How long do you keep spices for?

[jack sparrow]

I got a bunch of spices up in my cupboard, like garlic, oregano, basil, garlic, italian seasoning, grill creations and garlic that I'm not sure is still good...probably about 4-5 years old.

Should I toss it?

 

[musclemom]

While edible, at 4+ years, they probably ain't gonna add much flavor to any dish. You have to use your judgement and use the sniff test. If they don't have much scent, they won't have much flavor. Pitch the weak smelling ones.

 

[jack sparrow]

While edible, at 4+ years, they probably ain't gonna add much flavor to any dish. You have to use your judgement and use the sniff test. If they don't have much scent, they won't have much flavor. Pitch the weak smelling ones.

The garlic still smells pretty good, but now that you mention it, the crushed red peppers had almost a dungeony/stale smell to them.

 

[vixensghost]

I can tell someone is not into cooking....

 

[jack sparrow]

I can tell someone is not into cooking....

Nah, I like cooking actually. I just go out of town for extended periods of time and all my dry good type stuff has to be updated every few years.

 

[vixensghost]

You don't keep your spices near the stove do you? They'll tend to go bad faster if they get near heat. ....Just a heads up.