How old are your spices?

[Cheyenne]

My task today is cleaning out the refrigerator and pantry of partially used products and other assorted old stuff. ( Inbetween procrastinating and posting here, of course. )

So my question is, how old are your spices? I think I have enough ground ginger to last me about 200 years based on the rate I've been consuming it in the last 10 years since I bought it, for example.

How long do you keep your spices before you toss them and buy fresh stuff? I know I bought some of this stuff 15 years ago. Anyone have older spices than that or do I win?

 

[sabbathstorm]

And I thought my spices were old at seven years! I think my oldest is some curry powder someone gave me because they were moving. I don't know why I haven't thrown it out yet. I only go through a few spices a lot: pepper, chili peppers, steak spice, garlic powder, minced garlic, minced onion, chili powder, and italian.

I only keep some ginger on hand for beef and broccoli. I don't think I use it for anything else.

 

[SexySlut2]

Hmmm, 15 years huh?
Mine aren't that old, but I do have some in there that are about 3 or 4 years old.

 

[phrodeau]

I have a small square can of nutmeg so old it doesn't have a UPC code. UPC codes started in 1974.

 

[Mistress ReNae]

All of Mine are less than a year old except the 5 spice powder which we use often but only a pinch.

 

[Guest]

Cheyenne,

Most of mine are about 9 years old...that is when I moved into my home. lol

It's funny, but I was just talking to my sister recently and she said she went through her cabinets and threw out all of her spices and bought new ones to replace the ones she used most.

To be honest, I'm not quite sure of the shelf life spices have. I'm curious to find out, though.

phrodeau,

That is really a long time ago. lol

 

[Starfish]

I grow a lot of my own so annually they are replaced. Anything bought is under a year old.

 

[HotXBunz]

I just recently did the big dump and some of mine were about nine years old. I replaced only the ones I use frequently.
I was amazed at how many duplicates I had. Where do they hide when I am looking for them? I bought one vanilla bean for ice cream and it cost a kings ransom.

 

[Cheyenne]

I was amazed at how many duplicates I had. Where do they hide when I am looking for them?

Bingo! I have 3 containers of ground ginger! I use it once each year in pumpkin pie. I'll never have to buy popcorn salt again before I die. (Salt doesn't spoil, does it?) I have enough pure vanilla extract to make chocolate chip cookies for the entire city.

Did you know that whole bay leaves and parsley flakes turn brown after awhile?

My shelves are getting bare...

 

[KillerMuffin]

I use spices regularly. I buy bulk of the ones I use the most, large containers of the ones I use frequently, and tiny containers of those that I don't use often. For those I use no more than once a year, I store in a dark place or in the freezer.

 

[cymbidia]

You are entirely too organized, Muffie; it's unnatural.

My soon-to-be-former-mother-in-law, just before she became my mother-in-law, gave me a whole collection of brand new jars and tins of spices and seasonings. (I think she thought it'd help me cook better for her baby boy but that's beside the point.)

That was 21 years ago.

Tom and i are divorcing now and i just moved into my own home, my new house, mine all mine. One of the things i left behind was almost the entire collection of assorted spices and seasonings i acquired as his wifey-poo through the years. (I kept a few things like the jars of saffron, for example, cuz Tom'll NEVER use it, i will, and it's very expensive.)

Everything else i bought during my maiden journey to the grocery store for all the rest of the basics (ketchup, olive oil, rice, little boxes of baking soda to keep my fridge sweet smelling and prevent grease fires [i almost never fry anything - why do i even think about grease fires?], flour, etc).

So - my bay leaves are green, i have one box of popcorn salt, and my spices are almost all less than two weeks old.

 

[71bruce8]

spices

Hmmmm. I always figured that spices didn't get too old. If they look good and they smell good they are good. Keep mine in a dark place and dont have any that are ancient as I buy in small quantities. Is there a rule of thumb on this?

 

[Hamletmaschine]

If your spices are more than a year old, toss 'em. I know it's hard, but you just have to. Although they don't really "go bad," they do tend to fade away. Buy only as much as you can consume in a year, if at all possible.

Anyone needing to restock their shelves might check out this place: http://www.penzeys.com. They're pretty flexible in terms of the amount they're willing to sell. Good selection of stuff, reasonably priced.

 

[Cheyenne]

My soon-to-be-former-mother-in-law, just before she became my mother-in-law, gave me a whole collection of brand new jars and tins of spices and seasonings. (I think she thought it'd help me cook better for her baby boy but that's beside the point.)

That was 21 years ago.
...
So - my bay leaves are green, i have one box of popcorn salt, and my spices are almost all less than two weeks old.

BUT were any of those original 21 year old spices still around at your old house before you moved?

