(The second part of 灶王 [zao wang] - The Kitchen God Series)
As for the storage, there are some general rules that, unfortunately, most of chefs (even the bestest ones) DO NOT follow. Too bad, because there is nothing nicer than a great want-to-sneeze feeling after opening a spice jar.
It is commonly believed that the spices are dried, therefore will last on your shelf for good couple o years or until bugs get to them. Well, .... yes and no. Yes, they last pretty much forever; and no, because as the time goes, their aroma and taste starts slowly disappearing.... So, here is a short list of wisdom for the diligent cooking mamas:
Speaking of fresh spices:
- Keep in the fridge, wrapped in a kitchen paper and use up within two weeks.
- Once processed into a paste with a bit of oil, store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one month or frozen for half a year.
- Dried spices should be stored in an airtight container in a dark, colder place. Direct sunshine, air, hot or wet environment ruins the quality of spices. Whole spices can stay fresh for up to 6 months, powdered only a couple. Therefore buy whole spices and grind them prior to cooking.
- Red spices, including red pepper, chili powder, paprika and cayenne pepper contain insect eggs in their tissues, even after they've been ground up. When the temperature or humidity are high, worms can grow.
- In order to keep the fresh color of red spices, such as paprika or chili powder, it is recommended to store them tightly closed in the fridge.
- The most suitable spice containers are those made out of dark glass or ceramics sealed with a cork. It is always a good idea to keep one jar for one particular spice. This is true especially for the wooden jars, for they are the best in absorbing aromas from spices.
- Pastes or pureed spices should be covered tightly and stored in the fridge. Try to use them up within two months.
- Dried spices, such a tamarind pods or vanilla will last for more than 2 years in cold, dark place.
- Pastes and curries can be successfully frozen (except for the ones with yogurt or coconut). To freeze a large batch of tomato-onion based curry, pour the curry into a plastic bag and separate the serving amounts with a rubber band. Since stuff should never be re-frozen, you will only cut off a particular amount when needed.
2 kommentarer:
It was very interesting to read how much spices differ in terms of 'keeping fresh'. I've got some vanilla pods from Tahiti and I thought they'd just go bad after six months or so but I've had them for over a year now, stored in bamboo packing, and they still pack a punch :o)
Hi Tompa,
Thanks for the comment about vanilla storage. I know that airtight storage is necessary, otherwise the aroma will dissipate. When stored properly (temperature 10 - 15 degrees Celsius), they can hold for a year. But...I rarely use vanilla beans (they are hard to get here), so I had to do a bit of a research....And, I just read about a very interesting way of storing whole vanilla, which is ...to bury it in sugar. Easy as it is, use an air-tight jar that holds enough sugar to bury the beans so that no light can reach it. After couple of weeks, the sugar tastes of vanilla. Interesting, eh? Killing two birds with a single stone.... Oh, just thought about my next morning coffee sweetened with vanilla flavored brown sugar....
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