Onebyone

Most of the spices have been packaged for a year or more before getting to the store shelves. You need to use more of them as they age per recipe. Herbs are different then spices. Herbs are dried and add some flavor but fresh herbs are better for you. Herbs are easy to grow and very cheap to plant.

Jo Anne B.

Onebyone, Every Spring I say I am going to plant herbs, I've got to get that done!!

Onebyone

I keep a row of herbs pots growing in my kitchen window. I keep them snipped. Even if I don't use what I cut, they always grow more and don't cost me anything but the initial planting. Fresh herbs in the store are super expensive.

jokir44

I go by taste. For example when I make pumpkin pies I always taste to see if the flavor is right. If i see that I have to put in more of any of the spices than usual I assume they are weakening. I go ahead and use but add more. That way I'm not totally wasting it. Then I know to add it to the grocery list. Now I don't buy the large size spices as a rule. I buy smaller and more often.

ArtsyOne

Oh my goodness - I have spices that are several years old and still fragrant. An Indian friend gave me a curry powder 7 years ago and I still use it. (Can you tell how often I eat curry?)
I found a great deal on dillweed online and didn't realize how much a pound of dillweed actually is. I'll be using that until the day I die. (I do use fresh dillweed when making pickles.)

Doggramma

It depends what brand. If they're Penzeys, they seem to last at least several years. I've noticed that sometimes an older one smells all right but tastes "off" when I use it in something. If they're grocery store ones, I don't think they last more than a year or so. My daughter keeps them forever and when I cook at her house, nothing tastes quite right.

I write the date on the bottle to keep track.

bakermom

probably way too long! I hate to say how old some of the spices were that we cleaned out of my mom's house when she died! I sorta solved the problem for myself by buying the tiny Tones containers of spices-I think they are .99 to 1.59 each. I don't feel so wasteful when they lose their potency. Also buy at bulk food stores to save. I think that;s why many of us keep them forever-we hate "waste" and throwing something out seems like you're throwing money away

kidhauler1948

Just tonight I used Chili Powder to make chili whoops no flavor, guess I need to rethink my nickle and dime ways....

SusieQOH

One thing I know is that you shouldn't put spices near a stove ( where they can get warm). I've had spices for years as the others have said - I go by the smell and the general look of them.
One thing I do replace often is baking powder. (maybe twice a year, always a new one for Christmas baking)
I question the one year thing- they've probably been stored a long time before we buy them.

Sandra in Minnesota

While cleaning out my mother's apartment, when she died, I ran across spices that were in metal boxes - Durkee's for one. Kept the boxes and got rid of the rest. I think they are antiques.