Remember the aroma as soon as you opened a curry filled pot? There’s nothing better than some Indian spices to intensify the flavors of a dish but what happens when the spices you use lose flavor?
Buying spices is an easy task but maintaining them is a tough one. When maintained properly, whole spices stay fresh and give intense flavors for up to four years whereas ground spices can stay fresh for two to three years! You do not want the spices you bought a few days ago get clumped, discolored and flavorless the moment you open a container.
As dry spices can get spoiled easily, how you store dry spices go a long way in maintaining its durability and flavors. With our quick and easy tips, savor the true flavors of your spices.
Air is a problem
We need air to survive, spices don’t. It doesn’t take much time for air to get into the containers, spoil your precious spices and make them lose their flavors. Always remember to close your glass or plastic containers tightly.
Store only when dry
Make sure the spices, whether whole or grounded, are totally dry when you’re storing them. Roasted some spices and want to store them? Let them cool off first and then store them into a container.
Sun, Sun, Go Away!
Whether you keep your spices in plastic, glass or metal containers, keep all of them away from sunlight. The sunrays falling on the jars might give an aesthetic look to your kitchen, but it does nothing but harm the spices inside, leaving them dull and colorless.
Make a cool space for them
Spices can’t survive the heat. You need cool spaces for all your spices. Avoid storing spices anywhere near gas stove or dishwasher as the heat degrades their taste which in turn affects their flavors. For a long shelf life, keep them at a cool place.
Away from moisture
Just like heat, moisture also threatens the shelf life of spices. Even a little bit of moisture can affect the condition of the spices.
Put a label on it
Keep track of the age of your spice so that you have an idea about its shelf life and the best before date. Every spice has their own duration of peak flavor after which it loses its intensity. You really should put a label on it.
If you’ve reached here, congrats! Here’s a bonus tip for you:
Avoid sprinkling spices directly from a jar over a steaming pot as the steam can get in the bottle and make the spice clumpy.We bet before this blog, storing spices was never this easy! These six tips will save your food AND life. Well, to add intense Indian flavors to a dish, purchase organic and natural spices care-free and use these easy tips for storing them!
