Kitchen

[momtochloe]

I'll be the first to admit I am not a very confident cook but have taken great advice and recipes from the ladies on this board (thank you!). My two favorite spices from Penzy's are their Shallot Salt and Foxpoint (shallots, chives, garlic, onion and green peppercorns). Please know, ALL of their spices and blends are top notch and it is always fun when you get one of their free spice of the month to try. That is how I found their Frozen Pizza seasoning. I not only use it on a frozen pizza but I also use it to make garlic bread, delicious!

[maggiemae1]

On 3/25/2015 Topaz Gem said:

The only code that expired is the one for the apple pie spices. The codes for the roasted garlic and the mug are still good and you can use them both at the same time. Type one code in, then when the field clears, you can add the second one. I used two codes on my order last week (which should be coming any day now) and it accepted both.

Thanks Topaz Gem, i did as you said and i got to use both codes for the coffee mug and the roasted garlic and of course a lot more. I have been buying from Penzeys for a long time.

Today i ordered

Shallots,Sicilian salad seasoning,Brady street cheese sprinkle. Roasted garlic,Italian vinegar & oil, rocky mtn. seasoning. tsardust memories and turmeric.

I also love their flake salt. This is a great price for this salt.

[QPrincess]

Thanks MomtoChloe and maggiemae for sharing what you order. I'm new to ordering from Penzy's and they sell SO MANY SPICES that it is helpful to know what others like to order. Anyone else care to share their favorite things to order?

[Topaz Gem]

On 3/25/2015 QPrincess said:

Thanks MomtoChloe and maggiemae for sharing what you order. I'm new to ordering from Penzy's and they sell SO MANY SPICES that it is helpful to know what others like to order. Anyone else care to share their favorite things to order?

Where do I start? LOL. Honestly, I have loved everything I have ever ordered from them. I'll list a few that I use often:

- Chicago Steak seasoning (great to rub on steaks before grilling; good on burgers too)

- Sunny Paris seasoning

- Sandwich Sprinkle (I've never used this on sandwiches, LOL, but great on veggies).

- Vanilla sugar (I use it in place of regular sugar in baking)

- Mint Hot Chocolate mix

- Ruth Ann's Muskego Ave. seasoning

- Pure vanilla extract, also almond extract

- Smoked paprika

- Tuscan Sunset

- Cinnamon

[ForumOlivia]

They have the freshest spices! I love:

Country French Vinagrette

Either Natural or Dutch Process Cocoa

Ceylon Cinnamon

China Cinnamon

The Apple Pie spice they just gave away. Awesome!

[ChiliPepper]

Wow, they have a lot of choices! It was fun to go through the catalog but there is so much it is a little overwhelming. Maybe if they simplified their catalog it would be easier to order. I ordered the shallot pepper, forward seasoning & Sicilian salad seasoning for now. I was able to use the code for the free mug & roasted garlic. I wish I had ordered last week & got the free apple pie spice too. Oh well. I started a list for my next order already LOL! How long does it usually take for them to ship?

[momtochloe]

I usually get my order in a week or so. You should also receive a free spice that they usually place in each order. I don't know if they do this with every order all the time but every time I have ordered, there has always been an extra spice to try. Enjoy!

[ChiliPepper]

Thanks momtochloe! I'm so excited I want my stuff soon LOL!

I was going through my spices last night & I realized some of the odd-ball ones are getting old.

I assume spices loose their ""umph"" but I'm not sure what & how long. Any ""spice experts"" know what the shelf life of spices are?

[momtochloe]

Great question ChiliPepper, I would love to hear people's thoughts too. There are several sites online that I visit that give recommendations but I would really appreciate hearing from the folks here!

[Topaz Gem]

On 3/27/2015 ChiliPepper said:

Thanks momtochloe! I'm so excited I want my stuff soon LOL!

I was going through my spices last night & I realized some of the odd-ball ones are getting old.

I assume spices loose their "umph" but I'm not sure what & how long. Any "spice experts" know what the shelf life of spices are?

I can't help you with this as I don't remember exactly what the experts advised, but I know it wasn't practical for me or my budget, LOL. A top chef will probably tell you only a few months, but I can't waste money like that. Cooking is their way of life, so they can afford to discard spices after only a short time, but most of us cannot.

Honestly, I've had some for a really long time and I continue to use them, especially very strong spices like cloves. They still add flavor to my cooking, although I'm sure experts will tell you that they lose it over time. Sometimes I even add a bit more spice than the recipe calls for to make up for anything that is lost.

My advice would be to play it by ear. Use what you have and as long as you're satisfied with the results, you should be all set.