Topic: How Frequently Should I Restock My Spices??

[awclymm]

Hi

I went on a blitz when I first started on this hobby and bought all the spices used in the majority of recipes - how often should I replace these??

Thx

[Peripatetic Phil]

Whole spices, well sealed and kept in the dark, should keep for several months; ground spices far less, and ideally are fresh-ground for each meal or at most every few days.

[awclymm]

Ah - so all of my packets of dried / powdered spices should be replaced then? Bugger. Cost me a small fortune....!

[chewytikka]

Use airtight containers, store in a cool, dark cupboard.

Whole dried spices will stay good between 5 and 10 years, maybe longer
Ive never road tested anything older than 10 years. (Dried Szechuan Pepper)

Ground spices also have a long shelf life. if they are stored correctly, as above.
Probably 2 to 3 years if you don

[Peripatetic Phil]

Given conflicting advice, I would suggest making one curry with your old ground spices, and an identical curry with freshly bought replacements.  If you can tell the difference, ditch the old ones !  I label my spices in terms of year and quarter, no finer granularity, but lightly-roast and fresh-grind spices such as coriander & cumin as frequently as I can. 

[mickdabass]

coincidentally I made a curry last night and had to grind some coriander seeds and cumin seeds as I had run out of powdered. The smell was incredible, but to be honest, the final curry was no different to normal. Both packets of seeds had a 2012 use by date!!

Regards

Mick

[awclymm]

Thanks guys

I'm a bit conflicted by these answers - part of me was secretly hoping that a new batch of spices would take my curries into another dimension - and part of me was hoping that I wouldn't have to fork out a whole load of cash!

I'll keep what I've got and try to make improvements in my technique I think!

Cheers

[Peripatetic Phil]

OK, good luck.  All I can say is that in my own experience, binning old spices and starting afresh can really give one's curries a lift.

** Phil.

[Madrasandy]

Whole spices, well sealed and kept in the dark, should keep for several months.

And the rest !, poor advice

[Peripatetic Phil]

Whole spices, well sealed and kept in the dark, should keep for several months.

And the rest !

Are you speaking of spices where the packing has been opened, and the spices then transferred to a secondary container, or spices left unopened in their original packaging ?  In my experience, the latter will keep fresh significantly longer than the former.  Even more so when discussing ground spices rather than whole, of course.

** Phil.