I probably should have done a search first to see if I asked this before...oh well.

What is the shelf life of spices and herbs? I read somewhere that vanilla extract lasts forever, but ground sage, for example, only lasts a couple of years.

If I were fabulously rich, I'd toss all my spices every two years and buy all new, like October 1 of the odd years or something.

I use the same criteria I do for medicines.

1) changing of color, changing odor (sniff test),

2) mold growth.

I find that spices with green herbs in them, the green will go off color when they get old. (cilantro, parsley) Keeping them in the dark may help.

I find that curry and ginger keep a LONG TIME.

Things mixed with garlic pieces...like MrsDash attract moisture and go bad quickly if unused. The red pepper one seems to keep better (based on my vacation home left overs where there is dampness).

I have some freeze dried onion and garlic upNorth that keeps for years! (I have to seal it up with a zip lock after opening.)

Exotic mixtures--like steak rubs, Thai spice etc...do not keep well for me. I throw those out often.

I also seal up the black pepper in our little grinder. It keeps several seasons that way.

I have no trouble with nutmeg or cinnamon. They keep well without special attention besides screwing the tops on tightly.

So things that are hygroscopic (attract moisture) are the most problematic.
We notice that vanilla extract with its high alcohol content remains fresh for a LONG TIME... years! The alcohol deters bacteria. If it gets cloudy, I'd toss it.

If you save the little canisters that come in some RX drugs, you can put those in the spices. You can reactivate them with a blow drier. But this takes patience.

BTW... you'll need a second job if you toss and replace all your spices every year!. We saw some very small jars on vacation that were about $5.00 EACH.

I get most of my spices now at WalMart, but some of them are
getting pricey too!

I have a vertical rack that slants toward the wall, that I put them into head first. I bought it years ago with my Copco pots and pans. This is what it looks like:
http://www.kaboodle.com/reviews/1970...omb-spice-rack
I see now it is called "vintage" LOLOLOL Mine is deep blue.
It holds most narrow bottles that are made now, I don't used the bottles that came with it.
Here is a pic of what mine looks like:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/black651/2308939495/

This keeps light out of them. Light, air, oxidize. And moisture causes caking or mold growth. My son used to make Thai dishes on vacation. You should see what grew in that ONE! YUK.

I keep a MrsDash lemon pepper, and the red pepper for most of my cooking. I use bay leaves, and they keep well. Curry and ginger, and nutmeg, stay very well too. I use Italian herb mixture and cilantro and keep it out of the light. I have some large containers and I keep those in a dark cupboard, always.

Well, probably noted on your links, but here's the quick of it. Herbs are leaves. They go off pretty quick. You may get a year, a couple years where they're good, if stored well. Blue bottles are supposed to keep them freshest, amber bottles are good too, but opaque in any color is better, and glass is my choice over plastic - cool, dry places of course.

Then there are spices which are basically other plant parts, usually seeds, but sometimes stems. (Think pepper, cinnamon). They can last for several years, again if stored right.

Then there are those extracts - same as for spices, lasts several years. But they never last that long here since I use them all up, lol.

So the way we stored these things used to be all wrong - on the counter, in clear jars in the kitchen. Sort of like putting meds in the steamy bathroom, making them degrade faster.

Most of this stuff will have use by dates you can go by, or like Mrs D says, if you don't like the looks of it, toss it. Each one really does its own thing, so there's no blanket statement you could make about them.


Some just lose color and a little flavor, and won't hurt you a bit. Like parsley or bay leaves - I'll use them a year or two past their dates. Cinnamon sticks bought today will outlast ALL of us, lol.

Minced garlic in olive oil, kept in fridge, has never gone bad on me - so if you have a clove, don't let it dry out, preserve it that way.

Peppercorns, good for years, pepper seeds, I toss when they get iffy.