Cooking Herbs ? Spices ? what do you use in your kitchen ? chilis, sauces, condiments, garnishes all welcome!!

[Daisys and Diamonds]

How long do you keep dried spices before emptying the jars and getting fresh product? I've read that many spices lose flavour after a year, but I have spices on hand that I don't use much, and they're much older than a year. Perhaps they taste less full/strong than new? But I wouldn't know unless I buy new to compare. Heh.

i think it depends on the herb or spice and how strong you like it
i had whole star anise in the pantry for im embarrased to say how long but more than a decade, i made pickled pork and used one and it was still fine ! (ive since had to buy two new packets in the last year -its my herb sucess story and i now use 2 of them at a time -the recepie calls for 4)
i think its because they are whole but in saying that i had some ground Chinese 5 spice that was about as old and it was fine too, i now use lots of that too
and my tumeric still seems to work, even the Garam masala was ok
But we have a very Western pallet
i had jumiper berries for years and years and they were still very aromatic, when i finally remembered to use them in a pork roast, yum yum, a bottle of gin would never last that long !

i would just use them up, like if it calls for a teaspoon of some dried herb id chuck the whole packet in
i think something like rosemary would stay good for a long time -lucky my neighbour over the road has a hedge ! i usually have a branch drying on the kitchen window sill

im terrible i like to buy herbs and spices in the little jars but if i buy them in the packets i never close them up probably, but they are the herbs and spices i use the most so they dont get very old

i do keep my dried bay leaves in a little glass jar to keep them fresh, i love bay, some people think its a waste of time but i can taste it, its so good in chicken soup
i put some in the beef (venision) stroganoff im making in the slow cooker right now, you can guarentee Gary will get the one i forget to fish out as i dish it up tonight
i need to buy a tree, its so expensive and you have to make sure its not old stock when you buy it

now the ginger you buy minced int he little jars in the produce section that you have to keep in the fridge -that always goes mouldy real quick
not sure what i do wrong? i use a clean fresh spoon everytime and i try yo use it up in two or three weeks but i always end up having to throw it out becuase it gets the blue mould

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

We are on a road trip in USA and my granddaughter wanted some savory snacks.
Smart Food cheese popcorn tastes like it has sugar?????

i bet you are having a great time cheese popcorn aside ( we dont get the flavoured popcorn you guys get in those shops in your malls)

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Interesting! I had not really thought about mentioning the change until now, It is neat that she also overcame that initial dislike. My daughter likes it well too. She never had the soap reaction.


HA, some of my more obscure spices probably qualify for retirement plans at this point. I will occasionally throw something out. If it doesnt have much aroma, it won't have much flavor either. As long as the color and smell are potent, I will use it.

I can Southern Lime pickles every other year and make my own pickle seasoning. I will usually buy new spices for that. My mother in law introduced me to those, which we have an addiction, It takes a few days to make with food grade lime soaks for crispness. The first time i tasted them at her house, I fell in love. She told me it was a family recipe. When I married my husband, she gifted me a pound of the Mrs Wages lime, with the recipe of back.

The ginormous mega bottles in the pantry are mostly high consumables that I will use almost daily, such as garlic and onion powder. We make our own bread and bagels at home. I buy yeast by the pound and usually have about 60 lbs of bread flour in the pantry.

Homemade burger buns. Homemade everything bagels.



Oh yeah, bagels and bun dough is made in my Jojirushi bread machine. I premeasure kits ahead of time, so it’s dump the things in from quart jars, add water and yeast and push button.

oh yum those look so good
@Garry H (Cut Nut) i hope you are enjoying American beagles

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

The food is pretty good I think we're fat for a few reasons. We can't walk anywhere...it's a car or you're stuck miles from a store.

I was suprised a few weeks ago. I was in DC, and everyone was walking, and also, people were very fit. The neighbourhoods were set up to walk and live (Near Adams Morgan and Dupont Circle).
I also think our food is corrupt. Too much of it, too processed, too many sketchy additives and sugar in everything.

i only learnt this recently about how so many of your towns and cities arnt really set up for people to walk to work
i used to walk every where ! till my knee became the old lady knee and now i have to take the bus
in Wellington after work thousands (maybe many hundards) of people would walk through town down the quays or along the warf rather than take the bus to the railway station)

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

We are on a road trip in USA and my granddaughter wanted some savory snacks.
Smart Food cheese popcorn tastes like it has sugar?????

what really makes me mad is Woolworths, before covid they did all sorts of low sugar options especially in their own brand, like tomato sauace, baked beans and jams but they fazed them out saying it was a supply train issue when really its about maximizing profit over consumer choice, we had brought those products for years, i miss the marmalade

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

How long do you keep dried spices before emptying the jars and getting fresh product? I've read that many spices lose flavour after a year, but I have spices on hand that I don't use much, and they're much older than a year. Perhaps they taste less full/strong than new? But I wouldn't know unless I buy new to compare. Heh.

