Time to go through the herbs & spices.
Not so much to make sure you have what you need, so much as to remind yourself of what you do have so that you don’t make the just in case purchase and buy a fifth jar of cloves or cinnamon sticks.
The good news is, spices do not spoil. The bad news is, they lose their strength. A lot of cookbook writers tell you to purge your cupboards and drawers once an herb or spice is about 6 months old, but the spice companies are not so reckless. They tell you to keep and use the spices as long as they appear to have flavour.
Stored in an airtight container, in a cool, dry place, spices retain their potency longer than you'd think — as long as 4 years for whole spices, 2 to 3 years for ground spices, and 1 to 3 years for leafy herbs, depending on the herb. Whole peppercorns, nutmegs and cinnamon sticks hold on to their flavour for ages. Particularly potent whole spices, such as cloves, cumin, and cardamom will also last for a long, long time.
Herbs lose their flavour faster than spices. Dried herbs that have no colour and little or no smell when crumbled in the palm of your hand are probably too old for practical use. Yet even if they don't look all that green anymore, but still have some oomph when crumbled in your hand, use them freely.
For ground spices, shake the jar, let it settle, and give a sniff. If there's essentially no smell, it should be thrown out. If the spices have a bit of fragrance left but are not as potent as you remember or think they should be, just use more in the recipe. Then you'll run out sooner and have a reason to start fresh with a new batch.
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