LET'S TALK ABOUT SPICES!
Recently, a friend of mine posted a link about organizing/cleaning out your spice cabinet. Great article...
After reading that article again today, I decided it was time to check mine out. I am a really organized person... my spices are organized on turntables in my cabinet. Okay, so those turntables are stuffed full, but they are organized none the less.
What a surprise. The first bottle I looked at showed me this:
WHAT?! 2008? I had to get my glasses out, just to make sure I was seeing that correctly. Yikes! I had just used that seasoned salt recently. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not worried that it will make us sick or anything, but seeing as how I'm not the best cook out there, I need all the help I can get, and spices that are 5 years old are not going to help me. Ugh.
Well, that got me going. Spice after spice, I checked each one out. Happily, I found several that gave me hope.
Weber grill seasoning. I've had this for 2 years, and was pleased to find that it is good until 2015. Yay!
McCormick crushed red pepper. I've had this for probably 3 years or so, and it is good through 2016.
Generic (from Big Lots!) brand onion powder... good through 2016! Woo Hoo! Yay for generics!
Some of the expiration dates were elusive. Really hard to find. Here are a couple of hints.
Check the bottom of the bottles really carefully. Usually the writing is there, but even with glasses it is hard to read.
Also, make sure you read the strip right below the cap.
And I have also found the dates right beside the bar code on the labels. Those are the hardest ones to find.
After cleaning out my spices, I put back all the good ones. And these.
I just couldn't bring myself to throw them away. The cream of tartar, I use for lots of things (cleaning), not just baking. The Kitchen Bouquet makes the very best roast & gravy ever. I'm keeping it until I get some more, because I might want to cook a roast during this cold weather. And the Johnny's? Oh my. The Johnny's. We got that in a huge bottle from a friend about ten years ago. I know, right? 10 years. It is the most amazing seasoning I've ever had. You put it in any Italian food you make, from spaghetti, to fettuccine alfredo, to pizza, to garlic bread. I have no idea when I will ever get more, so there is no way I'm throwing it out... even if it is 10 years old!
Now my cabinet is "spice current". Well, except for the three exceptions above. Sadly, this is all I have left:
I guess I'll be adding to my grocery list. Now... go clean out those spices! And remember... if you have any green, rectangular McCormick spice cans, they are at least 17 years old. It might just be time to throw them out... unless they are Johnny's. If so, it's okay to keep them ;)
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