Spices and herbs keep their freshness for a longer or shorter time depending on whether they are fresh, dried, or chopped. Today we bring you seven easy storage tips to help you get the most out of your favorite spices and herbs.
Spices come from a root, flowers, fruits, seeds, or even the bark of a plant, while herbs consist of the leaves of a herbaceous plant. In general, to retain all their flavors, they should be stored in a dark, cool, and dry place, preferably under a vacuum. Your refrigerator may also allow you to store some of them. Here are a few tips.
Store in an airtight container
After purchasing fresh spices, store them in an airtight container with the name of the spice and the expiration date written on it. First of all, because it’s easy to forget what’s in your container! Then, because spices stored in this way can be kept for a very long time at room temperature: powdered spices can be stored for 3 years before losing their spiciness and their aroma when spices in grains, such as coriander, pepper, nutmeg, or cinnamon sticks can be kept for up to 5 years. So you have to be able to remember what has been stored.
Keep spices in Glass Jar
When you stock up on spices, you might want to put your new, fresh spices in the same jar as the old ones, leaving some of your old spices at the bottom of the jar! If you want to keep your spices for a long time, never mix an old spice with a fresh new one. Place your new powders in empty, perfectly cleaned, and dry spice jars.
Note also that the ideal container for storing spices is the glass jar equipped with an airtight seal. However, due to its transparency, you must protect it from light. In any case, if you receive your spices in a sachet: it is imperative to place them in a perennial container-type glass jar.
Glass jars are great for keeping spices in a dark, rather cool cupboard. These containers do not absorb odors, are easy to clean, and completely airtight when closed.
Protect your kitchen from food moths
Be aware that food moths are on the rise in France and that they adore grocery products, including aromatic plants and spices! These little moths also love cereals (flour, rice, pasta, muesli …), sugar, chocolate, cookies, dried fruits. There are natural preventive means to protect your kitchen: no food moth traps. toxic using pheromones. You just need to install 1 or 2 of them either in your kitchen or at the entrance to your kitchen and you should be in peace. These adhesive pads are sold in supermarkets, at a low price. Of course, they should be placed outside your kitchen since these traps attract moths.
Buy spices in small quantities
Buy your spices more readily in small quantities to avoid ending up with a whole stockpile of unused or damaged spices that have passed their expiration date. Prefer whole and unground spices, as the latter tend to lose their aroma and spoil more quickly. Some spices, on the other hand, have a very long shelf life: nutmeg, cardamom, coriander grains, caraway, cloves, and allspice.
Don’t store spices in the refrigerator
As we mentioned above, keeping all your herbs and spices in the refrigerator is not necessarily ideal: humidity can clump them together or make them mold. However, some of them keep very well in the refrigerator, such as ginger root (wrapped in a damp paper towel), lemongrass, or chili peppers.
Overall, spices, unlike herbs, are not suitable for freezing as they can spoil very quickly. Spicy pastes, such as curry or chili paste, however, can be frozen without any problem because the oil they contain preserves their aromas.
Keep spices very well dry or Frozen
Although herbs keep very well dry or frozen, your best bet is to grow them on a window sill or in your garden. You will thus benefit from freshly harvested basil, lavender, or thyme, always available and particularly useful to sprinkle your dishes with scented decorations.
Avoid keeping your spices near your hob or gas stove
cooking vapors may seep into your jars and stick the spices together, or even make them mold. Likewise, when seasoning your dishes during cooking, avoid placing your spice jars directly above your pans.
Conclusion
You will therefore have understood how to store spices and Aromatic herbs Properly. In this way, they will keep their flavors and properties as long as possible, to the delight of your taste buds and your health! And if you want to know if your spice can still be consumed, taste it, if it tastes, don’t hesitate any longer!
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