Picture of my spice collection and obsession with Penzeys

[Croney]

I do cook and I try to use things before they expire, but I'm happy when a family member takes something home.

[getagrip_already]

1. Some spices dont really expire....

While better fresh, they are fine indefinitely.

I have some that are older than many du'rs.

[Croney]

2. I agree; they've been staples for thousands of years,

so I think it's mainly the blends and leaves that can go stale. An old bottle of parsley or oregano is pretty worthless, but cinnamon lasts forever!

[RandomNumbers]

32. LOL, cinnamon is not a great example to "last forever" in my house.

It will only "last forever" if the bottle gets lost.

The more likely problem is forgetting to buy it when the current bottle is getting low.

(cinnamon is good for managing blood sugar, for one; and it is illegal in my house to make oatmeal without cinnamon )

[Croney]

33. Notice that mine is the big jar in the back center of the picture!

Need much more cinnamon for oatmeal cookies than the recipe calls for. 🙂

[niyad]

51. I think that the "last forever" meant usefulness, not how often we go through

a jar.

[Puppyjive]

39. Grow as much as you can

I try to grow as much as I can to replace my herbs. They grow very well in the northwest.

[Croney]

42. I grow a few basics here in Boston, like parsley and oregano,

and cilantro and basil. It's hard to beat fresh-picked herbs!

[BobTheSubgenius]

62. 100%!

I like to rough-cut several different herbs (usually one at a time) into a salad with scissors.

[The Roux Comes First]

3. That Is a Truly Impressive Array! It Has My Mouth Watering! What Do We Cook Next?

I, too, am a big Penzey's fan, dating back to when there was a brick-and-mortar two blocks from my office. I am enamored of the owner's politics and periodic emails. A straight-shooting supporter of American democracy.

More than half of my Penzey's are sequestered in the freezer, bags of dried garlic, onions, and shallots in particular.

[Croney]

5. I'm cooking with little or no salt these days, and Penzeys has

many options. I have a store nearby, for free pick-up. Bill Penzey is a fine Democrat! I like your freezer idea so much, I'm going to freeze a few loose spice bags today.

[niyad]

23. Have you seen his Groundhog Day sale? Just got the email.

[Croney]

46. Yes, very tempting, the two $25 gift cards for $35,

and the other offers, but I still have gift cards I gave myself for Christmas to use up. I'm about due for new rainbow dish towels, they're very good quality.

[niyad]

47. Yes, the two for $35 is very tempting. And it is not like they expire or anything!

Of course, everything is tempting.

[CrispyQ]

4. I was recently turned on to smoked paprika, hot & sweet.

I switch between Penzy's & Savory Spice shop. Although I don't like the bags Savory uses they have a shallot salt that is fabulous (!) on roasted veggies, & a vanilla sugar that is perfect for so many desserts.

[Croney]

6. I just looked, and my Paprika Smoked Spanish Style bottle

is unopened. I'll try it. 👍

Edit: It's really good on popcorn!

[CrispyQ]

14. It's so pretty, too!

I put it in soups & stews & on roasted veggies & in anything hot & spicy.

[Snarkoleptic]

61. Penzeys granulated air-dried shallots are also great on popcorn.

n/t

[DJ Porkchop]

7. Smoked paprika from Penzey's is now what I sprinkle on boiled eggs instead of salt and pepper. Upgrade! n/t

[LoisB]

9. That sounds interesting.

[Easterncedar]

27. Love the sumac for nonsalty tang!

[yardwork]

36. I love Penzey's smoked Spanish paprika!

Also love the powdered garlic.

[niyad]

48. And the roasted garlic!

[yardwork]

49. I haven't tried that yet!

[niyad]

52. Do try as soon as you can.

[3Hotdogs]

8. Someone on D.U. directed me to Berbere. It is an Ethiopian blend.

It's now my favorite.

[niyad]

24. At Penzey's, it is now listed as Ethiopian blend. The name change has to do

with some offensive meanings in the original word. It was changed to anazigh, and now just Ethiopian. I have bottles with all three different names.

[Easterncedar]

28. Thanks for the info

I have used Berebere and even mixed my own for ages. It’s great

[Tesha]

10. We we redesigned the kitchen...

I made sure there was room for spices. Especially Penzeys!
Two drawers right next to the cooktop, containers laying down so we can read labels, in some cases related spiced lay one on the other.

(Over flow and large containers go in another drawer below)

[Croney]

11. That's how my daughter's are in her new kitchen, very organized in drawers.

My kitchen is sorta Donna Reed-ish so I have to just lean into it. 🙂

[yardwork]

50. Sounds wonderful!

[kooth]

12. Spices ...

My wife and I swear by Cavender's all-purpose Greek seasoning. We use it as a salt substitute.

[StarryNite]

13. I love Penzeys.

Every one I've tried has been great! Outrage is one of my favorites.

[Trueblue Texan]

15. I don't know how you keep all that from tumbling down...

I have yet to find a single solution to organizing my spice collection. I've got some of them in tins attached with magnets to a metal wall hanging in the pantry and to the outside of the refrigerator. I've got some stacked in cupboards like you, I've got some in jars in a metal organizer attached to the pantry wall. I rarely use them up before they "expire" but I've found they are still pretty good, if not slightly less powerful in the dishes I make. I just find it hard to believe dried herbs can go bad, especially if they've been kept cool and dry.

I also love Penzey's and especially love that they are politically and socially responsible. Love the dried shallots because I seldom have fresh ones on hand.

