Would you use 15-year-old cloves?

[silenus]

@flickster

As for those that discard of spices after a few months, more power to you but** I don’t like shopping in specialty shops for uber fresh spices that often**. The giant containers at Sam’s Club still work fine for my taste buds. If I was preparing something really special, maybe, otherwise a generous shake of this and a generous shake of that.

Pendery’s mail-order. Or Penzey’s.

[fluiddruid]

Why not make Homer Simpson’s recipe?

Cloves, Tom Collins mix, frozen pie crust!

[Casey1505]

When I was younger, my aunts would stick cloves in an orange and put them on the radiator. I guess it was an air-freshener sort of deal. That or they got bored with the crocheting.

[Chefguy]

@silenus

It’s a matter of principle with me. I toss any spice that’s been around more than 8 months or so, with limited exceptions. The difference using fresh spices is so noticable that old stock just doesn’t cut it anymore.

The OP doesn’t say whether they were sealed the whole 15 years, or not. I’d still toss them. Life is too short to use less-than-fresh ingredients.

Same here. One of the few exceptions is whole nutmeg. I bought a good-sized handful years ago and have kept them tightly sealed in a glass jar. Every time I grate some of it, it’s like it just came off the tree.

[DesertDog]

@silenus

It’s a matter of principle with me. I toss any spice that’s been around more than 8 months or so, with limited exceptions. The difference using fresh spices is so noticable that old stock just doesn’t cut it anymore.

That’s going a bit overboard as most spices are harvested only once a year.

The OP doesn’t say whether they were sealed the whole 15 years, or not. I’d still toss them. Life is too short to use less-than-fresh ingredients.

On that I concur.

[Eonwe]

@Casey1505

When I was younger, my aunts would stick cloves in an orange and put them on the radiator. I guess it was an air-freshener sort of deal. That or they got bored with the crocheting.

We’d always have one or two of those around the house at Christmas time.

[elfkin477]

For a clove apple or orange, sure. In something to eat? No way.