's WONDERFUL.

Dang, I have that "nothing from China" on the brain. I didn't mean CHINESE cinnamon, I meant VIETNAMESE cinnamon. They'll tell you to use less because it's more flavorful. Ignore them, use the same amount. Or use more, if you love cinnamon, LOL.

Annie

Whole Foods sells sundried tomatoes and pine nuts in bulk. We used to load up when we made the drive to Houston. I like the house brand olive oil too. It's been a while but I think it's called 365. Be careful at Penzeys or or you'll end up with more spices than you can use up like I did. The small containers work just fine and you can always order more online.
James

The smell of cinnamon often makes me nauseous, and so in your condition, I might think you should be cautious when smelling spices. At Penzey's, I like their curry powders. My favorite is Maharajah Curry, but they also have a small selection of dried chilies - not as good as local markets, but they are packaged well. Look for Ancho, Pasilla, and Guajillo chilies, to use for making chili sauce. Skip the chili powders - they don't have the flavor that whole chilies do.

Lars

Well, I hit just about every store I wanted except Penzey's I am going to pick up some vietamese cinnamon tomorrow. I also hit Asian, Mediteranian, and an Indian grocery store. I couldn't believe how cheep the prices were on spices and seeds for sprouting and planting. I stocked up on corriander and Shiso to plant in the garden. I picked up DH's favorite wasabi products at whole foods, the 365 olive oil, I also like their shampoo, conditioner, body wash and lotion, all of them are 3.99 for a liter which lasts a while at our house. I went with the Lavender scent this time. At world market I picked up lots of lavender buds at reasonable price to make sachets and the thin pretzels that are in a huge bag and are like the old Mister Salty pretzels. I also spent quite a bit on 10 different herb plants that were good sized with multiple plants so am looking foreward to reorganizeing my herb garden.

Tomorrow I am meeting with the purchasing manager about possibly carrying a popcorn that is grown in Nebraska. The company that they use now has been sold to ConAgra and they are looking for a new source. So will go and meet with them and the information. It is in the town that my in laws live and I am friends with the owner. I will also spend my required time ahem taste testing the olives on the olive bar.

I also hit a couple thrift stores and 3 fabric craft stores, so I got a lot done in a little time. This time I made a list of all the places that I wanted to hit and the items that I needed. So will spend tomorrow finishing up and wishing I lived closer but definately love my home town of 555 people.

Stacie

One more thing not to miss is the Double Vanilla. The taste is wonderful and so much better than the other kinds. I like Madagascar, but love Penzey's.

Lars, that's interesting about the smell of cinnamon making you nauseous - I'm that way about hazelnut coffee. Since the hazelnut coffee craze of the 90's (?), where everywhere I went they seemed to be serving hazelnut coffee, I haven't been able to tolerate the stuff. I've been afraid of anything hazelnut because of that. Sorry, Stacie, I digress.

Stacie, I'm confused - Whose purchasing manager are you meeting with?

I'm glad you're having so much fun!

Sally

Stacie, this is the first I've heard from anyone other than me who likes shiso! I think I even sent Annie some seeds....but she saw the word 'invasive' and decided to pass on it, IIRC?

I find the Penzeys vanilla to be $$$. I'm cheap. I buy mine at Trader Joes or I would check out World Market.

ditto chase on smoked paprika and stuff you can't get elsewhere.

Look at buying small jars of blends that have so many ingredients it would be a PITA to make it yourself - Lamb seasoning, Jerk for chicken, for sure Mural of Flavor and Tuscan Sunset.

I got the smoked paprika, The vietnamese cinnamon, the sandwhich mix, white peppercorns, and seasoning salt. I think that is all I ended up with. While I was there there was another women who was there for the first time too, so I took her around and showed her what you all recommended and she bought the same things I did. All in all lots of fun shopping, got some new thymes (8 different ones) mint, and lemon balm. Plus hit Asian, Indian, and Mediteranean grocery stores to pick up specialty stuff, and cost world and whole foods. Plus for crafting went to Handcocks, Joann's, Hobby Lobby and a local one that is huge, Manglesons. So now to unload all the goodies.

Stacie

BTW
the whole foods store also carries chili lime pistachios. I gave DH the one pound bag last night and um, they were all gone by this morning. He was upset that I didn't pick him up some more today lol

Whole Food's bulk section is so much fun - I could spend lots of money there alone. My problem is that something looks interesting, I get some, take it home and stick it in my freezer, then forget about it. Then, when I come across this bag of some kind of grain with just a number written on it, I don't remember what on earth it was or what I was thinking when I bought it! lol. I've learned to write the names as well as the number on the little tag thingy.

Sally