tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37886248.post5854050381928370762..comments2024-03-13T00:41:52.105-07:00Comments on Casual Kitchen: On Spice Fade, And the Utter Insanity of Throwing Spices Out After Six MonthsDanielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02388302796031288076noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37886248.post-26502246630253361212022-11-17T04:44:10.213-08:002022-11-17T04:44:10.213-08:00Hi Unknown,
I'm sorry but I really don't...Hi Unknown, <br /><br />I'm sorry but I really don't know. Never dealt with such a product. <br /><br />DKDanielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02388302796031288076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37886248.post-25053608400983277652022-11-16T22:43:28.315-08:002022-11-16T22:43:28.315-08:00I have a food grade dehumdfiier stone made from ou...I have a food grade dehumdfiier stone made from our company. Which of course absorbs exess moistre from the spice jars/container. However, this product also has the function of deodorizing (absorbing the aroma smell into the stones). Wha i would like to know, is it possible that the stone will instantly absorb all the aroma smell from the spices to fade away? I have tested on coffee beans and it does absorb and cause the smell of the beans to fade out. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17428279106498373616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37886248.post-71847283514384740222012-04-09T18:32:21.438-07:002012-04-09T18:32:21.438-07:00Love this post and totally agree!Love this post and totally agree!BonnieBantershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11776233848003298099noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37886248.post-69467935995937737392011-06-06T15:37:30.193-07:002011-06-06T15:37:30.193-07:00I couldn't wait to get to your answer cause my...I couldn't wait to get to your answer cause my head kept saying, 'Just use a bit more, just use a bit more.'<br /><br />I've heard the same drivel and I love the local spice shop I use but I don't buy that line from them either. The only thing I do love about them though is that I can buy spices in smaller portions. OK, maybe I'm paying a bit more for something but if it's just for one dish, it's nice to not have to buy an entire bottle until I'm sure I'll use it again.Barbara | Creative Culinaryhttp://www.creative-culinary.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37886248.post-48865444639000533682011-04-23T16:55:53.479-07:002011-04-23T16:55:53.479-07:00I mix my own spice blends and have over 80 element...I mix my own spice blends and have over 80 elements(as I call them). I have not noticed a difference between something that I mixed a week ago from a batch I mixed 3 months ago.Jason Bartholmehttp://www.spiceblender.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37886248.post-2134041243400095442011-04-22T13:22:48.716-07:002011-04-22T13:22:48.716-07:00I have had some herbs lose potency after a while, ...I have had some herbs lose potency after a while, but haven't noticed it with spices. Throwing them away like that is terribly wasteful! I always figured I'd just add some more of whatever spice I'm using to my recipe if it seems the flavor has faded, but so far I've never had to do it.Annanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37886248.post-57876626037740151772011-04-16T09:34:08.336-07:002011-04-16T09:34:08.336-07:00I throw packets out when they start sprouting inse...I throw packets out when they start sprouting insects and worms. I'm getting used to keeping rarely-used spices/mixes/powders in the fridge. Some get 'moist' and I peck at them with a spoon to see if they loosen up, if they do, I retain them. Sometimes, though, if I don't like the looks, I throw it out without much thought.srahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03243944393796831559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37886248.post-74661744496389643802011-04-15T17:33:29.489-07:002011-04-15T17:33:29.489-07:00Agreed, agreed! The whole point of my pantry is to...Agreed, agreed! The whole point of my pantry is to be a ready source of good, affordable food - the six-month myth runs counter to that. Seems like so many people buy into this and other food myths that they don't realize are not in their best interest, nutritionally, financially, & otherwise.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37886248.post-60571498598228662462011-04-15T17:18:39.248-07:002011-04-15T17:18:39.248-07:00There's another tip that might help: I have a...There's another tip that might help: I have a Fijian friend who won't buy her curry spices here in Australia - she says they taste stale to her.<br />She brings back more curry powder blends every time she goes to Fiji - and she stores them in the fridge! She believes its essential too keeping the 'kick'...<br />i'm not so sure, but when she's generous enough to share her secret spice mixes with me, i keep them in the fridge too.kazarihttp://krissyscookingblog.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37886248.post-77556532768195744052011-04-13T09:19:41.055-07:002011-04-13T09:19:41.055-07:00I absolutely agree! I have finally organized my sp...I absolutely agree! I have finally organized my spices in two magnetic racks plus 20 or so less-used ones residing in a cupboard, and cannot imagine tossing them out after six months.<br />I grow herbs on my patio, as I have learned, like Jenna, that they do not hold their taste as well.<br />Although I agree, it has not occurred to me to apply math and chemistry to illustrate the point! It's actually nice to have a math geek close by:)Lanahttp://bibberche.