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Beginners Guide => Hints, Tips, Methods and so on.. => Storage => Topic started by: Jethro on May 10, 2007, 10:24 AM

Title: Spice storage tips
Post by: Jethro on May 10, 2007, 10:24 AM: As this subject has been a bit neglected I thought I would put my two pence worth in ;)

There are several factors that will effect the quality of your whole/ground spice collections.

Spice enemies

1. Exposure to air. (Causes oxidation which leads to loss/changes of flavour)
2. Light. (Causes colour loss and loss of flavour)
3. Heat. (Accelerates the last two factors)
4. Moisture. (A killer, it will cause mould and bacterial growth)
5. Age. (Causes colour/flavour loss and general deterioration)

Spice containers

The perfect spice container would be tube shaped (less spice surface area to contact air), air tight, water tight and opaque, unfortunately this shape is also a pain in the rear end to stack/store in a cupboard, they take a lot of room.
I use Lock 'n' lock containers, they are very secure and stack well to save space.
I keep them in a dark cool cupboard well away from the cooker.
Use small containers and try not to buy more spices than you think you will use in the next six months (whole spices will keep longer than ground)
Keep an eye on how long you have had the spices (I put the date on each container when it is refilled) and renew them regularly.

The worst case scenario is probably a nice spice rack with clear glass containers kept next to the cooker, so if your friends/family want to buy you one as a pressie to indulge your curry passion, carefully decline :)

My collection
(http://www.beggarsfair.com/curry%20pics/Spices.jpg)

Hope this has been of some help and yes, that is Bombay duck on the right, I happen to like the stuff :P

Jethro
Title: Re: Spice storage tips
Post by: Cory Ander on May 12, 2007, 02:29 AM: Thanks for the post, Jethro. Nice post and nice tips....I said "TIPS!" ;D
Title: Re: Spice storage tips
Post by: mike travis on May 17, 2007, 09:08 PM: That`s one heck of a serious set of curry cooking condiments (say that after a beer or 3). Do you manage to get the whole of the spice powder from the packet into your storage container? I keep mine in round plastic containers with snap on lids, and then they are put into a large plastic food box then in a draw in the kitchen cupboard. How often do replenish your stock? Say you hadn`t used a particular spice for ages, how long would you leave it before you threw it away?

;) ;D
Title: Re: Spice storage tips
Post by: Curry King on May 29, 2007, 11:48 AM: Wow nice collection, puts my "curry cupboard" to shame :o

cK
Title: Re: Spice storage tips
Post by: Jethro on May 31, 2007, 08:08 AM: Quote from: mike travis on May 17, 2007, 09:08 PM
That`s one heck of a serious set of curry cooking condiments (say that after a beer or 3). Do you manage to get the whole of the spice powder from the packet into your storage container? I keep mine in round plastic containers with snap on lids, and then they are put into a large plastic food box then in a draw in the kitchen cupboard. How often do replenish your stock? Say you hadn`t used a particular spice for ages, how long would you leave it before you threw it away?

;) ;D

Generaly 100 Grams of ground spice will fit into the 180 Ml boxes quite easily, whole spices are another matter. Coriander seed for example takes up a lot of volume for its weight.
As for how long to keep them, well thats a matter of keeping an eye (or nose :) ) on them as they vary a lot. Delicately flavoured ground spices or stuff like curry/fenugreek leaves I would only keep for about 6 months and then renew them. On the other end of the scale there is stuff like whole black cardomom which is sealed in its own little package and is very highly flavoured and would probably last a year or more.
Title: Re: Spice storage tips
Post by: Yousef on June 27, 2007, 01:10 PM: Thats is one great collection, life would be a lot easier if i could organise like that ;)

Good work
Stew :D
Title: Re: Spice storage tips
Post by: Domi on July 03, 2007, 11:47 AM: I use these from Ikea....although you can't buy them online they're good and more importantly, they're cheap lol

only ?2.99 for a set of 17 :)

http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/10098256
Title: Re: Spice storage tips
Post by: Jethro on July 03, 2007, 08:19 PM: Quote from: Dominatrixxx on July 03, 2007, 11:47 AM
I use these from Ikea....although you can't buy them online they're good and more importantly, they're cheap lol

only ?2.99 for a set of 17 :)

http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/10098256

Looks good to me, practical and cheap :)
Title: Re: Spice storage tips
Post by: Domi on July 04, 2007, 09:57 AM: I'd prefer a set like yours Jethro, unfortunately, I live with a Yorkshireman :'( lol
Title: Re: Spice storage tips
Post by: brum_57 on August 06, 2007, 07:55 PM: I have a spare fridge which i use as my curry fridge :) all the spices go in cleaned out patak's sauce jars - garlic, ginger puree go in the freezer section in ice cube form. along with containers of base sauce