I'm jealous! Although I did switch the baking soda boxes in the freezer and fridge today, so those are fresh. I need to go shopping tomorrow and restock other stuff. My shelves are rather bare at the moment...

 

[71bruce8]

spices

Hamletmaschine. Yes a year sounds reasonable, alot longer I figure if some were sealed in a container and frozen. Must be a reason spices are usually sold in small quantities other than the price.

Oh, and a picture of the wonderful Emma Peel. Haven't thought of her in years. Thanks.

 

[fgarvb1]

twenty years? i don't know. currently they are scattered about riding in the bed of my truck.


you don't want to know.

 

[KillerMuffin]

Cheyenne, that's why God made take-out.

 

[Cheyenne]

Cheyenne, that's why God made take-out.

Ha. How do you think I ended up still having all these spices after so many years in the first place? Cooking is not fun, I hate it.

 

[cymbidia]

BUT were any of those original 21 year old spices still around at your old house before you moved?

Just how much pumpkin pie spice and coriander do you think one person can use in 21 years if she doesn't like pumpkin pie and prefers fresh cilantro to coriander?

YES! Some of those original 21 year old spices are, indeed, still in residence at Tom's house. I have no doubt they'll be there forever.

 

[Calamity Jane]

Must be something in the air... I just spent the last two hours cleaning out kitchen cabinets. I threw away a lot of almost empty containers of spices, and a can of baking powder that moved back to kansas city with me 7 years ago and resided in my grandmother's house for who knows how long before that. And that stuff does stop working eventually... everything else is less than a year old because I stopped buying stuff that I rarely use. So mostly, I have onion salt, celery salt, sea salt, regular salt, coarse ground black pepper, basil, oregano, and a garlic/black pepper blend that I really like to use on steak. Everything else, I buy as I need it, or grow and dry myself.

I also threw away a container of nutmeg that was at least 5 years old, some food coloring that I'm pretty sure is as old as I am, a container of salt that was solid, wheat germ that had little worm things in it, and a lot of other stuff. I've lived here three years, and I don't think I've ever really cleaned out the cabinets.

What I didn't throw out is even scarier. I have 6 jars of marshmallow cream and all the other requirements for making a ton of fudge, 14 bags of chocolate chips, and 11 bags of sugar... I have not the faintest clue where any of this stuff came from! I also have managed to accumulate 16 cans of green beans. I used to be really good at grocery shopping, but obviously I need to use a list again when I go. Who in their right mind needs all this stuff?

I also have an entire box of canned goods that I need to give away. I don't know how I ended up with food that no one in my family eats, but somehow I did.

 

[Cheyenne]

What I didn't throw out is even scarier. I have 6 jars of marshmallow cream and all the other requirements for making a ton of fudge, 14 bags of chocolate chips, and 11 bags of sugar... I have not the faintest clue where any of this stuff came from! I also have managed to accumulate 16 cans of green beans. I used to be really good at grocery shopping, but obviously I need to use a list again when I go. Who in their right mind needs all this stuff?

hehe... sounds familiar. I must think I have bad breath when I'm grocery shopping. I found 8 unopened containers of tic tacs and another container of mints.

I had the same food coloring collection you did, too!

 

[71bruce8]

spices

What now KillerMuffin - God made takeout? I think not. Take out is the creation of greedy American capitalists taking advantage of lazy citizens who dont have the talent or historical sense to do up a real meal.
Before the appearance of radio, tv, the internet what was the spice of life? Duh, spices. What would you like, plain old mashed poatoes or possibly mashed potatoes with black pepper and dill with a little butter? Hmmmm.

Sure, out of the kitchen and oh so liberated, but also a little of a fatty. Let Col. Saunders provide the perfect blend of herbs and spices ands take it from there.

Killer Muffin, are there any boards you are banned from? I would be interested in them.

Do you sleep at the foot of Old Glory? Thanks.

 

[Calamity Jane]

hehe... sounds familiar. I must think I have bad breath when I'm grocery shopping. I found 8 unopened containers of tic tacs and another container of mints.

I had the same food coloring collection you did, too!

Gawd. I must think my lips are gonna fall off any day, because everytime i walk into a gas station or wal mart, i buy carmex. when i cleaned the bathroom last week, there were 11 tubes of carmex in one drawer... I'm such a freak

 

[Cheyenne]

Re: spices

Killer Muffin, are there any boards you are banned from? I would be interested in them.

Do you sleep at the foot of Old Glory? Thanks.

WTF? Who the hell are you, anyway?

 

[APhil]

Old Spices...

I have, in my kitchen, above the stove fan, a tin of MSG that my parents bought when they had just gotten married. That was in 1969.

I have a 33-year-old Chinese additive in my house!