Buying and storing spices that still taste like spices

Whole or ground: the decision that matters most

Aroma lives in volatile oils, and those oils escape from exposed surfaces. A cumin seed keeps most of its oil sealed inside its husk. Grind it and you multiply the surface area many times over, so the clock starts running fast.

That does not mean every spice should be bought whole. Some are hard to grind finely at home (cinnamon bark, dried ginger, turmeric root), and some are mostly sold ground for good reason (paprika, sumac). The practical answer is to buy whole for the seeds you use often and ground for the rest, in small quantities.

How long spices really last

Spices do not spoil in the way milk does. They fade. Rough guidelines that most cooks work from: ground spices are at their best for about six months to a year after opening, dried leafy herbs for a similar span, and whole seeds, pods and barks for a couple of years or more. Those numbers shrink fast in a warm, bright kitchen.

The pantry freshness check on the home page lets you slide through the months for each type and see where your jar probably sits.

Storage that works

• Airtight containers, glass or tin, with tight lids.
• A drawer or cupboard away from the stove, oven and dishwasher vent.
• Labels with the month you opened the jar, written on the lid.
• Small amounts. If a blend comes in a big bag, decant a few weeks’ worth and seal the rest.

Blend explorer: what is in the jar

Regional blends are where spice buying gets confusing, because the same name can mean quite different mixes. Pick a blend to see a typical makeup, how it is used, and what to check before you buy. Treat the ingredient lists as common versions, not fixed recipes.

Several of these blends contain sesame or nuts. Sesame is one of the major food allergens named in US labeling law, so check the ingredient list when cooking for guests, and mark it on the card if you put a blend in a food gift box.

Five single spices worth knowing well

Sumac

Ground dried berries of the sumac shrub, deep red and sharply tart. It brings a lemony sourness without liquid, which is why it shows up on grilled meat, onions, fattoush and za’atar. Good sumac is moist-looking and vivid; dull brown sumac has lost its edge. Some producers add salt, so check the label.

Aleppo-style pepper

Coarse, slightly oily chili flakes with moderate heat, fruitiness and a faint saltiness. Much of what is sold today is grown in southern Turkey, not Syria, and is often labeled as Aleppo-style or Halaby pepper. Its close relatives Urfa (dark, smoky, raisin-like) and Maraş peppers are worth trying side by side.

Cumin

The backbone of countless dishes from Morocco to India. Whole seeds toasted for a minute in a dry pan smell entirely different from pre-ground powder. If you buy only one whole spice, make it this one.

Cardamom

Green cardamom is floral and sweet, used in coffee, rice and pastries. Black cardamom is a different plant’s pod, dried over fire, and tastes smoky and camphor-like. Buy green pods whole; ground cardamom fades very quickly.

Saffron

The dried stigmas of a crocus, picked by hand, which explains the price and the fraud. Real threads are trumpet-shaped at one end and release a golden color slowly when soaked in warm water. Threads that bleed red dye immediately, or that look uniform and stringy, deserve suspicion.

Toast whole, bloom ground

Two techniques get far more from the same jar.

1. Dry toasting whole spices. Heat a dry pan over medium, add seeds, shake often, and stop when they darken a shade and smell strong, usually one to three minutes. Tip them onto a plate right away so the pan’s heat does not scorch them. Grind once cool.
2. Blooming in fat. Warm oil, butter or ghee, add spices, and stir for 20 to 60 seconds before adding wet ingredients. Many aroma compounds dissolve in fat, so the flavor carries through the whole dish. This is the idea behind tadka in Indian cooking and the spiced butter poured over many Middle Eastern dishes.

• If the spice is a whole seed going into a rub or blendDry toast, cool, then grind
• If it is ground and going into a stew or braiseBloom it in the oil before the liquid goes in
• If it is a finishing spice like sumac or za’atarAdd at the end, raw, so the bright notes survive
• If it is paprika or Aleppo pepperBloom gently and briefly; both scorch and turn bitter fast

Spices and pulses belong together. For how long to cook the lentils and chickpeas those spices are going into, see the grains and legumes guide, and for the oil to bloom them in, the olive oil guide.

Spice questions