The Reason You Should Avoid Buying Spices In Jars At The Grocery Store

Take a quick look around the grocery store and you'll see you have a few options when it comes to filling your spice cabinet. You can find all kinds of unusual spices and dried herbs in pre-packaged jars, plastic bags, or plastic bottles. Though you may assume glass-jarred spices project a higher quality, buying them in jars isn't the most economical way to go about stocking your pantry. Instead, look to buy spices in plastic pouches or bags. Less expensive and packaged in smaller portions, bagged spices let you save money by buying at a better price and only buying what you need. This also helps reduce waste, as you won't be throwing out dozens of bulky jars and bottles that clog landfills and you're less likely to discard unused herbs or spices that have passed their expiration dates.

You can always start off with a bottle of spice, but rather than throw it out once it is empty, keep it, and refill it from a small plastic pouch of spice purchased from the grocery store or online. This will help reduce waste and give you more control of how much spice you buy at one time, so you are more likely to use what you've paid for before it loses its freshness. You can also buy a set of reusable glass spice bottles, which typically come with either blank or pre-printed labels and a funnel to make filling the bottles easier.

Any home cook undoubtedly has at least one questionable jar of spice in their cupboard. Perhaps it was one they bought long ago for a recipe or to fulfill a grand plan of creating interesting and delicious meals with it. Yet there it sits, unfinished and making you question if you should keep it or toss it. Whether you buy jarred spices or buy them in bulk to save money (in case you're wondering, the bulk spices are just as good as the jarred ones when it comes to quality), the good news is that spices don't technically go bad. Or not in the way that canned goods or fresh foods do, anyways. They do, however, lose their potency and freshness.

Dried herbs last anywhere from one to three years if stored properly and ground spices will last two to three years while whole spices will last up to four years. As time goes on, spices will typically lose their potency, flavor, and in some cases, even their color as they age. Most spices will have an expiration date on the bottle, but most chefs will likely agree with Carla Hall's spice tip. She recommends sniffing your spices to see if they smell like they should. If not, it's probably a good idea to toss them and re-stock with some fresh, bagged supplies.