How long do spices last?

[KrisM]

Do they go bad or just loose a bit of effectiveness? Should I toss the ones that were a wedding gift 5 years ago??

[kelly ann]

They have probably lost a lot of their original flavor/effectiveness. If you still want to use the spices, then I would use a little more than indicated and rub the spices (if not grounded up already) between you fingers.

[KrisM]

I should have worded it "I CAN toss them, right?" Someone sent us tons of Penzey Spices for our wedding and while we used many of them, there were a lot that we are just never going to use. They're under a cabinet just taking up space now.

[kelly ann]

Oh, then dump them. If you haven't used them at all in 5 years, then you probably will not use them in the next five years. What a cool gift though :)

[KrisM]

It was, but we so many, it was crazy. Probably 32 bottles with a few duplicates. We used quite a few, but some are just not us.