food 2014 Powders/Crushed Peppers
- Thread starter buddy
- Start date
nice one 
enough to keep any man warm during winter
enough to keep any man warm during winter 
Those jars are full of such beauty.
How do you store these?
I guess a side to that question would be the shelf life on pre-ground powders in such quantity (a determining factor for me would be how fast they might be consumed to keep levels at optimum freshness.) I find most standard whole herbs/spices do generally fine in a cool cabinet/out of direct sunlight for keeping fresh (+1 year or more), but the powdered spices can diminish considerably over a very short space of time via oxidation being easier due to the broken down cellular structure from the whole starting material. Just 're'-discovered this after purchasing a 1oz freshly made packet of Garam Masala compared to one I had that was ~ 6 months old..like night and day difference! So I try and keep/make freshly ground when I need it (this would not work for the 'mixes' of course..way to much hassle making it every time you need it..), or I now keep in the fridge or even freezer to halt/slow down the degradation process (have to watch out for moisture/absorbing off flavors - thanks Alton Brown!). I go through lots of Ceylon Cinnamon -so bulk excess gets stored in the freezer when I stock up- no noticing any diminished flavor/potency yet.
So, just curious with your knowledge/expertise how you go about things while still maintaining optimum flavor/heat/color of the powders?!?! - cabinet..fridge..freezer..inert Nitrogen gas filled atmosphere inside vacuum sealed UV blocking containers..other..?
Those jars look beautiful and super tasty! Think I'll go eat some 90k SHU Cayenne powder now..
..
I guess a side to that question would be the shelf life on pre-ground powders in such quantity (a determining factor for me would be how fast they might be consumed to keep levels at optimum freshness.) I find most standard whole herbs/spices do generally fine in a cool cabinet/out of direct sunlight for keeping fresh (+1 year or more), but the powdered spices can diminish considerably over a very short space of time via oxidation being easier due to the broken down cellular structure from the whole starting material. Just 're'-discovered this after purchasing a 1oz freshly made packet of Garam Masala compared to one I had that was ~ 6 months old..like night and day difference! So I try and keep/make freshly ground when I need it (this would not work for the 'mixes' of course..way to much hassle making it every time you need it..), or I now keep in the fridge or even freezer to halt/slow down the degradation process (have to watch out for moisture/absorbing off flavors - thanks Alton Brown!). I go through lots of Ceylon Cinnamon -so bulk excess gets stored in the freezer when I stock up- no noticing any diminished flavor/potency yet.
So, just curious with your knowledge/expertise how you go about things while still maintaining optimum flavor/heat/color of the powders?!?! - cabinet..fridge..freezer..inert Nitrogen gas filled atmosphere inside vacuum sealed UV blocking containers..other..?
Those jars look beautiful and super tasty! Think I'll go eat some 90k SHU Cayenne powder now..
..