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37886248.post-73264104269781823502011-04-12T20:02:11.739-07:002011-04-12T20:02:11.739-07:00There are a few well meaning friends of mine that ...There are a few well meaning friends of mine that I am tempted to print out this post and give (and in one instance, possibly staple to their forehead!) after a long week of spice nattering. I made the mistake of letting some friends see the inside of my recently reorganized spice cupboard and got horrified lectures that I 1- should stop buying my spices in bulk, and 2- should toss the majority out since they are over the 6 month mark. (there was a three... and it was when one realized I had a full cupboard of over a 100 spices along with my spice rack - they were shocked I'd 'waste' time/money/space on so much 'nonsense'. Le Sigh.)<br /><br />I buy most of my spices whole - and have honestly found many still perky and tasty at the 5 YEAR mark. Grinding at need means I have a much longer shelflife -and giving them a few moments of toasting will help revive even those that, on initial tasting, seem to have lost their spark!<br /><br />But herbs? Those I will confess to tossing more frequently. At the 1 year mark, I've found basil and oregano tend to have all the oomph of pencil shavings.Jennahttp://www.atwheatsend.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37886248.post-75199220080485686882011-04-12T16:48:54.064-07:002011-04-12T16:48:54.064-07:00I actually never throw my spices out...there are s...I actually never throw my spices out...there are some that I use more frequently than others because the just go quickly and the rest, well...I probably only bought them for ONE recipe and so I'm certainly not going to toss them and then just have to rebuy them on the rare occasion that I need them again!Joannehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17133232352924060797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37886248.post-41862897151274633532011-04-12T11:29:36.702-07:002011-04-12T11:29:36.702-07:00The only time I recycle a spice bottle is when it&...The only time I recycle a spice bottle is when it's empty.<br /><br />Back before I learned to cook, I had four spices in the kitchen: cinnamon, black pepper, cayenne, and chili powder. How things have changed! I have at least two dozen now. <br /><br />The only perceptible "fade" that I have ever noticed was not in what I consider spices, but in herbs. It seems to me that those leaf-based seasonings do oxidize a bit, but honestly we are talking about years here. <br /><br />And I'm going to speak up for saffron - we've had some for years, and it is JUST FINE. (How do I know? Because I pry off the canister lid and unzip the plastic bag and WOOSH comes the saffron aroma.) <br /><br />I do, generally, use considerably more spices than recipes suggest. There are some applications where you want to use them to bring out the flavor of your food, and there are others where you want them to BE the flavor.chacha1http://www.ombailamos.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37886248.post-70403335161506348332011-04-12T11:27:45.836-07:002011-04-12T11:27:45.836-07:00How long did it take for the Spice Girls to fade? ...How long did it take for the Spice Girls to fade? :-)Michael Goldsmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15110932052125758947noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37886248.post-57260133248685677952011-04-12T09:06:14.986-07:002011-04-12T09:06:14.986-07:00I read somewhere (and I know how suspicious that o...I read somewhere (and I know how suspicious that opening always makes the info following it, so I apologize) that most spices are really only harvested annually anyway (which makes sense from a botanical/agricultural perspective). So that if you're throwing your spices away and buying a new bottle there's a chance your new bottle is from the same batch of the stuff you threw away!GardenFreshnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37886248.post-22783895580553120552011-04-12T08:12:55.325-07:002011-04-12T08:12:55.325-07:00Great point; great post!Great point; great post!Melissahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12439733116558336290noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37886248.post-43610714076178637042011-04-12T07:52:27.138-07:002011-04-12T07:52:27.138-07:00THANK YOU for saying this out loud! I can't be...THANK YOU for saying this out loud! I can't believe that people would throw out perfectly good spices, which are ridiculously expensive to replace, when they taste just as good.Cathyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14730255671153023997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37886248.post-10149786592510139942011-04-12T06:53:00.587-07:002011-04-12T06:53:00.587-07:00Great post! Even without hard data on the true lif...Great post! Even without hard data on the true life of each spice, your examples work well. It's always good to have a precision metric scale to get that 8.7% increase when you need it!<br /><br />Seriously, though, I rarely measure spices, so it is highly unlikely I'd ever notice a difference in flavor that I don't attribute to human-error.Matt @ SpoonMattershttp://spoonmatters.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37886248.post-14106864235112347982011-04-12T05:15:28.452-07:002011-04-12T05:15:28.452-07:00Some of the spices in my cabinet are over 5 years ...Some of the spices in my cabinet are over 5 years old... and they're fine! Lately I've been buying bulk spices and freezing half.Juliahttp://www.growcookeat.comnoreply@blogger.com