From Claude AI
The user is asking about which dried spices lose potency after a year or more. This is a question about food storage and cooking that I can answer from my knowledge without needing to search, as information about spice shelf life is fairly stable and well-established.

Let me think about the categories of spices and their typical shelf lives:

1. Whole spices generally last longer than ground spices
2. Some spices are more delicate than others
3. Storage conditions affect longevity
4. Some spices lose potency faster than others

This is definitely something I can answer without searching, as it's established culinary knowledge that doesn't change frequently.

Most dried spices do lose significant potency after about a year, though some decline faster than others. Here are the ones that typically lose their punch most noticeably:

**Ground spices** (lose potency fastest - 6 months to 1 year):
- Ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves
- Ground ginger and turmeric
- Paprika and chili powder
- Ground cumin and coriander
- Dried herbs like oregano, basil, and thyme

**Delicate spices** (fade quickly):
- Saffron (though expensive, so people tend to use it up faster)
- Ground cardamom
- Sumac
- Za'atar blends

**Whole spices last longer** (2-3 years) but even these eventually fade:
- Whole peppercorns
- Whole cinnamon sticks
- Whole cloves and star anise
- Whole cumin and coriander seeds

The main signs of lost potency are faded color, weak aroma when you smell them, and needing to use much more to get the same flavor impact. Heat, light, and air exposure speed up this process significantly.

A good test: if you can't smell much when you open the container, or if the color looks dull compared to fresh spices, it's probably time to replace them. Grinding whole spices fresh when possible gives you much better flavor and longer storage life.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

anybody use nasturtiums
i should plant some
in the winter when lettuce is so expensive sometimes i use the leaves in a burger
they are nice and peppery
the flowers are nice too
Gary will quite happily eat both

 

[xsouzie]

I cook all manner of foods...Chinese, Thai, Italian, Mexican, Middle Eastern etc...so I use a lot of spices. This is my spice cabinet

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

sometimes i just cheat

 

[MMtwo]

We buy our Chicken Curry at Coatco. Always have a tin around in the fridge. It’s so nice to have quick options. Hubby and I love curry. My son is not a fan.

 

[SparklieBug]

I got inspired and went through the spice cabinet/drawer, and cleared out all the old spices/herbs that had little fragrance left. I had duplicates of faves, so the old versions went. Boom! The space looks so much better, now!

 

[MMtwo]

I got inspired and went through the spice cabinet/drawer, and cleared out all the old spices/herbs that had little fragrance left. I had duplicates of faves, so the old versions went. Boom! The space looks so much better, now!

That is impressively productive!!!

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

i made French onion soup so now im out of thyme
the small but very useful and sharply priced grocery store next to work hardly ever lets me down
but they did this time (no pun intended)
and worse. there wasnt even a place on the shelf where it should have been
ill have to use oragano till i do the next big grocery shop

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

hate the taste of basil but love its smell
however i love pesto
its my secrete ingrediant, it makes chicken soup a masterpiece
i buy what ever the cheapest one is on the day
i love this one, its made with cashews and adds a nice texture to soup

 

[MMtwo]

@Daisys and Diamonds what a smart idea! Homemade soup and stews are my favorite foods. I’ll give this a try with my next chicken soup. Thank you.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

@Daisys and Diamonds what a smart idea! Homemade soup and stews are my favorite foods. I’ll give this a try with my next chicken soup. Thank you.

put it in right at the end, i actually spoon it into the soup bowls before i serve
yum yum yum yum

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

i just made stuffed eggs, oh boy were they hard to peel
not quite devilled eggs with the curry powder, i used pesto !
you know what they needed
well apart from some curly parsley for decoration aka mid century party food
they needed some chives
or a nasturtium flower
but its still winter



i think its still too early but i might look for an onion weed flower in the garden (before i pull it out)

these are not very pretty but they taste ok

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

i looked for my mint today as i was out at the clothesline
its going to rain the rest of the week)
no mint, but then i buy the plants at xmas to go with new potatoes so its not winter mint
but i really fee like pineapple slaw

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Marjoram
how could i forget Marjoram

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

im finally making Hungarian goulash but without caraway seeds as i could not get any
i seem to have nothing with a licorish flavour profile except for star aniseed ...hmm
well there is so much papariki in it i'll chuck one in and see how it goes
sweet papariki is also now hard to find
i have used ordinary paparika and smoked
i am not using a quarter of a cup but i do have a table spoon out

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

wow 4 tablespoons f paparika and i can hardly taste it
maybe it did need 1/4 cup

 

[Calliecake]

@MMtwo, Those pickles look so good!!!

