I’m making a pot roast this afternoon. With potatoes, carrots, onions, and making scratch biscuits.
James Beard calls for Thyme. So, I go to the cupboard, and find a container of whole thyme, from…eek! 2003! How embarassing. But the stuff still smells like…thyme. Is there any thing wrong with using this…is it degraded in any SIGNIFICANT way? What’s the downside?
I usually make sure I’m using current spices. This one just slipped by me. I can’t find my “this year” thyme. That’s why I’m reduced to using the other.
You might try dry-frying it in pan or wok before using it. That should help reawaken its flavor & aroma. Heat the pan for a minute or so, add your thyme, and stir or shake constantly for a minute or two or three, using your nose to sense when it’s giving a nice aroma, and being careful not to scorch it.
So I still say go ahead and use it. The downside is it doesn’t impart the aroma & flavor of fresh or freshly dried thyme, but it’s not like older-than-six-months-dried-thyme suddenly tastes like monkey butt.
I have an aversion to not using up my old spices. I’m Scotch that way.
Can you smell it or taste it? Then use it! If it’s weak, just use more of it.
I know spices are supposed to be useless after a while, but many of the spices in my cabinet date from the last century, and I don’t plan to replace them until they run out. They work fine.
– the Practical (and poor) Gourmet
Two years? Go ahead and use it! I don’t want to tell you how old my jumbo Costco jars of oregano, cinnamon and paprika are. (Suffice it to say that I don’t use nearly as much oregano, cinnamon, or paprika as I guessed I would when I first became single again.)
I use so much thyme I can’t imagine ever finding a jar that old.
However, I have lots of other herbs and spices that I still use with no qualms. Like the small can of ground clove that expired sometime in the 90’s (but which I use small amounts of every couple of months), and the fenugreek I didn’t even know I had until I needed it for an Ethiopian dish a couple of weeks ago. (I bought it bulk for some reason, but I don’t think I’ve ever used it. I’ve also had it since sometime before we moved into this house about five years ago).
I actually liven up older herbs and spices by sauteing them in medium hot olive oil just before adding it to the dish (unless the dish actually has sauteed onions or garlic, in which case I throw in the dried herb when the onion/garlic is done, and before I add the next ingredients.
If the stuff is dry, in an air-tight container, and doesn’t smell musty or rancid, then it should be safe.
It’s fine. Dried herbs keep for years. I mean, I’m glad you’re not like my Aunt Ethel who has spices older than I am, but it’s not like you have to replace your entire spice cabinet every year.
Gah. I don’t mean this as a slam on you personally, samclem, but it bugs me when people take “gourmet” advice to the extreme. Many people used to assume that herbs and spices lasted indefinitely. So, the foodie world started battling that misconception. Now, people are nervous about using 2 year old thyme. Similarly, people used to grossly overcook vegetables. The foodie world tried to change that practice, and for a few years there, you’d get your broccoli practically raw. Fortunately, that trend has died out, and now it’s common to find broccoli that is cooked perfectly–bright green and fresh tasing, but tender enough that you can eat your dinner without looking like Bessie the cow.