[Croney]

18. Finding a good arrangement has been an ongoing challenge.

I recently got lucky on my local Facebook giveaway group and was chosen to receive the tiered stand in the middle. It looks a lot neater than it did before.

[Retrograde]

45. Pre-pandemic a local grocery sold bulk spices

you could scoop out as much or as little as you wanted into little containers that were great for storing seeds later on. Then I would transfer them to one of the opaque jars in the c. 1930 set I acquired once upon a time. This is for the more commonly used spices - cinnamon, ground ginger, ground red pepper, cumin, garum masala, etc. Spices that were used only occasionally were kept in their original jars in the cupboard.

Come the pandemic the serve yourself spices went away and I started ordering the more commonly used ones by the pound from Amazon. I keep the jars filled from them, and the large containers go up on the top shelf of the cupboard that only Mr. Retrograde can reach. I also have foil packets of occasionally used things like berebere, za'atar, and other blends that live in a drawer.

Which reminds me, it's past time to clean the kitchen drawers and cabinets

[Ponietz]

16. Have you checked out Panch Phoran and Ras Al Hannout?

My latest favorites— an Indian 5 spice and North African 10 spice mixture, respectively.
Using gum Arabic in sauces now — incredibly silky.

[Croney]

21. I looked both those up and they're salt-free, so worth a try!

[Unwind Your Mind]

17. I don't see our favorite

Chicago style seasoning. It’s mostly S &P and has lemon in it. We use it mostly for chicken marinade and it is so good 😊

[Croney]

20. Yes, I've had to donate the salted blends because

my husband has to restrict his salt intake. That one sounds good.

[LudwigPastorius]

19. There's a little local spice store north of me that's been doing business since 1870.

I try to get there to restock every other month or so. They have a good selection of chili blends.

https://penderys.com/about-us

[txwhitedove]

22. Lovely. Ive been wanting to try Green Goddess. Must be good cause you have 2. Recommend Herbs

de Provence on meats, pasta or soups. Love Penzeys.

[Croney]

29. Green Goddess is my number one favorite.

Green onion, sugar, basil, celery, dill. Great in egg salad, or any salad, and on most vegetables. I usually don't bother making a dressing, I just use it dry.

[niyad]

25. Goodness, your collection almost rivals those of mine, and a friend (whose

granddaughter did a fabulous job redoing her spice collection)!

[Croney]

30. Care to share a picture? 🙂

[niyad]

31. I would, but I don't have the skills.

[Croney]

34. I use postimages.org, it's pretty easy.

You don't have to sign up or have an account.

[Farmer-Rick]

26. I started out with a small spice rack

That hung on the back of a door.

Now I have an entire 3 shelf cabinet filled with different spices.

Yeah, I love that Smokey Paprika too. And the price of their saffron isn't too bad.

[AllyCat]

35. I love their store! The Justice blend is

One of my favorites!

[usaf-vet]

37. My wife gives Penzeys spices for gifts. It is always a gift for a newly married couples. And she has repeat....

..... birthday and Christmas folks. She started doing it because of their politics. We feel the money spent with them is a win-win-win.

A win for the receiver, a win for the country, and a win for the taste buds.

[Croney]

40. I give them to the Rethug relatives I'm stuck with.

No one has refused them yet. Maybe the right spice will jolt them into reality.

[usaf-vet]

43. Here is a little trick she picked up somewhere to save space in her spice cabinet. And find the spice you want.

Quick and easy, "lazy Susan."

1. Take two pie tins with a diameter suitable for your space. Example 9,10,12" like these http://tinyurl.com/rotating-spice-racks

2. take some same-size marbles and put them in the bottom pie tin http://tinyurl.com/same-size-marbles

3. place the second pie tin on top of the marbles. You should now have a "lazy Susan" to hold your spices

4 . add spice containers

[Croney]

44. Cool!

[niyad]

54. I stock up on the gift boxes when there are special sales, and have a tote just

for them. I always have a great gift right at hand. All my neighbors in my little compound got "Joy" for the holidays. They were overjoyed! I heard, "Oh my god, I ran out of cinnamon sugar this morning". "I didn't know you could get Vienamese cinnamon here!" "Oh, you know I love to bake with cinnamon!" Makes one feel good.

[Tetrachloride]

38. As for myself, my supplier in the previous year

was better than Penzeys

[Croney]

41. I give weight to Bill Penzey's outspokenness for the cause.

Im sure there are other good brands though.

[niyad]

55. Sighhhhhh

[Bristlecone]

53. I used to have a similar cigar box in which I kept my herbs

Those were the days….

[Croney]

58. This one holds only humdrum coffee filters.

[nebby70]

56. if you like smoked paprika --- try Aleppo pepper

... trust me on this ...
... it's an altogether different taste; but soooooo goood ....

[EddieOnTheMesa]

57. Great Company and Great Owner

I have bought many pounds of the Toasted Onion Powder over the years. It goes on everything but my fruit and cereal.

[Pluvious]

59. TIL... ( Today I Learned )

'A lot of people don't know that spices shouldn't be kept near the microwave (or oven) because the radiating heat can dry out the natural oils in the spices, making them less potent, faster,' Meaghan Thomas from Pinch Spice Market shares. 'When spices get dried out, they lose their smell and flavor.' 

[pansypoo53219]

60. getting fresh is BS. i just use more, of course. i have rarely used + a few never used. but i happened to walk past the

panzys shop on old world 3rd street in milwaukee + it smelled amazing.

[Vinca]

63. I've got to check out Penzey's. I've got a big rack hanging on the side of a cabinet that's

filled with spices and another rotating rack on the counter. Can't have enough spices.