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

i am really proud of myself

Gary's tastes are all up the wall since his hospital stay
so i brought a mild butter chicken as he said he was over hot curry
it was soooooooo mild we could hardly taste it and he did not enjoy it

this is like starter butter chicken like for really little children or really old people

i was going to have leftovers for breakfast tomorrow but im over leftover this week

the doctor and nutritionalist want him to eat lots of protein as he has lost so much weight and its mostly muscle he has lost so he gets a hot meaty lunch when im home (4 times a week and tuna on the other days)

so with the left over butter chicken i googled and added more spice
i didnt have cardoman and i hate corriander and i forgot the tumeric but i added minced ginger, smoked papariki, chillie, cuman and garam masala and cinnaman and even though its cold it tastes soooooooooooooooooo much better

i bunged it in the freezer
, im going to top it with sliced spud and kumera (sweet potato) and sprinkle with more smoked papariki

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

only have ever used cardonan once - in peach muffins many years ago, threw out the box when we moved 8 years ago

so after the 3rd recepie in a row that is surpossed to have cardamon, i looked in up for my onlin grocery order .....not available here
its like the supermarkets have deleted all the less common spices

im going to have to find an online shop

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

since i started this thread ive become more
adventurous in the spice drawer
im also using more

but ive noticed our Woolies does not do a great range
there are herbs and spices ive used in the past that have dissapaired

also i notice they have a home brand which ive been buying and didnt even notice

anyway this grocery shop im going to buy sumac


im not that keen on the little boxes because they are not airtight once you open them

 

[dk168]

sometimes i just cheat

Nothing wrong with cheating, and IMHO, Patak's is a good brand.

Edited to add I use their curry paste as marinades for chicken thighs or drumsticks, score the thicker parts first before rubbing in a bit of curry paste - easier to cook too.

DK

 

[dk168]

I am going through an oriental phase especially noodle soups, with miso paste, Gochujang chilli paste, Laksa paste etc...

Thank goodness for Costco where I could get their Kirkland roasted seaweeds in bulk, eaten with Japanese rice in different mixes, such as Ikura (salmon roes) and smoked salmon, avocado and spring onions etc... Just rice with Furikake (rice sprinkles) is very nice too.

DK

 

[AllAboardTheBlingTrain]

sometimes i just cheat

While I totally get wanting to cheat (and nothing wrong with it at all), can I recommend that you get spice mixes instead of these packaged sauces? They are way way way better and nearly as convenient!

For eg for butter chicken (which sauce-wise is a mild, slightly sweet, creamy and tomatoey sauce) all you need is a “butter chicken masala mix” (Indian brands easily available overseas would be MDH or Everest, I prefer MDH), tomatoes (fresh or tinned), ginger-garlic paste, Greek yogurt, onions, a handful of cashew nuts, a couple of Thai green chillies (can be left out), heavy cream, Kashmiri chilli powder (can be subbed with regular, not smoked, paprika) and “kasoori methi” / dried fenugreek leaves (optional but without this it won’t taste complex and authentic).

Start by marinating your chicken (I usually cook about 750g-800g bone-in at a time) in a marinade of yogurt, salt, and a spoonful or two of the spice mix - you can also add some lime juice and paprika to this marinade. Leave it to marinade overnight if possible. Bone-in and skinless chicken thighs/legs will give the best results. If overnight isn’t possible, try doing at least an hour. Try and avoid using breasts. When I start making the sauce I also cook the chicken in its marinade separately, in a 200C oven until it’s almost fully cooked through.

To make the sauce - blend together tomatoes, onions, cashews and some water to make the base of the sauce. If you don’t want to use cashews you can use almonds / almond meal. If you don’t want to use any nuts, skip it and just add the same weight of additional cream later. For ratios I’d say 4:1 tomatoes to onions (eg 400g tomatoes for 100g onion) and the same ratio for onion to cashew (so you’d need about 25g of cashew for 100g onion). Water as per your preference.

Start by sauteeing ginger garlic paste (about 1/2-1tbsp) and chillies (if using, I think at least one, even if deseeded, is necessary, you can sub with chilli flakes if you need) in butter until sizzling. Then add the entire tomato mixture and 2-3tsp of the spice mix plus salt to taste and a tsp or two of paprika (mostly for colour, not heat) and stir together on a medium heat until it thickens and darkens a bit. Add some hot water after it’s thick to adjust the consistency to your liking and cook for a further 10 mins. This is the point where you taste and add a little sugar if you like (I think 1tsp is usually needed). After the sauce has reached a consistency you like, add the chicken from the oven into the sauce and stir together. Finish cooking the chicken in the sauce. Finish the dish with about 75ml of heavy cream (for the quantities of tomato etc above) and a handful of kasoori methi leaves, crushed. You can also garnish with fresh coriander.

