"For spices, I only really have a handful that I would recommend for somebody that maybe doesn't know how to cook," Patel tells us. "I try to think about what's going to get you the most bang for your buck." Spices that do just that, according to the chef, are an, and. "Italian seasoning usually has three to four different dried herbs so that covers your bases for any recipe that might call for like thyme or rosemary." The same thing is true of garam masala. "You buy one thing of this spice mix, and you're going to pick up a lot of different flavour notes from nutmeg, clove, cardamom. You don't need to buy these specific things, especially if you don't know how to cook." Chilli, turmeric, and cumin are useful too because they can be used in many different kinds of cuisine, and cinnamon can go savoury or sweet.