While you’re freshening up your kitchen, consider giving your spice cabinet a little makeover, too. While herbs and spices don’t actually go bad — they won’t go rancid or make you sick — they do lose their flavour. That’s because the essential oils that give spices their unique flavours break down over time, so they won’t add the same punch of flavour to your cooking that they once did.
How can you tell if your spices are past their prime? Check for these tell-tale signs:
- Less-than-fresh taste: The freshest spices offer the most pungent flavour, while stale spices won’t add nearly as much kick to your recipes. If you find yourself adding extra seasoning to make the flavours sing, try replacing your spices.
- Faint aroma: Fresh spices have a powerful aroma you’ll notice the second you open the bottle. If you have to get close to the opening to smell the seasoning inside, your bottle needs to be replaced.
- Faded hue: Spices like paprika, cayenne and turmeric have vibrant colours (that make your meals look as delicious as they taste!). If they’re looking a little faded, they’re past their best-by date.
Ground spices should last two to three years, and whole spices three to four years, before needing to be replaced. Seasoning blends are a bit more delicate, ready for a refresh every one to two years, and the same goes for herbs which last about one to three years. Checking in during your spring cleaning makes it easy to remember to refresh your spices annually, so you’re never stuck with stale-tasting seasonings.
After you head to the grocery store to pick up your staple seasonings, try these tips to keep them tasting fresh.
Practice Smart Spice Storage
While that spice rack next to the stove or on the windowsill sure is handy for on-the-go seasoning, it’s not the best way to keep your spices tasting fresh. Heat, humidity, and light all help break down the spices’ essential oils over time, zapping flavour in the process. Instead, store your spices in a cool, dry cupboard to prolong their shelf life.
Keep Containers Closed Tight
Exposure to fresh air degrades the essential oils in your seasonings, so make sure that container is shut tight after each use. You should also store them in their original packaging. We design our bottles to keep your spices fresh, while third-party bottles or magnetic containers might let air in, shortening their shelf life.
Buy Grinders or Whole Spices
While ground spices can start to lose flavour right away—which is why the only way to get the most vibrant taste is to pick up fresh bottles—whole spices keep their essential oils protected and locked inside. So you’ll get the best flavour from spices ground right before your eyes, and right before you eat them.
Get the best pop of flavour by picking up our grinders (we love the lemon & pepper grinder as a simple seasoning for chicken or fish, and our Italian blend herb grinder for vibrant scrambled eggs). Grate whole nutmeg cloves with a microplane as a longer-lasting alternative to ground nutmeg, and use whole peppercorns in your pepper grinder.
Experiment With Deeper New Flavours, Too
If you have a few staple spices you use almost daily, consider doubling up on your favorite flavour by picking up a fresh twist. If you love our cinnamon, for example, reach for roasted cinnamon for recipes where you want an even richer flavour. If you absolutely love chipotle, try using southwest chipotle seasoning in place of black pepper on eggs, mac n' cheese or tacos to add more smokey flavour to your dishes. Or double up on garlic flavour by using garlic salt to season already-garlicky dishes, like mashed potatoes.
No matter which seasonings you need, you can always get the freshest flavour by picking up a new bottle.
