No. I rarely buy more than a month's supply of any spice, so I know they're always fresh. Even stuff that sits around for a couple of months like marjoram or coriander is in a cool, dark cabinet with very low humidity. I also never reuse a jar for spices.

I don't usually sniff the one I used yesterday, but I have a lot, and while I do a good job of keeping the labels on (I keep Scotch tape in the kitchen), I've found dates to be meaningless. I do sniff, check the color, and sometimes taste, if I haven't opened it in awhile. Lots of spices will still do the trick if they're a bit old, but then you need to use more. There's a certain point where all the flavor is gone and they're just grit. While I love the idea of toasting and grinding them fresh for use, that turns out to be an area where I just can't push myself. If it's for a curry or some particular recipe, I will. If it's just, "this could use some coriander), I want to be able to just open the jar. The ambition is useful, though. Seeds and pods and stuff keep longer, whole, so I don't run out of fresh enough cumin. It's just that I need to get out the seeds. :)

Unless you're sticking your nose far enough into the jar that your exhalations are sending bacteria into the spices, I can't see what the harm is in sniffing. Maybe you just like the smell of your spices!

I can't say I've never sniffed them, but I do look at them and the label each time they are used. Many of my dried herbs are from my garden, so I check to see if the color has faded (a sign they may need replenished) and the date they were dried, but I don't sniff them each time the container is used.

For herbs from my garden, I find the first of the season, as soon as the herbs start to develop in the late winter/early spring, is the best time to harvest them for drying, so many of mine are nearly a year old now. I save the end of the growing season herbs for making herbed vinegars and some I dry and use as teas. And when I have large amounts of them dried, I freeze the bulk amount in vacuum-sealed bags and keep a user-friendly amount in a shaker in the pantry.

Penzeys say spices have a much longer shelf-life than the generally touted 6-12-months, especially if you store them in a cool, dark, area, rather than where it's hot. Mine are in a cool, dark pantry, not next to or on top of the stove. And as Penzeys also point out, the intensity of the flavors may diminish over time, and you may need to use more the older they are, but they certainly don't need to be replenished each month!!! Especially the hard seeds like whole nutmegs, allspice, nigella, peppercorns, whole cloves, mustard seed, coriander, etc., which I grind fresh, as needed. Commercial herb blends (Mrs. Dash, Spike, McCormick Salad Supreme, etc.), I'll use, or replace, every year or two.

The folks at McCormick offer “to toss or not to toss” guidelines that are more generous as well:
•Ground spices (nutmeg, cinnamon, turmeric): 2 to 3 years
•Herbs (basil, oregano, parsley): 1 to 3 years
•Seasoning blends: 1 to 2 years
•Whole spices (cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon sticks): 4 years
•Seeds: 4 years (except for poppy and sesame seeds, which should be discarded after 2 years)
•Extracts: 4 years (except for vanilla, which will last forever)

-Grainlady

I quite often sniff mine, especially if it something I have not used for awhile. I love the smell and often will sniff two together, see if I like them together.

I sniff the spices I particularly like the smell of, such as cumin or cinnamon, simply because it's enjoyable to do so. I will sniff my dried herbs to check if they still have any punch to them, as I don't use them nearly as often as fresh herbs. To me, smelling and tasting are all part of cooking, and part of what makes cooking fun.

Prairie Rose, I'll test herbs and other stuff together, too, just to check if they go together.

Several months ago I heard on an episode of Splendid Table some kind of expert talking about spices. My memory is really foggy on the particulars, but I do remember the guest saying that you can get 7 different flavors from cumin, depending on how you treat it. I wish I could remember all the different treatments, but it was to do with whether it was untoasted, dry toasted, sautéed in oil, ground or not ground. To me, it's well worth the extra few minutes to toast and grind cumin for chile, say, to get that extra boost out of it.

Sally

Making a dish is very much like creating art work on canvas. You look at each color and imagine what the combinations of colors will give you when you brush it on the canvas.

When you sniff each seasoning and spice, you will have an idea of what tastes you may be or can be creating.

I do more than sniffing, sometimes I will take a pinch to taste.

dcarcch

I don't go by what "they" say on shelf-life of herbs/spices. Dried stuff (oregano, basil, etc.) will get rubbed a bit in palm... nice aroma, it's fine.

Got most of my early kitchen training from my Grandmother... great cook... nothing "fancy". Whenever she made soup (veggie, navy bean, split pea/ham) she insisted there MUST be a few bay leaves added. I had NO idea bay leaf even had a flavor/aroma until I was old enough to be buying my own... early 20s... hers must have been LITERALLY from the 20s!?!

I DO sniff as a final double check to make sure I'm adding the correct spice/herb. I'm often in somewhat of a hurry (or maybe too easily distracted!) while cooking, and I connect more with a fragrance than written words on a bottle.

Is there any advantage to keeping herbs in the frigg?

I don't sniff test but I do rub between my fingers. Just in case bruising leaves releases more flavor. I buy nutmeg for only two reasons-to sprinkle on vanilla pudding and to just stand there breathing in the beautiful fragrance of the nutmeg in the jar.

Ground spices aren't too happy in the fridge, but many do fine in the freezer. You can absolutely freeze whole spices. Dried herbs do fairly well in the fridge if they're in well sealed bottles/bags. A standard plastic bag may not be adequate. I don't see enough of a difference to give up the fridge space, but I live in a very moderate climate. It's rarely too wet or too dry here. Somewhat dried chopped vegetables should always be kept in the fridge if they're being kept for any length of time (peppers, onions, etc.). That's the kind that still have some tenderness (i.e., moisture), as opposed to the dehydrated kind, which is fine on the shelf and might actually pick up too much moisture in the fridge. Again, depending on how well sealed they are.

I can't stand this change in format...not sure if it's worth the aggravation to try signing in to make comments.

Anyway, my two cents about herbs and spices: I keep the original small jars the spices came in and buy bulk amounts to refill. I loop a wide elastic band around the jar and write the date I filled the jar on the band. I am not too fussy about expiry dates but it depends a lot on the herb/spice. Cloves will last a lot longer than something like basil.

I bought some celery seed from the bulk store recently - was about 20 cents for 20 grams...my old jar holds 40 grams, and I saw that jar priced at over $3 at my local grocery store. As long as it's good quality, buying in bulk will save you money.