Throw your aged spices out...

[gfron1]

Let's follow the logic on this one together. McCormick is running ads that say, "Do you know the signs of aging?" and "If you see Baltimore, MD on the label, the spice is at least 15 years old." and "Except for black pepper, McCormick spices in rectangular tins are at least 15 years old."

They then go on to give you toss out dates for the various products. You can see their info HERE.

I survive on my Indian market spices which are dirt cheap, but which my friends all say are old and dull (I disagree). My friends want young and fresh. McCormick says, spices should be aged, not fresh, BUT, toss them if they are aging in your cupboard. I used to have Morton & Basset which prided themselves on fresh, young, colorful spices. So WTF!

I'm no spice expert, and I guess I can use some help here. Is this just a marketing tool to change the mentality that old spices are bad, or is there legitimacy to the "aging" process that they are suggesting, and if so, are they aged differently at their warehouse, versus my cupboard?

[patris]

I don't know how much I could add to an educated discourse on this subject, but it seems to me that it's maybe 80% clever marketing ploy and 20% good idea. Aren't there volatile oils in spices that dissipate - or even go a bit rancid - over time? Whole spices might fare better, but I would imagine that ground spices would indeed deteriorate significantly over, say, 15 years.

In terms of aging, it seems to me that a kitchen cupboard environment might experience significant changes in temperature and humididty, particularly in a house without air conditioning, or when spices are stored in a cupboard above the stove (um, not that mine are, or anything...). I would assume that a warehousy-type environment wouldn't be so susceptible to these things. Of course this all assumes that aging is necessary/a good thing.

All in all, a very intriguing question!

[Katie Meadow]

If some dried spices should be aged beyond being totally dry, that's news to me. If I open the jar and don't smell a nice strong pleasing aroma, or if the color is dry and dusty, out it goes. I buy the tiniest amounts of spices that I can, unless it's something I use all the time. I don't use ground ginger very often, so that's one that often has to get replaced. Making gingerbread with anything but fresh spicey ground ginger seems like a waste of time and energy.

Just before Thanksgiving every year I notice my dry sage is hopeless and I have to buy more. I believe I use dry sage once a year, exactly. I haven't paid close attention, but I am guessing some dry spices last longer than others. In my experience cinnamon seems to have a long shelf-life, but maybe heavy-users disagree? I also think that when spices like paprika and cayenne get brown or dull in color the flavor gets dull or bitter as well. My guide is to trust my senses. Yeah, in a pinch I'll use a pinch, but then it goes on the shopping list.

If I am buying in bulk and am forced to purchase twice as much as I actually want I give the extra to my neighbor who also cooks a lot so she can restock her supply with fresh.

[gfron1]

I buy the Indian spices because much of my cooking is in that style where you revive the spice in hot butter/oil and create a sauce. But the idea that McCormick wants me to toss out the old addage of freshness, yet they don't give a valid argument isn't flying with me. Unless making your own, no consumer knows how long their spice sat in a warehouse in Jersey, let alone the warehouse in India where it sat before it came to Jersey. And then to tell me to toss old spices...its all seems very contradictory to me.

[Fat Guy]

I try not to keep spices or dried herbs around for more than a year or two. In most cases there is, in my experience, noticeable deterioration, especially of anything that's in ground form. So I would say the 15-year allowance is generous.

[gfron1]

But that is exactly what makes this interesting to me. They are saying that they will generously age their spices for 15 years for us. But, once we buy them, 2 years is all you get - toss it! So, what is it about the "aging" process - is it a real thing or is it just an excuse for a over buying glut?

I'll have to see if Behr has anything to say about this in his book - I seem to remember a good section on a few spices.

[Fat Guy]

Are you sure you're interpreting the ad correctly? It doesn't sound to me as though it's pro-aging.

[gfron1]

If anyone has the new Cooking Light (p.172) they can double check me. But the quotes are from McCormick, showing their products, and making the claim that all of their spices "in rectangular tins are at least 15 years old." I did a double take on the ad which is why I started this topic. I'm as sure as I can be that they are suggesting that aging spices for 15 years is the way to go. And again the irony is that the ad ends in, "Are your spices too old?" Its all very confusing (aka good use of marketing to switch societal concepts).

[chezcherie]

Are you sure you're interpreting the ad correctly? It doesn't sound to me as though it's pro-aging.

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i agree--the way i read this ad is that mccormick is suggesting that consumers go to their spice cupboards and check the containers...if they are in the red and white tin or have the baltimore address, they are reallllllly old and should probably be replaced.

i really liked this ad, and then checked my mother-in-law's cupboard, at her request. several of the "antique" containers were discovered. interesting to note, however, that schilling also uses the red and white tin packaging...dunno if they adopted it after mccormick abandoned it, or if they are subsidiaries, or what. i think i have seen those tins on grocers' shelves currently, so not all red and white tins should be pitched.

i suggest to students that they write the month and year they purchase spices on the label of the jar (not the lid, as lids can get interchanged if you are using several jars to make a spice rub or something...) that way they'll have a frame of reference for the age of things.

