The right spice in the right amount truly works magic — this is something every chef knows well. Your chicken and rice can hugely benefit from a game-changing spice like ground paprika, or your tomato sauce could become amazing with a flavorful spice like whole fennel seeds thrown in. But, of course, these are just a couple of examples, and with so many spices in your pantry, you might be wondering how long your ground and whole spices can keep before you need to replace them.
Unlike milk or fresh produce, spices don’t exactly “spoil” or become unsafe to eat. Rather, their flavor and aroma gradually wane until they smell and taste bland. Ground spices are particularly vulnerable to neglect, losing their potency as soon as a couple of years after being ground. This is because the fragrant essential oils within ground spices are exposed to the air, causing them to lose their punch quicker. If it’s longevity that you’re after, whole spices are a safer bet. As their flavorful oils are safely locked within, things like juniper berries and cardamom pods can maintain their aroma and flavor for up to four years before they start to weaken. No matter which type you get, keep them in air-tight containers; the less oxygen interacts with the spices, the better. Still, here’s one bit of good news if you’re reading this after discovering an old, weak spice jar at the back of your pantry: There are ways to bring it back to life.
Stale spices aren’t the end of the world
Unless your spices have been locked away in your pantry for decades, odds are good that they’re still totally usable even though they might not smell fresh. Better yet, you can bring them back to life. All you need to do is throw them in a pan and toast them lightly until they become fragrant again. The keyword here is “lightly” — use as little heat as possible, and cut the heat the moment the spice smells great again. Be extra careful at this step, as spices can go from toasted to burnt in the blink of an eye. The same toasting trick also works for whole spices like caraway seeds and allspice berries, but shake the pan so that the spice is heated on all sides.
For especially fragrant spices like curry powder, another trick to consider using is blooming the spices. It’s exactly what it sounds like — you toss your old spice into a pan of oil and sizzle it until it smells nice and good again. The hot oil dissolves some of the more fragrant compounds locked deep within the spice, releasing them and giving your dish an extra oomph. Cook your Sri Lankan-inspired green apple curry this way, and none will be the wiser that it’s flavored with years-old spices.
