Where will that cool, dry place be that most of our non-perishable food begs to be stored? What we are clear about is that it is a place that is not near the extractor hood or the oven. Nor is it the place that is next to our stoves and, of course, it’s never going to be your fridge.
However, we are quite fond of mistreating several fundamental ingredients of our kitchen such as olive oil (which feels horrible in humid, warm places exposed to sunlight) and today’s protagonists: spices, faithful protagonists of our recipes with spices.
Characterized by being a dry ingredient and apparently non-perishabledifferent products such as pepper, cumin, clove, cayenne, coriander, oregano, basil, rosemary, thyme… and the list could go on almost infinity are often mistreated in a place where they should never be.
However, being dry products, we tend to think that they are infallible or that their durability is infinite, but the reality is that spices (no matter what type they are) also have a shelf life of a couple of years. Obviously, they are not going to get bad or be harmful to healthbut they will lose aroma and flavor if we let them age or if, as usual, we store them incorrectly.
The first thing we must be clear about is that the spices it is advisable to protect them in airtight jars that prevent the entry of oxygenas it will favor its oxidation and the consequent loss of aromas, which is one of the great virtues of these dressings.
However, the drama of spices is not only in how we store them, but especially where we keep them. This is where the big mistakes come in that blow up “fresh, dry, unrelated to contrasting temperatures and smells” places.
Unfortunately, the most common thing in our kitchens is that we have a shelf or a spice rack relatively close at hand and very close to the stove (it does not matter whether it is gas, induction or ceramic hob), a particularly inhospitable place.
On the one hand, the spices are going to be subjected to relatively constant temperature changes, increased at the time we cook. On the other, they are under the yoke of light (artificial, yes), but under a light that also reduces its properties and generally supposes a decrease in its color (which is why herbs, for example, should be dried covered or in the dark).
Finally, the kitchen is also a relatively humid space, especially when we prepare recipes with the pots uncovered and generate significant amounts of water vapor. This also affects spices, even if they are in their jars.
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For all these reasons, the most sensible place to store spices would be a kitchen cabinet that is free from foreign odors, dark, cool and dry and that we only take the aromatic spices that we are going to use for each recipe.
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