Spices

[Meenah]

How long to you keep spices before throwing them away? I used to keep them forever, and now every couple of years I attempt to weed them out. I have no idea.

[DCJenn]

Nellie or Jennp or Heidi had a list somewhere. or maybe it was just my imaginary friends.

I've started buying only small amounts of the stuff that I don't use that often- sometimes only enough for whatever I'm making, as I'm the proud owner of more fenugreek than one girl could use. (Jenn P- do you need it or did MIL restock you?)

Jenn

oh no - I'm good. i've got so much fenugreek I could make the milk come in on a woman in menopause.

TMI??

That is a lot of fenugreek.

I'll bet the penzeys.com site would tell you, though I'm sure they are on the sort end of things since they sell spices.

My grandmother is notoriously frugal. And in this case, frugal is the nice way of saying cheap. I'd like to think that have some innate frugality from her but that it exists in the bounds of taste style and common sense. Anyway, I was talking to her about this the other day. She was a little bent out of shape that her sister or one of my aunts (people staying there since g-pa passed away) threw out some old spices. One of the spices was the store brand label of a grocery store no longer in business -- or something like that -- it was old. She told me those spices were perfectly good because...drumroll...

When she was in Egypt and visited the pyramids, a guide told her that the spices rolled up with the mummies were "still good." And if they are good enough for the mummies they are good enough for her!

[Meenah]

[Vanquisher]

http://foodchronicles.blogspot.com/2007 ... -rack.html

Some people say a year, but I think that's ridiculous. I have had some spices since I got married, 11 years ago, and they are still good. Most of my spices are newer than that because I run out. I just only use sage at Thanksgiving though, so :huh: .

As for what ones you need, that depends entirely on you!!

I know, for me, I need a lot of Basil. It's probably my #1 used spice. I use a lot of cumin, cayenne, garlic powder and garlic salt (amazing given the amount of fresh garlic I go through!), thyme, cinnamon, nutmeg, and lots of others. Most people would use a lot of parsley, but I hate the taste of fresh parsley, and dried parsley to me has no flavor.

The only fresh herbs I have on hand all the time because I use them enough are thyme and basil. If I need another fresh herb, I buy it, but I have thyme and basil growing in a pot in my kitchen window.

If a spice starts to discolor or small less aromatic, I would toss it. I don't agree with the author of the first blog, but I do think spices can last a long time - longer than a year or two as long as they are stored in a cool, dry place.

[Meenah]

Thanks everyone. Heidi, that link led to alot of other links that were really interesting. Before I knew it, alot of time had lapsed!!!!!