10. Try Herb and Spice Substitutions
First Steps: Plan Before You Shop
With a little care, you can make sure your spice mixes or jars of dried herbs last a while.
Understand the Shelf Life of Herbs and Spices
Be aware, though, that some bulk stores have a minimum order, often . Bulk sections in health food stores like Whole Foods usually don’t have that minimum.
Don’t have any chervil sitting around the house? You can use parsley or tarragon. Ran out of cinnamon? Use nutmeg or allspice (but only a quarter of the stated amount). Thyme, oregano, and basil can often substitute for each other.
While you might read that certain spices only last six months or a certain amount of time, that isn’t exactly true. A lot of factors can influence the strength and shelf life of your spices. Time certainly is one, but the way spices are stored is another.
Know Just What You’ll Need — and How Much of It
A bonus: Hand-mixed spice and herb blends make great gifts.
And when you are buying bulk herbs and spices, look for stores that store them in glass jars, not plastic bins.
- How much will you use? Maybe Grandma’s stuffing recipe calls for fennel seeds and this is the only time of year you ever use it. Don’t buy a whole container of anything you just need a pinch of. Instead, this is perfect for a store that sells bulk spices.
- What do you already have? Costly panic buying at the last minute can be avoided with a little planning. It is well worth your time to pull out all your spices and see what is still good.
- Don’t forget the leftovers! Plan on making turkey tacos? You can mix up your own taco seasoning with chili powder, onion and garlic powder, red pepper flakes and oregano.
- Are spice blends an option? Spice blends can save money if there are a lot of exotic ingredients in them that, individually, you only use a few times a year. And if it’s something you will use often, you might save money making your own herb or spice blend.
How To Tell If Your Herbs and Spices Are Still Good
“We do run specials at VSpicery,” says Kym Page Jenkins about her family spice store in Tampa, Florida. “We generate coupon codes for internet-only deals. We also discount as the order volume increases.”
Herbs and spices come from plants, but from different parts. Herbs are the leaves of a plant. Common herbs are basil, oregano, and thyme. Spices come from the roots, stems, berries, and other parts. Cinnamon is bark. Nutmeg is a seed. Though fresh garlic and onions are considered vegetables, once powdered, they are spices.
And these aren’t always the best places for less common spices. For that, hit up the immigrant stores.
How To Protect Your Spice and Herb Investment
It is the simplest test in the world: Just smell them.
- Storing. Keep your spices and dried herbs in glass or metal jars stored in cabinets or drawers, away from light. Make sure there is a lid (not just a shaker top) on the jar.
- Freezing. You can freeze herbs, but be very careful about freezing spices. Once you open a jar or bag of frozen spices, humidity gets into it and it should not go back in the freezer.
- Labeling. When you buy herbs and spices, write the date on each so you can keep track of their age.
- Organizing. Does cleaning out your spice cabinet turn up three little bottles of cream of tartar? Those little stubby bottles are easy to lose track of. A well-organized person might keep a list of all the spices they have. But a trick used in restaurants is just as helpful in the kitchen: group them by use. The three common category groupings are for savory foods; for either savory or sweet; for sweets. Grouping them this way makes what you need easier to find, and helps prevent double buying.
10 Clever Ways To Save Money on Spices
Just like brick-and-mortar specialty spice stores, it is easy to be leery of prices when shopping for spices online. Just adding the cost of shipping can bring spice prices to ridiculous amounts. But online retailers know that and have become responsive to cost cutters.
When you sign up with Penzeys you get an email with lots of deals for dollar spices, and they keep coming. One recent email offered an ounce of steak seasoning rubs for and trial bags of spice blends and more for .95-.49.
1. Buy Bulk Spices
When you sign up with Penzeys you get an email with lots of deals for dollar spices, and they keep coming. One recent email offered an ounce of steak seasoning rubs for and trial bags of spice blends and more for .95-.49.
2. Shave Costs With Whole Spices
When you sign up with Penzeys you get an email with lots of deals for dollar spices, and they keep coming. One recent email offered an ounce of steak seasoning rubs for and trial bags of spice blends and more for .95-.49.
3. Make Your Own Spice Mixes
When you sign up with Penzeys you get an email with lots of deals for dollar spices, and they keep coming. One recent email offered an ounce of steak seasoning rubs for and trial bags of spice blends and more for .95-.49.
4. Try Dollar and Discount Stores
When you sign up with Penzeys you get an email with lots of deals for dollar spices, and they keep coming. One recent email offered an ounce of steak seasoning rubs for and trial bags of spice blends and more for .95-.49.
5. Save Money (and Shop the World) at Immigrant Grocery Stores
When you sign up with Penzeys you get an email with lots of deals for dollar spices, and they keep coming. One recent email offered an ounce of steak seasoning rubs for and trial bags of spice blends and more for .95-.49.
6. Don’t Overlook Spice Stores
When you sign up with Penzeys you get an email with lots of deals for dollar spices, and they keep coming. One recent email offered an ounce of steak seasoning rubs for and trial bags of spice blends and more for .95-.49.
7. Buy Fresh at Farmers Markets
When you sign up with Penzeys you get an email with lots of deals for dollar spices, and they keep coming. One recent email offered an ounce of steak seasoning rubs for and trial bags of spice blends and more for .95-.49.
8. Shop the Bargains at Online Spice Stores
When you sign up with Penzeys you get an email with lots of deals for dollar spices, and they keep coming. One recent email offered an ounce of steak seasoning rubs for and trial bags of spice blends and more for .95-.49.
9. Look for Off-Brand Spices
When you sign up with Penzeys you get an email with lots of deals for dollar spices, and they keep coming. One recent email offered an ounce of steak seasoning rubs for and trial bags of spice blends and more for .95-.49.
10. Try Herb and Spice Substitutions
Since you can’t open the containers before you buy, make sure the color of the herbs and spices looks good. Retailers like Aldi’s, Target and Wegmans sell spices at prices a little lower than you’ll likely find at your local grocery store. These are great places for stocking up on spices that you use regularly.
Most offer free shipping over a certain amount (-50), and a few do offer discounts and free shipping on your first order (Spice Jungle, Savory Spice).
Whole spices that you grind as needed can be more economical. They last longer, too, and freshly ground spices in a dish really blooms the flavor.
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A store specializing in foods for immigrant cultures – whether Indian or German, Italian or African — might be the best place to pick up the right herbs and spices for your dishes.