topic Re: Spices in Kitchen

Spices

bargainsgirl — Thu, 28 May 2026 21:00:52 GMT

I just wonder how long do you actually keep your spices? Read all the suggestions but just wonder ...

Re: Spices

Ainhisg — Thu, 28 May 2026 21:23:21 GMT

I go by the date on the bottle. If it's just a month or two past that, I will still use it but buy new for the next time.

Re: Spices

Meowingkitty — Thu, 28 May 2026 21:58:17 GMT

As long as possible. They're to expensive to replace just because someone made up an arbitrary date and that says you need to replace them.

Re: Spices

Shelbelle — Thu, 28 May 2026 22:03:17 GMT

Forever, if they look fine and taste fine ! sometimes the color can change a bit.

Re: Spices

SilleeMee — Fri, 29 May 2026 00:06:30 GMT

I haven't looked closely at the spices I have in my cupboard. I know some of them are over 10yo but I haven't gotten around to tossing them out. They must be saw dust by now...lol! I don't cook so spices go unchecked for a very long time.

Re: Spices

loriqvc — Fri, 29 May 2026 01:45:50 GMT

When there are good sales such as BOGO, I'll stock up on spices I use fairly often. If I haven't opened a bottle, I will keep it until it reaches about a year past the printed date or until I start using it and reach 6-9 months past the printed date. (And if I open an older bottle and it doesn't look or smell right, it gets chucked.) After I open and start using a spice that is well in advance of any printed date, I use it within a year, or within two years for peppercorns since I know they have a longer peak shelf life.

Some spices may be technically "fine" for longer than a year or two, but many truly do lose quite a bit in terms of effectiveness over time. To me, it is more of a waste to use a spice with disappointing results than it is to just get rid of something that is no longer going to perform as it should, affecting a whole meal. And in the cases when I do end up throwing something out, it makes me take an extra moment to ponder during those sales to determine if I'm just buying something because it's a good deal rather than because it's something I need. I know that bulk-buying mentality is ingrained in me a bit due to a childhood of serious penny pinching, so I have to make sure I'm thoughtful in what I buy and how much I buy.

Re: Spices

Ainhisg — Fri, 29 May 2026 00:48:00 GMT

@Meowingkitty wrote:
As long as possible. They're to expensive to replace just because someone made up an arbitrary date and that says you need to replace them.

You do know that's not an arbitrary date, right? Companies test spices to see how long they will stay at their peak.

A person can still use spices after the best by date, but the oils in them could have started to evaporate, and the flavor and color may have been affected. It's not that they are bad; it's just that a person doesn't get peak flavor from them. Like someone else said, in my opinion, it's more of a waste to have your food not flavored well, than to throw out old spices and buy new.

Re: Spices

cjm61 — Sat, 30 May 2026 02:08:49 GMT

Since our home is in a humid climate I keep until it clumps together. Otherwise, I keep and use until it's gone.

Re: Spices

Sooner — Fri, 29 May 2026 01:08:33 GMT

We use a lot of spices. I go through them every autumn. If they really haven't been used much I put them on the counter, and if we still don't use them after a month or so, out they go.

Otherwise, they get used up and replaced pretty often

Re: Spices

Q-Checker — Fri, 29 May 2026 01:18:52 GMT

I keep and use them indefinitely as long as they smell OK and there is no clumping. When cooking for company or for a potluck, I use either an unexpired jar or fresh spices, buying a new jar if I do not have an unexpired jar of the needed spice on hand.

Re: Spices

LizzieInSRQ — Fri, 29 May 2026 02:31:33 GMT

I take older herbs and spices and mix together and make my own rub/spice mixes and use them liberally especially in my favorite Instant Pot or braising dishes.

Im a daughter of a Depression Era mother. There is no way Im throwing these in the trash if they are not rancid. I break up the clumps if humidity has gotten to them. If some have lost their potency, I use twice as much. Ill add newer into the mix to pump it up. Adding lemon zest many times as well.

Re: Spices

beach-mom — Fri, 29 May 2026 02:38:55 GMT

@bargainsgirl - My mom kept them forever. I keep them as long as I can, but if I go to use them and they smell bad, I will toss them.

I still refill my mom's original glass McCormick jars. Some are stamped with the original price in blue ink, like 34c!

Re: Spices

judy0330 — Fri, 29 May 2026 03:22:25 GMT

@Shelbelle wrote:
Forever, if they look fine and taste fine ! sometimes the color can change a bit.

@Shelbelle Me too! I have a friend who tosses her spices the minute they hit the expiration date. She goes on and on about how you have to do that if you want them to have full flavor -- blah -- blah -- blah. She was over once and we were making something using Herbs de Provence. She smelled it and said that was what she means about smelling and tasting fresh. I didn't say a word. No reason to tell her that the bottle was at least 10 years old!!

Re: Spices

AuntMame — Fri, 29 May 2026 04:20:28 GMT

@beach-mom wrote:
@bargainsgirl - My mom kept them forever. I keep them as long as I can, but if I go to use them and they smell bad, I will toss them.

I still refill my mom's original glass McCormick jars. Some are stamped with the original price in blue ink, like 34c!

My mom grew up during the Depression and never threw anything out. At one point I saw that she had 40-year-old spices. But then, like many Depression-era cooks she simply didn't use spices. They couldn't afford them back then. Their seasonings were onion, celery, salt and pepper.

The taste of aging spices depends upon the spice. I have cinnamon old as Moses and it still tastes and smells o.k. Though the taste may not be as bracing as fresh cinnamon.

I have friends who buy new spices every year. I don't do that. I usually don't toss them until their good spice smell has faded.

However... If I'm having friends over for a dish that is heavy on the spices, like Italian food, I go all out and buy fresh spices. There is nothing like lasagna or homemade pizza made with fresh-as-you-can-find-them spices.

Re: Spices

brandiwine — Fri, 29 May 2026 13:11:20 GMT

We have a wonderful spice shop close by and they sell in bulk or bottle. I can get as little or as much as I want. That way, everything stays fresh & potent.

Re: Spices

RedTop — Fri, 29 May 2026 13:34:44 GMT

I buy the smallest size available, date, and usually toss in 15 months. I only use very basic spices, nothing fancy.

Re: Spices

wagirl — Fri, 29 May 2026 13:53:12 GMT

I keep my spices, dried herbs in a cabinet so they are in the dark mostly. I go by what they smell like, even taste like. If they look funky, out they go--just did a big purge when I moved. But one thing I did keep--was a small plastic jar of cr of tartar-----use by date was 1994!!! Just thought it was funny--won't use it of course. I know you use it in meringue and my SIL uses it in her cookies. I can't even tell you the last time I used--obviously before 1994!!

Re: Spices

KBEANS — Fri, 29 May 2026 13:56:29 GMT

When I read that clumps in the spices could mean moisture got in and there's a possibility bacteria could form and be harmful; I tossed all my old spices and started fresh.

Anyone ever experience buggy spices? I have, chili powder.

Could ruin a meal if you don't notice until after you added it in.

I buy small bottles and replenish by the suggested freshness date.

Re: Spices

Melzie — Fri, 29 May 2026 14:56:06 GMT

I try not to throw anything out if I can avoid it. If a spice is old I'll do one of three things and this usually works for me. Sometimes there is still the essence of the spice inside even if the outside looks dried out.

Crush it up to see if it still gives off its aroma.

Put it in a hot, dry, pan to try to revive it.

Put it in oil in a pan to moisten it and then add whatever else I'm making.