Spice cabinet clean out/pare down

[seekingsimplicity]

I have way too many spices of varying ages. I feel so guilty tho about throwing them out for the sole reason of age and not using them! It is funny because it is one of the only things in my house that I have a hard time getting rid of.

How do those of you who are minimalists go about it?

I can afford to replace them if absolutely necessary so it is not about the expense necessarily.

How do you look at your spice cabinet and pare it down? what if I need that spice for an odd recipe? or should i quit making the odd recipe? ;)

I know Martha Stewart is ruthless when it comes to throwing away old spices because using them can ruin the taste of your dish!

Anyone here get ruthless with throwing them out?

[loosechickens]

I don't care what Martha Stewart says, I use my nose, my taste buds and evaluation of whether the spice or herb is still capable of doing the job. With some that might mean a lifetime of a year, others, if kept in tightly closed glass jars, may be perfectly lovely after ten.

I do find that always keeping herbs and spices in glass jars that can be well sealed makes all the difference.

[Rosemary]

I agree with loosechickens. Even if a spice is a bit past its prime, you can often just use a little more to get the same flavor. I don't date my spices; I clean out my spice cabinet about once/year and get rid of anything that I think is too old. When I replace spices, I buy in bulk at the natural foods store so I can just get enough for a few months. Some things we go through very quickly, like cinnamon & cumin; some, not so quickly, like marjoram.

[Mrs-M]

I echo both LC's and Rosemary's comments/advice. Over the past several years (through a careful process of fine-tuning) I've more or less developed a successful format of sorts that helps keep my spice selection fresh, current, and ready. This by way of carefully chosen meal menus.

As for "odd recipes", one can always get (for the most part) spice in bulk which from my experience more than serves the purpose.

[seekingsimplicity]

Ok well this is helpful!

I hear one year old as a kind of guideline and that it might be ok to toss older than 5-10 year spices! LOL

Thank you all for your help. Off I go to look at my spice cabinet with a "fresh eye".

[Fawn]

Somebody on the old boards mentioned just having 10 spices, and of course that got my minimalist heart beating faster. I forget what hers were, but currently we have 6 spices in the house: rosemary, cinnamon, basil, chili powder, salt and black pepper. I like curry too, but my kids don't, so I order that when I eat out. I also buy a "taco seasoning" packet when I make tacos, which is mostly stuff most people have in their cabinets but don't know it.

For those recipes that require a spice you don't use often you could 1) get a small amount from a bulk spice place IRL or online, 2) alter the recipe to use the spices you do use 3) "borrow" from a friend or neighbor (my mom has many unused spices from 45+ years ago she might lend you :sick:)

eta--usually we have oregano too, it's on the grocery list.

[Charity]

Oh God...I have billions of spices. Largely because I use various stuff pickling things and I like to make my own unusual sausages that I can't afford to buy. I have all my spices in empty baby food jars that I store lid down. That way when I open the drawer I can see whats in the jars and how much I have left. That and I have a list of my spices taped inside the cabinet door above it. It's helped me avoid buying more of a spice I already have because I didn't check before I went to the store.

Now if I can only get ahold of my issues with condiment creep.

[Hattie]

I have spices from when I was first married in 1981!!! I still use them. :|( Obviously they aren't spices I use much, but they are all in sealed containers and as long as they smell okay and don't look strange I don't hesitate to add them.

I think today's society is just too quick to toss everything because of a date on a container, because it is not in style anymore, or it has "been sitting around too long". I am still working through some homemade applesauce in my freezer from 2008 and it is just great!!! Obviously there are some things that you can't use, but I think the key is to be reasonable about it.

Having said that, when a local oldtimer asked us to look after his place for a week while he went on vacation, one night hubby said he was hungry. I looked around and found a box of cookies. I told him what they were (as I had never heard of them before). Hubby exclaimed, "WOW, I haven't had those cookies since I was a kid." I gave him one and he promptly spit it out and yelled, "they haven't MADE those cookies since I was a kid! These must be 50 years old!!!" rrrrr

[herbgeek]

When I get open a new jar I write the year on the outside of the label, so I have an idea of how long its been there. Every 3-4 years, I'll go through and purge really old ones or ones I really don't use much. When I look at new recipes, I look at the seasonings, and don't bother to rip it out of the magazine if its going to require a trip to the store or penzeys.com.

