Kitchen Craft
How to store spices so they still taste like spices
Heat, light and air are the three thieves. A few small changes in your kitchen keep aroma locked in for months.
Vandu Kitchen Desk · 14 July 2026 · 5 min read
Whole spices hold their oils for a year or more. Ground spices begin fading within weeks. The single most useful habit in an Indian kitchen is buying whole and grinding small.
The three rules
Keep spices in airtight glass, not the pouch they arrived in. Store them away from the hob — cabinet heat is the fastest way to dull a masala. And never shake a spice jar over a steaming pot; moisture clumps and spoils it.
A quick refresh
Old whole spices can be woken briefly on a dry pan over low heat until fragrant. It will not restore lost oil, but it will bring forward what remains.
