Reader suggestion: Shelf life of spices
After our post on Uncluttering your refrigerator’s crisper, reader Josephine sent us the following information to help with keeping spices uncluttered in the pantry:
Sure, [dried] spices last a long time, but they don’t last forever. Some spice companies have online freshness checkers: Durkee, McCormick (with a sense of humor, to boot!), and Spice Islands (registration required).
It looks like most dried spices maintain their freshness for one to three years. I love on the McCormick site where it says, “If it’s from Baltimore/a tin, it’s at least 15 years old.” Riotous.
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19 comments posted
Posted by Steph - 01/30/2008
I use the smell test - if it doesn’t have a scent, it won’t have a taste. Throw it out.
Posted by Gayle - 01/30/2008
I don’t think they’re being funny, I think that means that they closed their factory in Baltimore 15 years ago.
Posted by Michele - 01/30/2008
I’m still sore that McCormick changed the formula for Old Bay crab boil seasoning when they bought the brand.
I kept my last tin of Old Bay from the Old Baltimore Spice Co. for — well, let’s just say I kept it for a lot longer than McCormick would approve of!
Neat links, though. Thank you for sharing them! Since it’s just me and my daughter in my household, my dried spices tend to last quite a long time before they get used up.
Posted by Jacki Hollywood Brown - 01/30/2008
When you get new spices store them in airtight containers in a cool, dark space. It is better to pay a bit more and buy smaller containers that will stay fresher longer. Don’t keep spices above the stove. The heat and steam from cooking can degrade the flavour quickly.
When you buy spices (if they don’t have a best-before date) write the purchase date on the bottle with permanent marker for 2 reasons: you will know when to get rid of the spice and you will know how long it takes to use a package of spice of that size (you can then buy a bigger or smaller package depending on your need).
Posted by Mary - 01/30/2008
Along this line, we put all of our spices, vinegars, etc. into a box and stored it another room. When we actually needed one, we got it out of the box and put it back into the kitchen. A year later, we dumped the ones that were still in the box.
Now we have a smaller collection of spices that we actually use and enjoy and another kitchen cabinet has been uncluttered.
If I could only do that with our entire kitchen!
Posted by Jacki Hollywood Brown - 01/30/2008
addendum to previous comment:
Here is a great website for tips on how to store spices. It also lists their approximate shelf life
http://www.theepicentre.com/tip/spicetips.html
Posted by Trish - 01/30/2008
This was a great link - I ended up tossing pretty much everything. I guess time flies even faster than we thought. Thanks!
Posted by Harlan - 01/30/2008
Jacki wrote:
> When you get new spices store them in airtight containers in a cool, dark space. It > is better to pay a bit more and buy smaller containers that will stay fresher longer
Actually, that’s not quite right. Buying small, prepackaged containers is the surest way to get spice that’s already lost most of its oomph. Some better solutions:
1. generally buy thing that are whole instead of pre-ground, and grind them yourself (spice grinder, mortar & pestle, etc.)
2. buy things in large quantities, as they’ll generally keep their flavor longer when grouped with more of the same
3. stocking up more frequently, buying small amounts from bulk bins if you’ve got a high-end grocery that sells that way
4. grow your own if possible
Posted by Nat - 01/30/2008
We’ve gone the buy in bulk route to replenish our own containers at home. I think buying an ounce or two at a time of any one herb and using it w/o waste within a couple of months saves us money in the long run.
Posted by Josephine - 01/30/2008
Yes, Gayle, your comment re: the closing of the factory is correct. In terms of humour, I was referring to the responses you get when you enter the code on a bottle. For example, comments similar to “you tossed the fanny back back in 1990 — time to replace the spice!”
Posted by Noah - 01/30/2008
Umm… many bottles from Baltimore. And this is after getting rid of the ‘older’ tins and bottles (yes, more than one or two) just a few months ago.
Posted by John Billot - 01/30/2008
Have a look at http://www.seasonedpioneers.co.uk - they package spices in resealable foil packets and will post to the USA (my daughter’s in-laws live in Portland OR and order regularly). The spices are organic and I’ve always had very good service from them.
JB
UK
Posted by Mona - 01/30/2008
I finally convinced my mom to get rid of some her spices when we saw the same mccormick spice tins she’s currently still using in an antique store!
Posted by VeggieChick - 01/30/2008
Given the ‘Baltimore’ location on the bottle, and the area code, and the ‘1985′ printed on the side, I’ve got reason to believe this bottle of orange peel is at least my age.
My poor, poor mother disagrees. ‘I didn’t bring that with me from the old house. It can’t be more than a few years.’
Posted by verily - 01/31/2008
My mother hangs onto all her ancient spice bottles. Squarish and made out of tin, probably from Baltimore.
She treats them like they’re collectibles. I suppose they would be if she had some sort of kitschy display, but they’re just hidden away with the rest of her spices.
My own clutter problem is that I have millions of little bulk spice packets. Currently, they’re stored in a plastic container but that doesn’t make them very accessible when I need a particular spice. Does anyone know of a good spice rack that is wall mountable and can hold a good sized number of jars? I probably have enough different spices to fill up 40ish containers.
Posted by fdsajkl - 01/31/2008
I was just looking at a spice bottle storage solution yesterday when I came across a website that sells smaller single use portions of spices. It makes sense given that it is always recommended to keep spices away from heat, air and light. I hate buying expensive bottles of spice that always get old before being used up. Such a waste. Using the portion packets would guarantee freshness. Here’s the website: http://www.theoccasionalgourmet.com/
Posted by Becca - 02/02/2008
Uh oh. I have a feeling that most of our spices are from my toddler years. That’s a little unsettling.
Posted by Calgary - 02/04/2008
Earlier there was a great suggestion by Harlan about buying in larger quantities and as whole as possible. I thought I would add that I get a superior spice significantly cheaper by going to ethnic shopping markets or the ethnic aisles of the mainstream supermarket. The quantities are larger so I do have a tendency to split the purchase with my sisters (we also share our recipes with one another).
Verily asked about a good spice rack/bottles. I use the Lee Valley tools (mail order / catalogue store in Canada and US) has metal containers. I just glue a magnet onto the side and keep them in a cool pantry. I don’t have a normal rectangular walk in pantry instead there is one wall that is at a weird angle. Attaching a metal sheet to the crazy wall allows me to finally use this space and not sacrifice precious shelf space.
The metal container has a million and one uses for other things and it does have glass opening in the lid so you can peer into it.
The magnets have another use when I’m doing a huge weekend of cooking - the bottles can be fixed to an old cookie sheet in the order needed and easily moved back and forth.
Posted by Elsie Kahan Saepoff - 03/20/2008
I found this website very informative and funny to read. I threw out all my old spices and bought new ones. I’m sure my spices are at least 10 years old. Thanks
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