[Kat]

Oh, I can so relate. I love to cook, and my spice cabinet is a hot mess! We are getting our kitchen remodeled soon, and I am going ot have be ruthless about what goes back into it!

[Susan]

What if you look online for recipes that use the spices that you haven't used very much. You might find a new recipe that you really like. McCormick adn Spice Islands should have plenty on thier sites.
I do not automatically throw away spices. If they are a little old, either use a larger amount or toast them before using. You can also 'bloom' them by sauteeing in some hot oil before adding to a recipe. As long as they are tightly sealed and not stored near heat or light, they should be good for longer than one year. Use them in rubs and spice blends. Add to soups and stews or chili.

[treehugger]

I agree with others that many spices are just fine well past their "expiration dates." A major grocery store spice company (Schilling or McCormick, I can't remember which) launched a huge marketing campaign trying to shame people into replacing their spices. No doubt that was based on their heartfelt concern for the taste of our food! @@

Anyway, I don't know why, as long as you use spices in cooking (and who doesn't??) and can find the ones you need (I prefer to alphabetize), there would be any reason to pare them down just for simplicity's sake. There are plenty of other non-simple culprits in most houses to tackle first.

I was a devoted Penzey's shopper for many years, but have had to cut that out of the budget, even though I feel that they are very good value and quality. The grocery store selection is way overpriced and not a good value. We don't have any stores that sell bulk spices that I know of. But I did discover that Cost Plus/World Market has a nice selection for $.99 each, so that's where I will be shopping for spices in the future.

[iris lily]

This is so tricky. We have a LOT of spices because DH bakes and so he's got all of the baking spaices, we have a lot of the misc ones, and then I dabble with Indian cookery which is a whole 'nother set of spices. So no, we don't use them up fast 'though DH goes through a lot of cinnimon.

I like the ones that are freshly ground. I don't keep many in glass bottle, but I need to do that, I suppose. I don't go through the Indians ones quickly, I 've got 2 1/2 cups of ground chili powder, for instance, yet I've got a couple of types of dried chilies that I can ground myself.

[creaker]

One odd place for cheap spices is the drug store (CVS, etc.). They all seem to have a selection under $2.

[Yppej]

I have a certain shelf I like to keep them on, so I've pared them down to what will fit there (a dozen) and I'm trying to transition to ones I can grow myself and get away from some of the exotics because to me fresh from the garden is so much better than dried, and home dried is fresher than factory dried.

[JaneV2.0]

I was daydreaming just the other day about having a spice wall. I may pare down and consolidate some (I have more vinegar than I'll ever use, probably), but bland food is anathema to me--I'll save it for my stay at the Last Stop rest home (insert crotchety old smiley here). The trick is determining which herbs and spices you will actually use (I have rosemary, chervil, and a couple of others that may never see the light of day) and go from there. If they're all in one place, visible and well-organized, I'm more likely to use them, in my experience. I'd like to have a small indoor herb garden, too--holy basil and fresh tarragon are favorites, but way pricey.

[Hope]

Somebody on the old boards mentioned just having 10 spices, and of course that got my minimalist heart beating faster. I forget what hers were, but currently we have 6 spices in the house: rosemary, cinnamon, basil, chili powder, salt and black pepper. I like curry too, but my kids don't, so I order that when I eat out. I also buy a "taco seasoning" packet when I make tacos, which is mostly stuff most people have in their cabinets but don't know it......



I buy organic herbs and spices and then store them in the door of my refrigerator. All of mine fit on the top shelf of my refrigerator door. They stay fresh until completely used.

[WorldFoodie]

A couple of comments on spices...
If you put someof a spice in the palm of one hand and rub it with the thumb of the other hand, it will freshen it up by releasing oils. ex. oregano
I prefer to aphabetize mine (yes i have several) to make it easier to get to them. Some spices like dried mustard last a long time.
Cheers, WorldFoodie