Kev.
Title: Re: Spice storage tips
Post by: Jethro on August 19, 2007, 10:25 PM: Quote from: brum_57 on August 06, 2007, 07:55 PM
I have a spare fridge which i use as my curry fridge :) all the spices go in cleaned out patak's sauce jars - garlic, ginger puree go in the freezer section in ice cube form. along with containers of base sauce

Kev.

Hi Kev,

Sounds good but my only concern would be getting quite cold glass containers of spices out of a fridge into a warm kitchen.
This could cause condensation on the inside of your jars and that could be detrimental to the contents.

Jethro
Title: Re: Spice storage tips
Post by: Welshdai on August 27, 2007, 01:11 PM: Try here http://www.wilkinsonplus.com/invt/0225921 they start from 330ml for 0.75p and go up to 2.6l for 2.49p there is also these http://www.wilkinsonplus.com/invt/0250640 5 x 0.99p would they be big enough ?
Title: Re: Spice storage tips
Post by: Jethro on August 31, 2007, 06:41 PM: Quote from: Welshdai on August 27, 2007, 01:11 PM
Try here http://www.wilkinsonplus.com/invt/0225921 they start from 330ml for 0.75p and go up to 2.6l for 2.49p there is also these http://www.wilkinsonplus.com/invt/0250640 5 x 0.99p would they be big enough ?

They look fine to me, the only thing I would be concerned about is this bit of small print:

"Base only is dishwasher and microwave safe. Not for use for cooking."
Just hope they don't melt when you are defrosting any bases/leftover curry. ::)
Title: Re: Spice storage tips
Post by: Welshdai on August 31, 2007, 07:23 PM: I was thinking of the smaller ones to store the spices.
Title: Re: Spice storage tips
Post by: brum_57 on September 03, 2007, 09:58 PM: Quote from: Jethro on August 19, 2007, 10:25 PM
Quote from: brum_57 on August 06, 2007, 07:55 PM
I have a spare fridge which i use as my curry fridge :) all the spices go in cleaned out patak's sauce jars - garlic, ginger puree go in the freezer section in ice cube form. along with containers of base sauce

Kev.

Hi Kev,

Sounds good but my only concern would be getting quite cold glass containers of spices out of a fridge into a warm kitchen.
This could cause condensation on the inside of your jars and that could be detrimental to the contents.

Jethro

Hi jethro - never had any problems with condensation - the jars are never out of the fridge long enough to warm up - just get the required amount of spices out and they go straight back in the fridge -

Kev.
Title: Re: Spice storage tips
Post by: curryqueen on October 15, 2007, 04:33 PM: I've got 2 massala dubbas, stainless steel tins with small s/steel dishes inside to keep my spices in. I have also got a lovely wooden round spice tower which has ceramic drawers in to keep them. Both of which are excellent for storing as the massals dubbas have s/steel lids to keep spices in the dark and of course the ceraminc drawers also are in the dark when closed. CQ
Title: Re: Spice storage tips
Post by: niannorth on July 21, 2008, 04:18 PM: I'm a newbee so forgive me if this has been said. :-\

I always freeze my ginger then grate it from frozen. Also I grate some then put it in an ice cube tray inside a bag in the feezer. Then if ever I haven't got fresh I've got plenty to hand.
Title: Re: Spice storage tips
Post by: Stephen Lindsay on December 30, 2008, 02:15 PM: I use old round metal biscuit tins, like the kind you get at New Year and I have large packets of whole spices in a couple of tins. I then freshly grind things like coriander, cumin, garam masala etc in small batches and keep them in jars in another tin. The tins then go into a kitchen cupboard so overall they are kept away from heat and light, and to a certain extent, air. Have been using this method for years with no problems.
Title: Re: Spice storage tips
Post by: Joe the Schwab on September 16, 2011, 10:59 AM: greetings curry lovers.although i mentioned this before in the kitchen eqpt thread , i use a vacuum bag sealer as one of my methods of storing dried herbs and spices . i also use boxes like jethroes though i dont store products in them without if possible, their original packaging , ie packets . once the packets are opened , they are then re-sealed using the vacuum bag sealer .i also use the thermos hand pumped vacuum boxes . imo , the extraction of as much air as possible from ones containers and bags is paramount in preserving ones valued and costly spice and herb collection.
Title: Re: Spice storage tips
Post by: George on July 01, 2012, 03:27 PM: I have to admit that my spice storage arrangements have been a shambles for about ten years, since I started buying more and more spices.

