Chef Isaac Toups and Spiceology turn up the heat in the kitchen

The family table is getting a dash of Cajun flavor thanks to Chef Isaac Toups and Spiceology.

For foodies, Chef Isaac Toups has offered them a window into the “cajun” lifestyle. As the Top Chef Season 13 fan favorite, this James Beard nominated chef brings his approach to Cajun cuisine at Toups’ Meatery. While he might believe that he is always chasing flavor, his new line with Spiceology gives home cooks a chance to explore flavor in their kitchens.

Even the novice cook understands that seasoning brings food to life. Beyond the simple salt and pepper, layers and depths of flavor comes from finding the right seasoning for a dish. While professional chefs find these combinations through years of experience, the home cook can benefit from a little guidance.

Spice blends, like the ones offered from Spiceology, can put the home cook on the path of cooking success. From rubs to blends, these seasonings add the flavor that people craving. It makes a recipe go from bland to delicious.

Recently, Chef Isaac Toups partnered with Spiceology to bring a line of Cajun spices to the home cook. Included in the line are four seasoning blends, Heatwave Burger Seasoning, Fryclone Fry Seasoning, Thunderdust All-purpose Cajun and Louisiana Lightning Cajun Seafood Seasoning.

Whether you want to change up that grilled burger or are looking for an all-purpose seasoning, these spice blends deliver big, bold flavors. At the same time, the spices are still approachable. Each ingredient has a purpose and enhances a variety of recipes.

As the creator of these spice blends, FoodSided asked Chef Toups for some recommendations about these spice blends. While we are ready to put these spice blends to the test, a little cooking inspiration from the Cajun expert was greatly appreciated.

For foodies who have had the pleasure of eating at Toups’ Meatery, they might be familiar with Thunderdust flavor. For home cooks, this spice blend could be the must have. Toups said, “If I had to pick only one spice it would be thunder dust. It was my very first spice blend I came up with when I opened the Meatery and had not changed since. It goes on our signature dish the cracklins. You can put it on almost anything.”

While some home cooks might not be making cracklins at home, it is more likely that everyone has made a burger on the grill. One of the ways to make a burger stand out is seasoning. Instead of piling on all the condiments, the seasoning is the easiest way to build flavor.

With the Heatwave Burger Seasoning, Toups recommends this method of seasoning. He said, “I treat burgers the same way I treat a steak. So nothing goes inside of my burger meat. It’s gets Heatwave only on the outside. I cook them to medium rare and let them rest. Same way with a steak.”

Based on that recommendation, it could be the burger revelation that home cooks need. Sometimes the simplest cooking tricks make a huge flavor difference.

As home cooks look to explore flavor, they can be a little apprehensive. Building flavors doesn’t have to come with extreme heat. In some of these spice blends, green chili is used.

Toups said, “Green chili is wonderful for people who like the flavor of peppers but aren’t use to the heat that normally comes with it. It’s one of my favorite tricks: using peppers that aren’t too spicy to concentrate the flavors without adding too much heat.”

While chefs are always willing to experiment in the kitchen, the home cook needs to embrace that attitude as well. For example, Louisiana Lightning Cajun Seafood Seasoning doesn’t have to be used just on seafood.

Toups said, “Louisiana Lightning is a good all-purpose seasoning. I designed it for seafood, but it has many applications. It’s good on roasted vegetables, chicken wings and popcorn to name a few.”

Sometimes that willingness to explore can create some delicious discoveries. One of those items is Fryclone.

As Toups said, “Fryclone is one of the newer inventions of mine. I didn’t have access to powdered green chili or powdered Parmesan. Spiceology has opened up new doors for my culinary adventures. I made fried chicken with it the other day and it knocked my socks off.”

If you are ready to knock your family’s socks off with some culinary creativity and some bold flavors, consider adding Chef Isaac Toups spice blends some Spiceology. That glimpse into the Cajun lifestyle might just be the open door to a new culinary adventure.

What is your favorite spice blend?