I have a number of bottles of different rubs that I have never used and they are three or four years old at this point. Do you think I should pitch them or would they still be good? Since they are different spices, they would probably lose potency over time. Does anyone have experience with this?
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Spices, like all other food items will deteriorate in quality over time. The amount of quality loss may be a lot or a little depending on several things. Like how were they stored, what type of spices were they, etc. etc. I have ageing spices and I'll try them on a test plate and see if they still can be used or tossed...
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They 109% age out, but as Ace said, each spice ages differently based on a number of factors.
My advice is to try them. If you like them, great! If not, toss’em. They might not taste as originally planned when bottled, but if you like it….Comment
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Seems they lose there punch after about a year. I do not know about unopened. I think 2-3 years would be pushing it. Open one stick a wet finger in there and taste it.Comment
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My spices age well as I do.Comment
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Spices definitely do lose their flavor potency over time. Most come vacuum sealed in the jar. While the seal is not broken; the flavor loss is fairly slow. A sealed jar is normally good for 1-2 years. In that time, they will decline a bit but not a lot. After opening the seal, they will lose flavor much faster.
I often use spices and rubs that are more than 2 years old. The flavors will not be as bright as they were when new and fresh. But you can compensate for aging by using more of the spice or rub than you would have when they were fresh. This works pretty well for rubs not heavily salted. Over time, salty rubs will not decline in salt potency but the herbs with the salt will certainly become less favorable.Comment
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Taste them!Comment
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Sound advice. Thanks for your input.
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Yes they will
lose their potency but they will also clump up if you have them in a humid environment.Comment
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