Culinarily speaking, one of the most valuable pieces of real estate in your kitchen is the spot where you store your spices and herbs. Square inch for square inch, there’s no other area that gives you such flavor and versatility for a relatively small investment in space. Yet, many of us don’t give enough thought…
Know Your Enemy: What Conditions Age Spices Quickly?
The flavors of spices and dried herbs come from a range of volatile compounds — organic molecules that create the familiar aromas and sweet or savory tastes that tickle our taste buds. Some of these are highly volatile and evaporate quickly (that’s why fresh-ground spices have the most flavor), but others will last for a longer or shorter time depending on the conditions they face. The biggest factors that cause spices to go stale and lose their taste are:
• Heat and humidity
• Direct light
• Exposure to oxygen
A rack of spice jars hanging in a well-lit kitchen on the wall beside your stove (or worse yet, over it) is just about the worst-case scenario, but that’s where we often put them. Here’s how to change your storage habits to ensure peak, long-lasting flavor.
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Professional-Grade Spice Storage
So, how do chefs store their spices? They start by choosing a cool, dark, well-ventilated location in or very close to the kitchen (such as a pantry). The cool and dark environment addresses the heat and light issues, while ventilation helps control humidity. Chefs also tend to buy their spices whole, grating or grinding them only as needed; this prevents oxidation and flavor loss. (For this, you’ll just need an inexpensive spice grinder or a small mortar and pestle.)
For spices you use infrequently and in small amounts, ordinary spice jars are perfectly fine, provided you keep them in a dark spot. For the spices you use more often, however, opt for small jars with an airtight seal. Mylar bags with a zipper seal are a good option for whole spices or dried herbs, and they take up less space inside a cupboard or drawer.
It’s fine to keep a few of your most-used spices near where you cook. For this setup, metal spice jars are your best bet, as they block light while allowing you to keep your favorites close to the stove. An in-drawer spice organizer is an excellent solution. You can find organizers that lay the spices flat in skinny drawers, or tiered versions for deeper drawers that angle the jars for space-efficient storage.
