Re: Individual Spice Packets

On 2008-07-08, Nancy2 <nancy-dooley@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:

> stored properly I don't see a problem with keeping them around for
> longer than a year or whatever.  Most of them don't deteriorate that
> fast.

Yes, they do.  

It's called oxidation and everything suc***bs to it, even steel (rust).
When you leave it whole, the outside of a seed, pod, etc, is exposed, but
the interior is not or not as much.  When you grind something and reduce
it
to a powder, you expose the entire surface of each particle to oxygen and
it
deteriorates all the quicker.  Same with coffee.  Shelf life for ground
spices is about 6 mos max.  Whole, some spices are good for years.  

Ever try grinding your own nutmeg from a whole nutmeg pod?  Not only will
the pod last much longer than pre-ground, but the flavor of fresh ground
is
infinitely superior to even the freshest packaged ground nutmeg.  As one
chef said, it's almost like a different spice.

nb