Spices, chili powder

Chili powder is the blend behind Tex-Mex staples like chili con carne, taco seasoning, and enchilada sauce, typically combining ground dried chilies with cumin, garlic powder, oregano, and sometimes salt into a single all-purpose spoonful. It works as a dry rub on meats before grilling or roasting, stirred into bean and meat stews, or whisked into a marinade with oil and lime juice. Because it is a blend rather than a single spice, flavor and heat vary noticeably between brands, so it is worth tasting and adjusting quantities to the specific jar in hand.

A teaspoon weighs about 3 grams, and store it in a sealed container away from heat and light to slow the fading of its color and aroma. This blend runs notably high in sodium at 2870 milligrams per 100 grams, which reflects the added salt in most commercial mixes, so a home cook watching sodium intake may want to check whether the recipe already calls for separate added salt. By weight it also supplies 254% of the daily value for vitamin E, 164% for vitamin A, and 124% for fiber, values driven largely by the concentrated dried chilies and other dried herbs in the mix, rather than by any single fresh ingredient.