Best Bet: Buy Fresh Herbs and Whole Spices for Passover
One of the most overlooked options is to choose fresh herbs and whole spices for Passover. Fresh herbs have superior flavor, and are increasingly available in markets, especially at this time of year. Plus, since Passover is also known as Chag Ha'Aviv, or the Festival of Spring, fresh herbs make an especially fitting recipe enhancement. Fresh herbs do not require special kosher certification, even during Passover. Just be sure to wash them well and check for bugs, which aren't kosher any time of the year.
Whole spices are another great option, and pose none of the adulteration concerns that ground packaged spices do. (Ashkenazim should be aware, however, that some spices are considered kitniot.) Once the holiday begins, it's best to purchase packaged whole spices that have a reliable kosher certifying mark, though most rabbinic authorities would not require a special Passover certification. Before the holiday starts, most maintain that it's even fine to buy unpackaged whole spices (which might not bear kosher certification). Just be sure to check for extraneous matter from bulk bins, and store these spices separate from non-Passover items.
If you opt to buy whole spices, you'll need a grinder for Passover, too. Check out Kuhn Rikon's Vase Spice Grinder , which comes with 3 interchangeable spice containers, or Microplane's Home Series Spice Grater.
NEXT: Kitniot Spices