Time for Spice Cleaning?

Spice cabinets are the culinary equivalent of sock drawers. Things go into them and don’t come out. That jar of aniseed you bought to make cookies 10 years ago? Still there. Same with the dried tarragon--did we really ever use that? And just how many bottles of cinnamon do you have in your cupboard?

The experts tell us spices and dried herbs should be replaced every six months. I’ve got a sneaking suspicion that the experts all work for spice companies.

How often should you replace them? That depends on the spice, the size of the bottle and how warm your kitchen is. In general, store spices in the smallest containers possible, away from heat and light. The only sure way to know if spices are good is to open the jar and smell them. If they still smell strong, they’ll do the job.