Herbs & Spices: Storage Tips Guide

How To Tell If Spices & Herbs Are Good To Use

If you have no expiry date listed on the package and you’re not sure when you purchased the seasoning, here are a few tips to help figure out whether or not your herbs and spices are stale or still good to use:

• Look at the color, is it still rich and vibrant? Old spices and herbs can lose their color over time. If it looks old and faded, it probably is.
• Crush or rub the herbs and spices between your fingers. Is the smell strong like it should be? Is it weak or musty smelling? If the smell has lost its punch, the herb or spice is likely too old to cook with. If it still smells pretty good (just not as strong as it should) and you’re in a pinch, simply use more than the recipe calls for (you’ll need to taste test to determine how much more).
• Taste a bit of the spice or herb, you can usually pick up on the staleness right away. If there’s no taste to it, it’s old and not worthwhile to cook with.
• Is the spice clumpy or cakey? Chances are moisture got into the container and the flavor may be reduced. You can break apart the clumps and use if the taste is still good.

Test Your Spices Online:

• McCormick’s How Old Are Your Spices?: For McCormick brand herbs and spices. Check the bottle for a “Best By” date or look for a code, you can enter it into their “Fresh Tester” that will tell you if the spice or herb is still good to use.
• Clubhouse: Do You Know How Old Your Spices Are?: Has a list of tips that will help you determine how old your Clubhouse herbs and spices are.
• Durkee: Spices 101: Shows you how to read the Durkee product date code. Also has tips for Herb & Spice Shelf Life; Dried vs. Fresh Conversion Table; Recipe Multiplication Guidelines; Volume to Weight Conversion Table; Miscellaneous Spice Substitutions and Conversions.

How Long Can Herbs & Spices Be Stored

Spices don’t spoil or go bad, but they do lose strength. Here’s a general guideline for storing your herbs and spices…

• Whole Spices & Seeds: 3 to 4 years
• Ground Spices: 2 to 3 years
• Leafy Herbs: 1 to 3 years
• Seasoning Blends: 1 to 2 years

Storage Tips

• Keep the herbs and spices in a cool, dark location. It’s common to see spice racks above the kitchen stove, but the heat affects the quality of the herbs and spices so this isn’t the best place.
• I like to buy herbs and spices in bulk (if I don’t grow them fresh), portion them into small spice bottles for ease of use, then store the rest in individual ziploc bags (keeping them in their original packaging). Press out as much of the air as possible, seal the bag closed, then stack them all in a solid rubbermaid (or tupperware) container (something with a good fitting lid). I keep this container in the pantry and refill my bottles as needed.
• It’s suggested to refrigerate spices from the red pepper family (paprika, cayenne and chili powder) to prolong their flavor and freshness.
• Make sure to keep the herbs and spices dry, don’t use a wet measuring spoon to dip into the bottle and don’t hold the bottle near steam.
• As you buy herbs and spices, try getting into the habit of labelling the bottles and packaging with the purchase date–this will help you determine whether or not your herbs and spices are still good to use or if they’ve gone stale.

Quick Tips

• Try growing your favorite herbs, snip them directly from your kitchen herb pot and you’ll never get fresher. A few tips: How To Make A One-Pot Indoor Herb Garden and How to Dry Herbs With a Microwave.
• Dried herbs are stronger than fresh. If a recipe calls for fresh herbs and you only have dry on hand, a general rule of thumb is to use one-third the amount asked for in the recipe. For example, 3 TBS fresh would be 1 TBS dried.
• Whole spices keep their potency longer and it’s a snap to grind them with a mason jar and blender, see Use Mason Jars With Your Blender.

Source: Much of the tips and information are found in the three sites listed above, McCormicks, Clubhouse and Durkee.

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