Streamlining the spice rack.

Lostvalleyguy

Lostvalleyguy

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I have two spice racks and yet I only have a few herbs and spices that I use on a regular basis. Several of my spices are used only at certain times of year and others? Well, I am not sure when I ever used them.

I have my regular herbs for pasta sauces and spices for certain meals that I routinely make but the others are just old. They are fading in colour and I am sure their flavour is diminished as well. I am wondering if it is even worth hanging on to these items.

Do you have a well stocked spice rack that suffers from a lack of use?
 
If they really look faded then I would thank them for their service and donate them to the compost pile. Freezing herbs is a good way to keep the ones that you use infrequently. I have some fresh herbs, favorite dried herbs and the occasional herbs that I now freeze.
 
I toss stuff if it is older than 6 months, and certainly nothing longer than a year. In many cases, stuff like seasoning blends will start to cake together into large clumps and won't even pour out of the bottle anymore. I've gotten away from spending a lot on spices and seasonings, and often only pay $1 each for most of them, so I don't feel so bad about tossing them if they are past their prime.

I used to get carried away with all sorts of exotic stuff that I would never use on a regular basis, and then my cupboard became overloaded with bottles of stuff to the point where I could never find what I actually needed. I really don't have any need for bottles of Mace, Crystalized Ginger, Yellow Curry Powder, and other crap like that.
 
In the past I have had to throw out spices that have been stored too long and lost their flavor. Now I stick with the ones I use regularly so there is no waste.

I don't use dried herbs any more now that I grow my own and can pick them fresh when needed.
 
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