Super simple and doesn’t require any “fancy” ingredients, other than the spice mix and kasoori methi, and way better than the packet sauce!!

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

While I totally get wanting to cheat (and nothing wrong with it at all), can I recommend that you get spice mixes instead of these packaged sauces? They are way way way better and nearly as convenient!

For eg for butter chicken (which sauce-wise is a mild, slightly sweet, creamy and tomatoey sauce) all you need is a “butter chicken masala mix” (Indian brands easily available overseas would be MDH or Everest, I prefer MDH), tomatoes (fresh or tinned), ginger-garlic paste, Greek yogurt, onions, a handful of cashew nuts, a couple of Thai green chillies (can be left out), heavy cream, Kashmiri chilli powder (can be subbed with regular, not smoked, paprika) and “kasoori methi” / dried fenugreek leaves (optional but without this it won’t taste complex and authentic).

Start by marinating your chicken (I usually cook about 750g-800g bone-in at a time) in a marinade of yogurt, salt, and a spoonful or two of the spice mix - you can also add some lime juice and paprika to this marinade. Leave it to marinade overnight if possible. Bone-in and skinless chicken thighs/legs will give the best results. If overnight isn’t possible, try doing at least an hour. Try and avoid using breasts. When I start making the sauce I also cook the chicken in its marinade separately, in a 200C oven until it’s almost fully cooked through.

To make the sauce - blend together tomatoes, onions, cashews and some water to make the base of the sauce. If you don’t want to use cashews you can use almonds / almond meal. If you don’t want to use any nuts, skip it and just add the same weight of additional cream later. For ratios I’d say 4:1 tomatoes to onions (eg 400g tomatoes for 100g onion) and the same ratio for onion to cashew (so you’d need about 25g of cashew for 100g onion). Water as per your preference.

Start by sauteeing ginger garlic paste (about 1/2-1tbsp) and chillies (if using, I think at least one, even if deseeded, is necessary, you can sub with chilli flakes if you need) in butter until sizzling. Then add the entire tomato mixture and 2-3tsp of the spice mix plus salt to taste and a tsp or two of paprika (mostly for colour, not heat) and stir together on a medium heat until it thickens and darkens a bit. Add some hot water after it’s thick to adjust the consistency to your liking and cook for a further 10 mins. This is the point where you taste and add a little sugar if you like (I think 1tsp is usually needed). After the sauce has reached a consistency you like, add the chicken from the oven into the sauce and stir together. Finish cooking the chicken in the sauce. Finish the dish with about 75ml of heavy cream (for the quantities of tomato etc above) and a handful of kasoori methi leaves, crushed. You can also garnish with fresh coriander.

Super simple and doesn’t require any “fancy” ingredients, other than the spice mix and kasoori methi, and way better than the packet sauce!!

i will definatly do this
thank you
im afraid Pataks is about as good as we get here -its not cheap either, the other brands have even less spice and flavor
even most Indian take aways and resturants see to use premade sauce

ive been watching UK food reviews and while i understand their 'Indian' cuisine is tradionally Bangladesh influenced it looks so much more tasty then what we get here, and its totally on us, especially living out in the boon docks, people are afraid of both spice and heat and not just my parents generation of bland lovers

we once lived next door to an Indian family, it didnt mater what i cooked for dinner, as soon as i opened the back door and smelt their dinner i knew ours was going to be dissapointing
i need to go visit the Asian grocer in town

 

[AllAboardTheBlingTrain]

i will definatly do this
thank you
im afraid Pataks is about as good as we get here -its not cheap either, the other brands have even less spice and flavor
even most Indian take aways and resturants see to use premade sauce

ive been watching UK food reviews and while i understand their 'Indian' cuisine is tradionally Bangladesh influenced it looks so much more tasty then what we get here, and its totally on us, especially living out in the boon docks, people are afraid of both spice and heat and not just my parents generation of bland lovers

we once lived next door to an Indian family, it didnt mater what i cooked for dinner, as soon as i opened the back door and smelt their dinner i knew ours was going to be dissapointing
i need to go visit the Asian grocer in town

I am sure the Asian grocer will carry at least a few of the spice mixes - you can substitute butter chicken masala for “kitchen king” as well by the way, they’re kind of similar. And I would assume it’ll be cheaper than the grocery store sauce! That’s how it used to be for me when I lived overseas. And honestly for a lot of dishes I prefer to use premade mixes rather than my own (I might tweak them at the end).