Buying spices in bulk, why don't more people do this? Am I missing something here?

[dumpy]

I'm not talking huge quantities, just the bulk spices at your local grocery store.

I was shopping the other day and needed toasted sesame seeds. A bottle of them was like $7, so I decided to check the bulk section and realized there was a bulk spice section- which is where the seeds were. For shits and grins I put the jar of sesame seeds on the scale and punched in the PLU for the bulk ones- weighing the jar and all it was ~$2.50. Hmmmmmmm

I then looked at the prices of the other stuff and for example a pound of peppercorns was about the same price as a bottle of peppercorns.

So what am I missing? Whats the catch? Is the quality typically ok? Is there any reason not to buy all spices in this manner in the future? I can refill my bottles.

[Phill]

Because you end up 20 years later with a jar of 19.5 unused nutmegs

[Pegleg]

Nope, no catch. Better to buy in bulk, so that you're not paying to buy a glass bottle or metal can over and over again. (You might argue that the bulk stuff sits in non-airtight bins while the bottled stuff is at least airtight, but who knows how long the bottled stuff sat around in bins before being put in a bottle.)

Even better is to check around and see if there's a specialty spice shop nearby (Boulder/Denver has Penzey's and Savory Spice Shop, for example). They're still less expensive than buying bottled spices at the supermarket and they tend to be obsessive about only buying very fresh, well-kept herbs and spices, so what you get tends to taste a lot better and last longer. With herbs and spices - especially ground ones - freshness is the name of the game; the volatile oils that provide the flavor evaporate pretty quickly, leaving spices that are musty and flavorless.

Another nice thing about bulk is that you can buy just what you need, instead of having to buy an entirely bottle of, say, fenugreek when in all likelihood you're going to use a teaspoon of it and the rest of the bottle would just go stale.

[tex1230]

1) bulk spices do not always have the same quality control as the jarred ones
2) certain spices (not all of them) have a definite shelf life - buy as much as you're going to use that week, not enough for a year

-My chef/wife's answer.

[Chugachjed]

Bulk spices are the only way to go. Learned this a year ago and haven't looked back. Except when the bulk jars are empty.

[Benny Profane]

Spices, like all other natural products, are best used fresh. Everything has it's shelf life except for that Trader Joes salsa I found in the back of the cabinet.

[dumpy]

Spices, like all other natural products, are best used fresh.

Well, thats the other reason I see for doing this. Assuming the store sells a reasonable quantity of bulk spices, there by keeping their supplies fresh- I can buy just what I need, when I need it, instead of having a 5 year old bottle of star anise floating around my cupboards.

The variety is also better, example- at my local only semi crappy grocery store- I can buy garam masala in bulk, but not anywhere else.

There are also some herb/spice merchants at our local farmers market that have all kinds of stuff, but I was already doing this before I came to my realization about grocery store bulk.

[The AD]

Bulk is the way to go.

And I know it's not a spice, but why the hell are pine nuts so fucking expensive?

[Benny Profane]

Just resist the urge to buy three pounds of peppercorns at a time. Keep it small. Take it from a single guy. Although, I can go through olive oil like water, so, I'm always hunting for cheap large cans ofquality.

[dumpy]

Although, I can go through olive oil like water, so, I'm always hunting for cheap large cans ofquality.

Hey, whatever you and Jer want to do is your own business.

[grrrr]

The variety is also better, example- at my local only semi crappy grocery store- I can buy garam masala in bulk, but not anywhere else.

I only buy my garam masala at the Indian spice shop where they grind it fresh for you, and only buy enough for a few weeks.

[jon turner]

I get all my spices through Penzey's or Savory. I just order the smallest bagged size whenever I run out and fill the jar as it empties. If you get the smallest size, it lasts a few months, which doesn't seem long enough to go bad. If you don't have one of their stores nearby, they do mailorder.

[Spats]

And I know it's not a spice, but why the hell are pine nuts so fucking expensive?

Have you ever tried to get pine nuts out of a pinecone?

Also, the total production of an entire pine tree is perhaps a handful of nuts. (AFAIK.)

[Cruiser]

I get all of my spices from Savory. They turn a lot of product over so I feel confident that I'm getting the freshest possible assortment. I try not to buy much more than a 2 month supply of anything (closer to a month's worth if I can) so that I'm always using the good stuff. I'm sure some whole spices last a lot longer than that, but I'd prefer not to bother with trying to figure out which ones those are.

FWIW, the folks who own Penzey's here in Colorado can give themselves a good poke in the eye with a sharp stick. I don't claim to know the whole sad history, but I do know that they chose to open their Littleton store one block from Savory which had occupied that space for years. I for one will never buy anything from Penzey's. Assholes...

[Art Shirk]

Just resist the urge to buy three pounds of peppercorns at a time.

I buy peppercorns by the gross. My grinder demands a pound at each feeding.

[Hutch]

I buy peppercorns by the gross. My grinder demands a pound at each feeding.

A gross of peppercorns = 144 peppercorns, no?

[Art Shirk]

A gross of peppercorns = 144 peppercorns, no?

I was being a bit flip, but I bet there is a way to calculate my peppercorn buying to come out to 144 something.

[SkiCougar]

Because you end up 20 years later with a jar of 19.5 unused nutmegs

20 years ! i'm going to blow past 20 jars of unused nutmeg in 10 years easy. i'm certain those dam things hide in the cabinet until i come home with a new one.

[Pegleg]

IFWIW, the folks who own Penzey's here in Colorado can give themselves a good poke in the eye with a sharp stick. I don't claim to know the whole sad history, but I do know that they chose to open their Littleton store one block from Savory which had occupied that space for years. I for one will never buy anything from Penzey's. Assholes...

They also opened their Boulder store a block from Savory's Boulder location. As I understand it - and I don't know the whole story either - the Penzey's people are pissed that the Savory folks basically copied their business model in its entirety and immediately managed to get a Food Network show out of it (which was cancelled after a couple of episodes). It's true that the Savory stores are pretty much identical to the Penzey's stores, but c'mon - it's a specialty spice shop, I'm not sure how you're going to do it any differently. In any event, though, Penzey's dickishness appears to be deliberate.

[EDIT: after reading the letter from Penzey's owner, in a post below, I no longer think they're being dickish. Sounds like it's just fair competition between the two companies. May the best chili powder win.]

[Elkhound Odin]

20 years ! i'm going to blow past 20 jars of unused nutmeg in 10 years easy. i'm certain those dam things hide in the cabinet until i come home with a new one.

I know my nutmeg jars do that. The bastards!

[grrrr]

Bulk is the way to go.

And I know it's not a spice, but why the hell are pine nuts so fucking expensive?

Because you didn't buy them at costco?

[Dantheman]

I'm sure some whole spices last a lot longer than that, but I'd prefer not to bother with trying to figure out which ones those are.

My man Alton Brown says 2 years for whole spices.

I envy dumpy's grocery store. I've never seen a bulk spices section at a UT grocery store.

[Dromond]

It is soooo much cheaper. I don't understand the price difference. Packaging is not that expensive.

[The AD]

Because you didn't buy them at costco?

Have you looked at the prices for them at Costco? Yeah, cheaper than the grocery store, but still expensive. By the way, one grocery store I shop at (Top/Hagen) has them for somewhere around $35 per pound.

[Grange]

I bought some sassafrass and smoked peppercorns in bulk at a local spice store. The sassafrass made the best homemade rootbeer flavored ice cream. The smoked peppercorns add a great flavor as well. But they were not cheap.