storing spices

Jack Ricci

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Dec 11, 2008, 12:12:03 AM12/11/08

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I buy very good quality spices from a small ethnic grocery store. The
spices come in small pouches made of cellophane that fall apart when you
open them. I would like to store them in small containers that I could
reseal and that would keep the spices' flavor until needed. I realize
that spices get stale quite fast, but still I would like to keep them
for a reasonable period of time.

Any suggestions? Thank you.

Joe Negron

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Dec 11, 2008, 12:37:22 AM12/11/08

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We save glass jars (jam, mayonnaise, peanut butter, etc.), particularly
those with metal tops, for food storage; they come in various sizes and
after a while we had all we could need.

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religions come from that hope.
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Joe Negron from Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, NY, USA

Goomba

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Dec 11, 2008, 1:24:24 AM12/11/08

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I keep all my spices (in spice jars and packets) in the freezer. They
remain fresh so much longer. The very worst place you can keep spices is
near the hot, humid stove. Yet you see people do that time and again.
I love the spices from Penzeys- www.penzeys.com

trm

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Dec 11, 2008, 9:19:05 AM12/11/08

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Glass jars are great storing. We you don't have any old used empty
jars,
I like to use different size canning jars, their seal is very good.
Also storing the
spices in a cool place keeps them freasher, not necessary to put them
in the
freezer but may be the refrigerator, I just store mine in a cupboard
away from the stove.

Dave Garland

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Dec 11, 2008, 11:35:58 AM12/11/08

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Jack Ricci wrote:
> I buy very good quality spices from a small ethnic grocery store. The
> spices come in small pouches made of cellophane that fall apart when you
> open them. I would like to store them in small containers that I could
> reseal and that would keep the spices' flavor until needed.

I find that larger prescription pill bottles work well for spices.
They're brown to block the effects of light, and they're composed of
plastic that won't react with medications (or spices). The kind that
are bottle-shaped work better than the kind that are tube-shaped. I
label them with a grease pencil and cover that marking with clear
tape, but one could get fancier with that (my beans store in pickle
jars that years ago I labeled with transfer letters protected with
clear nail polish).

Dave

Samatha Hill -- take out TRASH to reply

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Dec 12, 2008, 1:43:58 AM12/12/08

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Jack Ricci wrote:
> I buy very good quality spices from a small ethnic grocery store. The
> spices come in small pouches made of cellophane that fall apart when you
> open them. I would like to store them in small containers that I could
> reseal and that would keep the spices' flavor until needed. I realize

Use snack-size ziplock baggies if they are small packets or
sandwich-size if they are not; stick a piece of paper with what it is in
with it and store in the freezer.

meow...@care2.com

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Dec 12, 2008, 2:40:52 AM12/12/08

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Jack Ricci:

Any suggestions? Thank you.

Best to stick with glass. Plastic pots, and worse plastic bags, let
some of the key flavour elements in some spices slowly permeate out.
Spice bags fit in empty mustard pots, jam jars etc. Stuff keeps a
decade like that.

NT

Clisby

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Dec 12, 2008, 5:26:04 AM12/12/08

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Old medicine bottles would work, but it could take awhile to collect
them. When I started buying bulk spices, I just used the old
supermarket spice containers that were left over - but I'm not
suggesting you pay the outrageous supermarket prices just to get spice
containers. I periodically see sets of glass spice jars at yard sales
- but you can't count on that. Glass baby food jars are a good size -
do you happen to know anyone who has a baby?

Clisby

Evelyn Leeper

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Dec 12, 2008, 10:33:11 AM12/12/08

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If you don't, but have freecycle in your area, you could try asking on it.

(I assume people reading this group know about freecycle.)

--
Evelyn C. Leeper
Be braver. You cannot cross a chasm in two small jumps.

Macuser

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Dec 12, 2008, 8:58:55 PM12/12/08

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I have very good luck with buying fresh dill, and freezing it in a bag for
later use. It tastes just like the fresh, and dried is really pretty
useless. Dill is good in chicken soup, sprinkled on potatoes and on fish.

Technically, dill is an herb and not a spice, but so what?

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