All that time, I've been storing spices as follows, with the original bags held together roughly with clothes pegs, and dumped in several carrier bags. Not surprisingly, I can never find anything:

(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/5631830350648a6fa46698735c39c633.jpg) (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/#5631830350648a6fa46698735c39c633.jpg)

I know it would be best to remove as much air as possible via a vacuum device but I can't see me doing that after every use of each packet.

Instead, I just hit on the idea of using old VHS video cassette cases. I'll label each box and find somewhere to store them, for ease of access.

(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/d9b4e3e6e4ef718333c6ecd001f169a8.jpg) (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/#d9b4e3e6e4ef718333c6ecd001f169a8.jpg)

(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/e1f3fd3381e4627886be60aa06c41647.jpg) (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/#e1f3fd3381e4627886be60aa06c41647.jpg)

(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/751f5b041f9c1c1cf4d985c51809098d.jpg) (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/#751f5b041f9c1c1cf4d985c51809098d.jpg)
Title: Re: Spice storage tips
Post by: Peripatetic Phil on July 01, 2012, 03:56 PM: Great idea, George : not only must VHS boxes be totally unwanted by 99% of the population these days (and hence valueless, although presumably increasingly scarce) but you can also store youir cookery books and your spices in the same bookcase !

** Phil.
Title: Re: Spice storage tips
Post by: Tommy Timebomb on July 01, 2012, 04:35 PM: They also look handy for freezing cooked rice? ;D
Or is just me ???
Title: Re: Spice storage tips
Post by: Malc. on July 02, 2012, 12:21 PM: Pretty neat idea George, my spice cupboard is a picture of mayhem! Your uncanny method of makes for interesting meal names too.. tonight's meal will be chicken in 'Titanic' and 'Ice Cold in Alex' sauce! 8)
Title: Re: Spice storage tips
Post by: Joe the Schwab on January 04, 2013, 06:09 PM: Hmm? Old video boxes for storage.Novel idea but far from ideal and cloths pegs as bag fasteners?Video boxes are not airtight and the clothes pegs do not exert enough pressure to seal the opened bags.Correct storage of products wether fresh,dried or frozen is essential.

Shelf life is an obvious reason for good storage techniques.What with the cost of products continually rising,replacement of 'stale' or contaminated herbs and spices needs to be minimal.But why waste anyway?

@tommy timebomb.
Video boxes for storing frozen rice hmm?There is nothing worse in freezers,for those with limited freezers/space than rigid boxes.Flexibility is key in maximizing ones freezer space.Also,maximizing the available space helps to reduce running costs by allowing the freezer to work more efficiently by having to work less hard to maintain the cold temperatures required.

@George.
You need to get a grip George ;D
Title: Re: Spice storage tips
Post by: Sam33 on April 12, 2013, 05:14 PM: Wow thats a lot of spices you have there! I totally agree with buying in bulk though you bet about about 5 times more than what you would be paying for in a supermarket! I like you idea of storing them in sandwich boxes to stay fresh. I get mine online from www.herbedup.com (http://www.herbedup.com) and they come in resealable bags so they stay very fresh, may borrow your idea and buy a few small tubs for my most used spices though. Its always handy to have some out on the kitchen counter! :)

Sam
Title: Re: Spice storage tips
Post by: Gav Iscon on April 13, 2013, 10:32 AM: Quote from: Joe the Schwab on January 04, 2013, 06:09 PM

.....and the clothes pegs do not exert enough pressure to seal the opened bags.

I would dispute that if the top of the bag is well rolled over.

Mine are all rolled over, secured with elastic bands and then I store the lot in a 10 litre mayo tub with a snap on lid in a dark cool cupboard. I just put out the required spice measurements in to a load of small stainless steel dishes I acquired before I start cooking. My spice mix is kept in one of those tupperware boxes with the blue snap on sides.
Title: Re: Spice storage tips
Post by: failsafe on April 13, 2013, 03:26 PM: I just use the plastic TA containers to store individual spices, which seems OK and a easy solution for storage

I buy my spices etc from here:

http://www.theasiancookshop.co.uk/index.asp (http://www.theasiancookshop.co.uk/index.asp)