Shop and store right to keep spices fresher longer

A quick guide to buying spices—in-store and online—and to properly storing them.

SPICES AND THEIR AROMATIC BRETHREN, HERBS, are key tools for turning food into cuisine, for giving dishes a major part of their identity. Besides using them wisely, knowing how and where to shop for them—and how to store them when you’re not using them—can make a huge difference in your cooking. Here are some tips.

First, let’s be honest. A whole lot of spice buying begins when we’re getting ready to cook, or worse, are midway through preparing a dish. Suddenly someone is saying some version of “Are we seriously out of [insert spice name here]?”—followed by an emergency dash to the closest supermarket or corner store. Or, also being honest, some of us buy all of our spices at these places. So how can we do this better?

Bricks and mortar spice shopping, elevated

Choose a store you trust for other things. Is the produce fresh? Are the shelves well stocked, the aisles kept tidy? If you feel good shopping in a store, chances are their spices and dried herbs are good too. If a store gets a lot of traffic, that usually means good turnover, that products haven’t been sitting on the shelves since the last Olympics. And while trust is nice, always check expiration dates.

Shop where serious home cooks shop. Shops specializing in one area—meats, seafood, cheeses, produce—attract people particular about their food. So they’re often a great source for spices and for good advice on what spices will enhance what you’re buying.

Shop the world. If, like Chicago, where you live is blessed with rich ethnic diversity, make the most of it. Buy your five-spice powder in a Chinese market, for instance, and your ancho chile powder in a Mexican one. By shopping where customers use these ingredients daily, not as an occasional cooking adventure, you’ll get spices that are not just more authentic but fresher.

Online spice shopping

There are plenty of places to buy spices online. Here are two of our favorites. Both also have bricks and mortar presences.

Penzeys Spices. Online sales are only one part of Penzeys’s operations. Headquartered in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, they have 70 retail outlets in 29 states and a mail-order catalog business. In addition to individual spices and dried herbs, they offer a wide range of popular spice blends. Standard shipping is free on orders over $40 and they have frequent sales. You can shop Penzeys Spices here.

The Spice House. In 2016, Food & Wine named The Spice House one of the “world’s best spice shops.” They have just four locations in Illinois and Wisconsin, so most of the world shops their small-batch spices online. For us, magic words when we’re shopping online are “free shipping.” The Spice House offers free shipping on orders of $49 or more. And they’ve just introduced resealable flat packs that ship for free, with no minimum order. Get all the details on The Spice House’s website.

Keeping spices fresher longer

First, the good news. Spices and dried herbs last longer than you might think. And they don’t actually spoil or become unsafe to eat—they just lose their potency. According to Still Tasty, “as a general rule, whole spices will stay fresh for about 4 years, ground spices for about 2 to 3 years and dried herbs for 1 to 3 years.”

That general rule depends on how you store them. Spices keep fresh longer in a cool, dark place away from sunlight—so that Instagram-worthy rack over the stove may not be the best choice. Think a cabinet away from the stove. Tightly sealed containers keep them fresh longer too.

So is this still fresh? Again, Still Tasty: “To test whether a spice or herb is still potent enough to be effective, rub or crush a small amount in your hand, then taste and smell it.” If the aroma and flavor are still vibrant, you’re good to go. Otherwise, time to replace it.