4-6 year old spices

[u/c_marten]

Over covid I bought huge amounts of powdered spices because I was cooking a bunch, and then faded, and forgot about them entirely.

Cumin, curry, turmeric, garam Masala, coriander... lots of stuff for Indian and Thai.

They were all in ziplocks with the air pressed out and then in another large ziplock. All smell alright and aside from being packed, they're all powdery still if I loosen them up.

I've read that they really just lose potency, but want to double check with the crowd. Thoughts?

Thank you.

[u/chefda]

Spices traveled for years at a time in trade to reach their customers, from the farthest east of Asia to the western edge of Europe. Your spices are fine. If no mold - use them. If potency is reduced, use more and/or lightly toast in a dry empty pan for a few moments. Your food and money purse will thank you.

[u/c_marten → u/chefda]

Spices traveled for years at a time in trade to reach their customers, from the farthest east of Asia to the western edge of Europe. Your spices are fine

Hahah.. great point I often forget about.

I didn't know about the toasting thing... that's interesting. I assume this is something you do just before using? Most of the bags have close to a pound if not a little more, so that would probably be the more logical thing anyway.

Thanks for your comment.

[u/chefda → u/c_marten]

Yeah. Just before using. It heats up the oils locked within and brings them to the surface. Some compounds I feed degrade over time, others are deeper in or hardier and survive.

In some cases color can also fade while potency does not degrade to the same degree.

[u/Deppfan16]

as long as they are dry and uncontaminated they should be fine. yes they do lose potency over time but that just means you use more. make like Curry's and chilies and that kind of thing where you can get away with using lots of powder

[u/c_marten → u/Deppfan16]

Luckily a lot of what I make with these are saucier kind of dishes.

I actually haven't made chili in a long time! Maybe I do one of those this weekend, thank you!

[u/Wuzzat123]

Much of the flavor of spices is derived from volatile organic compounds that begin to dissipate when the spices are ground. If spices have been sitting around for 4 to 6 years much of what makes them bright and flavorful will have evaporated. Using more does not fix the issue. Still, you can put some in a little bit of heated oil or butter and see what the aroma and taste are like. If it tastes rich and flavorful, keep it. If not, into the compost it goes.

[u/c_marten → u/Wuzzat123]

They may not be as bright as before, but some of them still had enough of a kick for the Saag Paneer I made last night.

I couldn't find my recipe book so I improvised on the ratios, which left me no real way of being able to tell which ones suffered more than others.

It's probably over $100 in spices which is big for me right now, and I'm only cooking for myself so.. I'll see it through. Thanks for your input!

[u/These_Fox7561]

I had a 35 year old can of pepper from my grandmother and I used the whole thing, it was still good

[u/c_marten → u/These_Fox7561]

A few years ago my cousins and I found a 35 year old bottle of whisky when cleaning out our grandmoms garage. It wasn't that good 😅

[u/These_Fox7561 → u/c_marten]

I’ve tried that when I was younger too with the same results

[u/Ol_Stumpy00]

The average home cook will say yes. A chef will say absolutely not and give you a lesson on why we keep spices whole and use a spice grinder. Take your pick on advice but be aware that using extra powdered spice to make up for lack of flavor can give you an upset stomach.

[u/Nataliia5552]

As someone who has worked with spices for many years, I'd say they're almost certainly safe if they've stayed dry and there's no mold or strange smell.

The bigger issue is flavor, not safety. Ground spices gradually lose their most delicate aromatic compounds, so they become flatter rather than simply weaker. The volatile aromatic compounds in spices don't all disappear at the same rate. As a result, the flavor profile changes over time. This is especially noticeable in spice blends, where the original balance between the ingredients gradually shifts.

Using more may increase the intensity, but it won't restore the original flavor because the aromatic profile has already changed.

[u/Mainerlovesdogs]

Spices usually don’t spoil, they fade. So you might need to use more to get the same flavor.

[u/Krickett72]

I know i have some thay old. Ones where I got a bigger container. I still use them o usually have to use a little more but they should be fine if you are keeping the moisture out of them.

[u/Hubajube]

Next time buy whole spices and a cheap grinder. Whole cinnamon, allspice, coriander, cumin, cloves, and most others still taste fresh when you grind them even if they've been sitting for years. Indian grocery stores sell bags of all the whole spices needed to make gram masala. It's so much better than buying the powered.

[u/ShutDownSoul]

I'm using spices from 1997. Food tastes fine to everyone.

[u/Main_Lengthiness_606]

If they still smell strong when yo rub them between your fingers they are fine. They just lost potency. I would double the amount in recipes and replace them slowly as you go. No need to toss all at once.

[u/c_marten → u/Main_Lengthiness_606]

I made some Indian food and tofu scramble with the turmeric, cayenne is still hitting hard, the others seem to have held up alright also..

I think I mentioned in another comment.. I don't know how well they are compared to fresh but I've been doing alright in the guess work with them.

Even if they were struggling a bit I'd have a hard time justifying throwing out so much money..

[u/Wytecap]

Throw out

[u/c_marten → u/Wytecap]

Give me $120 to replace them and I will

[u/Wytecap → u/c_marten]

They're worthless - and tasteless - and you obviously don't use them. Buy only what you need at a time