[gfron1]

interesting to note, however, that schilling also uses the red and white tin packaging...dunno if they adopted it after mccormick abandoned it, or if they are subsidiaries, or what. i think i have seen those tins on grocers' shelves currently, so not all red and white tins should be pitched.

This ad has a red and white McCormick Cinnamon tin in it. Again, I would suggest going to the link in my initial post. If I'm wrong, I'll back away sheepishly and hide.

[chezcherie]

right...again, my interpretation is that they are saying that if you have a red and white tin with mccormick (not schilling) on it, it's 15 years old...too old to have much flavor.

[JimH]

I am slowly getting rid of my store bought ground spices and replacing them with whole spices. Freshly ground spices really have a great kick to them. It's a little more work but I don't use all that many. I'll still buy chili powder becuase that never sits on store shelves very long.

[gfron1]

right...again, my interpretation is that they are saying that if you have a red and white tin with mccormick (not schilling) on it, it's 15 years old...too old to have much flavor.

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Wow. Okay, so I would fire their marketing folks. If you don't have the connection with their packaging change, then you miss the point (obviously). BTW, I looked at the pics of their new packaging on their website, and they still have the red and white theme, so that's not helpful either.

What makes this campaign even more confusing then is their focus on the 15 years (I assume tied into their packaging change). It makes it seem like a magical number. They should have shown the new packaging to make the distinction - I was ready to run out and buy my aged spices!

[chezcherie]

lol....i sure wouldn't fire the marketing folks if they got you thinking about replacing everything!!!

i can see how the ad could be interpreted the way you did, although it never occurred to me until your post.

(just to add to confusion, i did a little research, and it seems that schilling IS mccormick...i guess ala best foods-hellmans?) so now i'm off to the grocery store, and will see if my memory of those red and white tins is ALSO 15 years old! i could swear i've seen them recently, but now i'm thinkin' it's just the pepper....and WHY would they retain that packaging JUST for that product? so many questions now....)

[muichoi]

Dried herbs and ground spices really don't keep well in general, but whole spices kept in airtight jars can last a surprisingly long time, particularly in the freezer.

[feedmec00kies]

For what it's worth, I've read that the best way to store extra spices (like, more than you'll use in 6 mo-1yr) is to vacuum seal and freeze them. Everything I've read about spices state that they certainly change after that 1 yr mark at kitchen shelf conditions.

This is new though.. I've never known of McCormick educating its customer base on the age of its spices. Although that handy date code checker on the side definitely means that you spend more time on their website and they can advertise more to you!

[jgm]

I'm wondering if storage conditions have anything to do with it. If the spices are stored in certain conditions, then maybe it's "aging." But once they're canned/bottled and that container is open, the conditions are different.

Just a thought. I don't really know.

[jsmith]

I'm positive they're saying 15 year old spices are a bad thing. I think they pick 15 years instead of something like 3 because everyone would agree that 15 year old spices are bad, but I'm sure people would argue that their 4 year old spices will be ok for a while longer.

It's a great idea to get people to buy new spices, but I guess from the confusion here it wasn't so superbly executed.

[chezcherie]

no red and white tins with either name...except the black pepper.

[Beanie]

I thought it was pretty clear. It's been at least 15 years since McCormick has used tin containers (except for black pepper) and at least 15 years since it's had a packing plant in Baltimore. Hence, if you have spices in a tin or a jar of spices packaged in Baltimore, it's time to throw them away and replenish your stock. Hmm... I seem to recall a few tins in my pantry.

[Big Bunny]

The real problem with spices is that you can't buy them in small enough quantities.

BB

[gfron1]

There's a previous topic on consumer friendly spice packets. I sell a brand called Pinch Plus which are 1 tablespoon quantities for $1. Convenient, no waste, but not good value.

[WHT]

There's a previous topic on consumer friendly spice packets.  I sell a brand called Pinch Plus which are 1 tablespoon quantities for $1.  Convenient, no waste, but not good value.

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Find a bulk spice seller either localy or online and buy the smallest amount they sell. Go in with a couple of people and split a package or maybe work some trades.

Krogers, Ralphs and food-4-Less sell small packs of herbs and spoces for reasonable amounts. I am sure others do to.

[Fat Guy]

I just consider replacing my dried herbs and spices every couple of years to be a cost of doing business. I almost never actually finish a jar. I think in the past two years the only jars I've finished have been dried oregano. Everything else, there comes a point when I'm noticing a lot of deterioration across products. So I make a shopping list as I'm throwing each jar out, and then I go spend fifty bucks on new ones. I suppose if I kept thirty or forty different dried herbs and spices around I'd want to consider a different strategy, but I only use maybe a dozen regularly.

[andiesenji]

Just a quick note, regarding all those "aged" rectangular tins. They are becoming collector's items and since they don't take up much room, stick them away someplace.

Last year I opened a crate of antique china that had been packed up when I was having my kitchen remodeled back in the early '70s, (three houses ago), and found a bunch of spice tins that had been placed in the crate by mistake. They were the tins with the sliding metal tops and last year I sold most of them for $15.00 each. One (paprika) had never been opened.