(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
 . . . . . . . . . .



Kitchen Table Kibitzing May 17, 2026 [1]

['Side Pocket', 'View Profile', 'Dan K']

Date: 2026-05-17  

Spice

A spice is a dried plant part—such as a seed, fruit, root, or bark—used to flavor, color, or preserve food

The flavor of a spice is derived in part from compounds (volatile oils) that oxidise or evaporate when exposed to air. Grinding a spice greatly increases its surface area and so increases the rates of oxidation and evaporation. Thus, the flavor is maximised by storing a spice whole and grinding when needed. The shelf life of a whole dry spice is roughly two years; of a ground spice roughly six months.[34] The “flavor life” of a ground spice can be much shorter.[note 3] Ground spices are better stored away from light.

Whole spices (unground, such as peppercorns, whole allspice, caraway seeds, and more): 3-4 years

. Ground spices (such as cumin, ginger, paprika and chili powder): 2-4 years. Ground and whole leafy herbs such as basil, oregano, rosemary and most seasoning blends: 1-3 years

Spices rarely spoil or become unsafe, but they lose potency, aroma, and color after 6–12 months for ground spices or 2–3 years for whole spices. To tell if they are “expired,” check for a weak aroma, faded color, or caked, hard texture , and trust your senses over the “best-by” date.

So there are varying opinions on this. I have read opinions from some that surprised me, as being radical. The one that shocked me was someone that advised throwing out all spices on New Year’s Day and completely re-stock.

We basically replenish when a jar is empty. Some of our jars will never empty. We still have a jar of hot peppers given to us from Vietnam 50 years ago. Still HOT.

I was thinking of spices when our pepper grinder broke yesterday. Many options on Amazon, but I remembered that Thinking Fella had a favorite, so I called him. I immediately ordered a fine Peugeot pepper grinder from France, and the terra cotta color matches our kitchen. Our credit card company quickly called and questioned the purchase, but we said we knew what we were doing LOL.

[END]
---
[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/5/17/800040452/community/kitchen-table-kibitzing-may-17-2026/

Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.

via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/