What's in supermarket spice mixes?
Have you read the ingredient list of a supermarket spice mix lately? Most people haven't. What you find there is surprising, and not always pleasant.
In this article, we honestly explain what's in supermarket spice mixes, why that is, and what it means for the taste of your meat.
The most common fillers
These are the ingredients you regularly find in ready-made spice mixes that contribute nothing to the taste.
Maltodextrin
A carbohydrate derived from starch. Used as a filler and anti-caking agent. Has a slightly sweet taste and increases weight without adding flavor. Very cheap to produce.
Rice flour or wheat flour
Cheap fillers used to increase volume. Contribution to taste: zero. Contribution to profit for the producer: significant.
Silicon dioxide (E551)
Anti-caking agent. Technically necessary in some spice mixes to prevent clumping, but a sign that there are few actual spices in it.
Sugar in high percentages
A little sugar has a function in a rub. But some commercial mixes contain 30 to 50% sugar as a cheap filler that simulates bark without real spices.
Read the ingredient list. If the first two ingredients are not spices, it's a bad mix. If maltodextrin, sugar, or rice flour are high on the list, you're paying for filler. A good mix contains only herbs and spices.
Why producers use fillers
The reason is simple: real herbs and spices are expensive. Cumin, gochugaru, allspice, and quality smoked paprika cost significantly more than maltodextrin or rice flour. For a mass producer making large volumes, filler is a way to cut costs while the product looks the same.
Additionally, cheap spices are stored longer before being sold. Spices that have been in a warehouse for months or years have largely lost their essential oils. They look the same but the taste is a fraction of freshly ground spices.
Rub a pinch of paprika powder from a supermarket spice mix between your fingers. Do you smell almost nothing? Then the essential oils have evaporated. Try the same with fresh paprika from a specialty store or our rub. The difference is immediately clear.
What it means for your BBQ
Fillers don't taste bad, they taste like nothing. On the BBQ, maltodextrin and rice flour burn without adding flavor. Sugar in high concentrations caramelizes quickly but gives a superficial sweetness without the complexity of real spices.
The result: chicken that looks nice but is bland in taste. No depth, no complexity, no recognizable flavor profile. Just color on the meat.
Supermarket spice mix
- ✗ First ingredient: maltodextrin
- ✗ 30-50% sugar as filler
- ✗ Spices months to years old
- ✗ Essential oils largely evaporated
- ✗ No transparency about origin
The Rub Kitchen
- ✓ Only herbs and spices
- ✓ No fillers or E-numbers
- ✓ Freshly blended to order
- ✓ Spices freshly ground in India
- ✓ Fully transparent ingredient list
How to read an ingredient list correctly?
Ingredients are listed by weight, from most to least. The first ingredient has the highest percentage in the product.
In a good BBQ rub, cumin, paprika, or another spice is listed first. In many supermarket products, salt, sugar, or maltodextrin are listed first. That immediately tells you what the dominant component is.
The Rub Kitchen lists all ingredients on the packaging and on our product knowledge page. No hidden fillers, no MSG, no E-numbers. Only what's stated.
Only real spices
The Rub Kitchen contains only herbs and spices. No fillers, no E-numbers. Freshly blended to order.
Starter Pack · 3 flavors View all rubs