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Spices often make a meal, but our favorite flavor enhancers lose their potency quickly when stored poorly. Letting your spices die means either wasted product or a string of seriously subpar meals. If dinner turned out “blah” or bland, check the date on your spices before blaming the recipe.
In an effort to blunt this sneaky, culinary crime, I consulted a handful of spice-obsessed chefs for tips on ensuring the freshness and longevity of our favorite dried peppers, fruits, seeds, bark and berries. Here are their recommendations, plus five standout additions to your pantry that you may be overlooking.
How long do spices last?
If you’re not a professional chef running a restaurant kitchen, it’s often advisable never to buy spices in bulk, especially if they’re ground.
“If you happen to purchase a large quantity, I recommend dividing it and keeping half in the freezer to preserve its freshness,” recommends Isaiah Screetch, a chef at Soulful Creations in Lexington, KY.
“Do not be tempted to buy large quantities just because the price is good, and be aware of which spices you actually like to use and cook with,” adds chef and spice master Lior Lev Sercarz of La Boite, a New York-based spice purveyor for restaurants. “Be honest with yourself about what you are actually using or will use. If you cook often, it might warrant a more comprehensive collection. But if you’re rarely preparing meals that require more than your basics, keep it simple.”
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That said, most spices have a shelf life of 1–2 years, even when stored properly.
“The easiest test to understand freshness is just to smell and taste them, and if they do not have both (smell and taste), you can trash them,” explains Sercarz. “Dates on spice packaging could indicate the packing date and also the best-before date. However, a best-before date on its own will not give you any indication of when it was actually packed and when it was harvested.”
On the flip side, don’t rush to discard spices based on the best-before date, as many have longer shelf lives beyond the cautious guidelines set by producers.
The best storage options for spices
There are three primary factors to consider when it comes to proper spice storage techniques: container material, lack of sunlight, and air and moisture removal.
“Spices can be stored in either plastic or glass containers, but glass is always the preferred choice, particularly when fitted with an airtight lid,” confirms Shailesh Deshmukh, executive development head chef at Edwardian Hotels in London. “Glass doesn’t absorb odors or colors, preserving both the integrity and potency of the spice far more effectively over time.”
“It is also best to store spices away from direct sunlight, as it can fade the color and change the flavor profile,” adds Executive Chef Eleazar Villanueva of Las Vegas’s Michelin-starred Joël Robuchon.
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Screetch echoes these sentiments, arguing that it may even be best to ditch the glass altogether. “To protect its essential oils and carotenoids, the best practice is to store it in a small metal tin,” he advises.
A few of our favorite recommendations include these 4-ounce glass containers with stylish (and airtight!) bamboo lids. Those looking for labels will appreciate this set of 24 jars, while the vacuum-sealed Velken coffee canister can double as a spice holder. After heeding Screetch’s advice, we’re big fans of these simple aluminum tins with screw lids and a set of black stickers for writing down names.
Are whole spices better than ground spices?
The buy-in-bulk rule can generally be ignored when purchasing spices whole.
“Whole spices can be purchased in larger quantities, as they retain their flavor beautifully — simply grind them as and when you need them,” says Deshmukh. “The moment a whole spice is ground, it begins to lose its essential oils, so buying whole and grinding fresh ensures you’re working with the very best the ingredient has to offer.”
Villanueva agrees, stressing that most spices do, indeed, shine best when freshly ground. “Black pepper, fennel seed, coriander and cloves are all great examples,” he claims.
Additionally, it’s important to remember the ingredient’s purpose in a dish.
“Spices whole versus ground is very much down to the job you need it for,” reminds Richard Simms, head chef at Ellenborough Park in the Cotswolds. “Infusing is good to use whole, whereas if you were making something like a chili, it’s much more practical to use the ground spices.”
This advice is essential to keep in mind, especially if one doesn’t have access to a grinder or a mortar and pestle (though they should already be kitchen staples).
It’s also necessary to understand how most spices, like other mass-market food items, are manufactured.
“The spice industry is not spared from the issue of product adulteration, so, just like in other industries, whenever you are not buying an ingredient in pure form and do not know your retailer well, you risk purchasing a product that has been weighed down with added fillers,” reveals Sercarz. “In the spice industry, examples include ground olive pits blended into black pepper, onion and garlic skins and roots included in their respective powders, and beet powder mixed with sumac to perk up the color.”
“With that said, there’s nothing wrong with pre-ground spice if you have a good supplier,” he reassures. “But grinding does create a level of freshness and provides better control over the degree of grinding (coarse, powdery, etc.), which you don’t have at the store level.”
Cast-iron spice grinder
Best spices beyond salt and pepper
For fun, we asked our chef experts what amateur cooks fail to incorporate into their cooking. Here are a handful of recommendations for upgrading and diversifying a spice rack with bold new flavors.
Mace
“Mace is such an underrated spice that I believe everyone should have at home. It is the delicate, lace-like aril that surrounds the nutmeg kernel. Producing large quantities of this spice is very difficult because it is so delicate to harvest. It is commonly used in French kitchens for its mild, sweet and spicy characteristics. Generally, it is not a spice used day-to-day, but it has a unique flavor that is great for experimentation. This spice can even be used for baking and pastries.”
-Eleazar Villanueva, executive chef at Joël Robuchon in Las Vegas
Ñora chili
“My recommendation would be the Ñora chili — a Spanish dried chili with a beautifully smoky, rounded flavor that adds extraordinary depth to a dish. It’s one of the more prized chilies in the culinary world, and for good reason. It enhances the umami quality of whatever it touches and is a cornerstone ingredient in classics such as paella and bravas sauce. At The Londoner, it features across our events menus — a true reflection of how special this ingredient is. It’s not the most common find on a supermarket shelf, but once you discover it, it becomes quite indispensable.”
-Shailesh Deshmukh, executive development head chef at Edwardian Hotels in London
Smoked paprika
“It is an essential spice for any kitchen. Unlike sweet paprika, which is primarily used for color, smoked paprika fundamentally transforms a dish. Even a single pinch provides a deep, complex wood-smoke flavor and an illusion of slow-cooked richness without the need for a smoker or hours of simmering.”
-Isaiah Screetch, chef at Soulful Creations in Lexington, KY
Star anise
“My personal favorite is star anise. It carries a strong fennel/anise flavor, but works great in all areas of the kitchen for both savory and sweet dishes. It’s a great spice to use for infusing into liquids, which might be something like a sauce or something like a mousse or an ice cream for dessert.”
-Richard Simms, head chef at Ellenborough Park in the Cotswolds
Urfa chili
“Urfa offers a great level of complexity beyond simply being a chili flake that provides mild heat. With its unique sun-drying process, it develops a light, smoky aroma, while the flavor combines citrus and cocoa notes with a touch of natural saltiness. Urfa works beautifully in raw applications such as salads, crudo or simply mixed with olive oil as a dipping sauce. The natural oil content and dark color also infuse a beautiful richness when cooked with. Another great seasonal application is sprinkling some over stone fruit with olive oil, lemon and salt for a fun and unexpected summer salad.”
-Lior Lev Sercarz, chef and spicemaster at La Boite
