January 6th, 2012
Many of you have probably stocked up on Goodalls herbs and spices over Christmas so what better place to start than on how best to keep them!
The good news is that spices do not spoil, however the bad news is that they lose their strength. In fact, many cookbook writers will say you should clear out your pantry of herbs and spices that are 6 months old to ensure you always have the most flavoursome herbs and spices for your cooking.
Herbs lose their flavour faster than spices. Dried herbs that have no colour and little or no smell when crumbled in the palm of your hand are probably too old for practical use. Yet even if they don’t look all that green anymore, but still have some oomph when crumbled in your hand, use them freely.
For spices, shake the jar, let it settle, and give a sniff. If there’s essentially no smell, it should be tossed out. If the spices have a bit of fragrance left but are not as potent as you remember or think they should be, just use more in the recipe. Then you’ll run out sooner and have a reason to start fresh with a new container!
Of paramount importance in getting the most flavour and value out of your herbs and spices is to store them well — in a dark, cool, dry place – ideally away from the heat and humidity of the stove and dishwasher, and away from bright light (so not near the window). It is not recommended to store herbs and spices in the refrigerator as condensation when you take them out will cause problems.
Also its best to use a spoon when using spices when cooking rather than shaking them directly out of the bottle as steam from cooking can spoil your spices.
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