2/7 QUESTION ~ Adding spice to your life?

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

I think I have a small investment made in spices ... and I don't seem to use a lot of them very often? Do they expire?

Do you buy and use a lot of spices? (Or do they get used a few times and forgotten?) Any tips for making spice purchasing and usage more.... thrifty?

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

Insurance Gal ~ do you transfer the spices from those little cellophane bags to little spice bottles?

[Deleted]

I have a few spices that I cook with regularly in my cupboard and I go through them in what I consider a reasonable time, say a year. But I got rid of a lot last summer that I had for years. I'd buy them for one recipe and never use it again or use it very rarely. Chili spices were like that. So now I buy the package with all the spices you need for chili in one. I would have to make chili 20 times before it started to cost me more. And I don't make chili 20 times in a year.

[merryheart]

Molly, I buy bulk spices from several different places and I usually transfer them to any other sealable container I have. Buying bulk lets me buy only what I think I need and transfering them to better containers than the bags helps keep the spices fresher longer. That said, one of my short term goals is to clean out the spice cabinet. I have some containers of certain spice mixes that were bought for specific recipes and never used again. Usually, spices just lose potency over time and will not give the same flavor as fresher spices will. Although there is nothing wrong with it, who wants to eat something made with dried parlsey that is grey from losing it's color? When I clean out my supplies, I'll look and color and texture and check the smell - if it doesn't smell like it should, out it goes!

[Gardening Grandma]

I use spices quite a bit. They DO lose some effect over time. My go to favorite is white pepper. And my newest is smoked paprika

[oreo]

I threw out a TON of old spices just yesterday. Other than a few that I think won't go bad (no real reason behind the thinking though) like cinnamon and dill seed (maybe because that one is more expensive??) I usually buy spices as I need them. One of our local stores sells spices by the weight so you just scoop the amount of spice you need into the bag and that is what you pay for which is SUPER handy! Of course you have to remember to label the bag or your in some trouble!

I grow some herbs and have dried rosemary and oregano. I remember Martha Stewart did a segment on drying them and she washed them, stripped them off of the stems and wrapped them in Tulle (is that the right word--the stuff you use for a veil or wedding dress that is basically fine netting) and put them in the fridge (tied the ends with twist ties or something like that). I usually just set them in my kitchen window in a bowl or put them in my dryer that my husband made me (for my tomatoes). It takes I think a few weeks for them to fully dry but it is super easy if you can grow the herbs yourself which is the harder part in some areas! I think the key to drying them is air circulation.

[NancysSummerSip]

I buy spices online from Penzey's. Good stuff, and they come in a variety of sizes, from a ounce to a pound, in both bags and jars.

We don't have one of their stores nearby (yet), I wish they would open one here. I would never leave. Just go in and breathe deep.

[aprilleigh]

I buy my spices in the bulk section, then transfer them to the little jars. I recently refilled my Italian Seasonings jar for $.28.

[pepperdoo]

I buy as many whole spices as there are and grind them as I need them or bash the daylights out of them in a mortar and pestle. All of my spices both whole and ground are stored either in a recycled glass jar or a canning jarwith a tight fitting lid in a dark cupboard. My homemade blends ( BBQ rubs, masalas and curry blends are stored the same way.

Whole spices like cinnamon, cloves, whole nutmeg and dried ginger keep for 3 to 5 years. Ground, powdered or dried leaf herbs last for about a year, and then they begin to fade in flavor.

Most Ethnic markets are 20 to 40 percent cheaper than regular grocery stores.

[kadee]

I used to sell Watkins products...best spices, extracts & other goodies in the world as far as I'm concerned....and I no longer sell them!
As long as spices are kept in a tight container (jar, lid tight) and kept out of the light (cabinet/pantry) they can last several years.
The flavors will fade some over time but don't really "go bad"!

But if something is stuck in a jar or can (moisture)...THROW IT OUT!

[bobbysgirl]

I use limited spices. Just my favorites. Two of them I grew myself - oregano and basil. Parsley I use a lot of so I don't have to think about it going bad. This year I'll try to grow parsley. The other 3 are whole - nutmeg and cinnamon, and bay leaves.

Like others, I never paid much attention to spices until the past couple of years and now they interest me.

I store them in recycled jars and cans.

[gailbon]

Some spices can be "reconstituted" by giving them a whirl in a coffee grinder or mortar and pestle.
And think about it...how can you guarantee that the "new" jar of basil you just bought hasn't been sitting on the supermarket shelf for a year? Hmmmm.....

[chiver78]

I don't have places to buy bulk spices, so I rely on the McCormick rack. I will label the bottom of the bottle MM/YY it was opened, and generally pitch anything over about 18 months. like others have said, the flavors fade. my spice jars live in a cabinet near the stove, out of light unless I'm looking through the inventory. oh, and I grow some in the summer too - parsley, tarragon and a little basil. I still need to buy a floral sleeve when I want to make pesto, the basil I grow is for small stuff.

I go through "Italian Seasoning", crushed red pepper and summer savory like it's my job, and the others depend on what I've been cooking. there's an unopened jar of paprika that could stay there until hell freezes over, not really sure why it's even in there.

[teen persuasion]

I have certain spices that I use all the time and go thru (cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, rosemary, oregano) and others that I've bought for some recipe and used once or twice.

I have found spices in the dollar store, some in 6 or 8 oz containers. I'll get ones like cinnamon or rosemary that way if I can. The kids are always putting cinnamon sugar on their toast, so I kept an empty cinnamon shaker and refill it w/ sugar and cinnamon whenever it gets empty. I put rosemary on lots of things - chicken, pork roasts, meatloaf, roasted potatoes, pizza.

[Clever Username]

Round about my 10th anniversary, I declared I wanted fresh spices in the rack, because I knew most of the bottles don't get used enough to have been replenished since they were bought as a set for a shower present.

[tiredboomer]

You can also find some spices at dollar stores. Much less of a financial committment if you don't end up liking them.