How out of date would you use herbs and spices?

[MaggieFS]

Having a cupboard clear out. Various opened and unfinished herbs and spices jars. I'm wondering at what point you would deem them too far out of date to use? I've found:

Celery Salt 2017
Ginger 2017
Parsley 2015
Nutmeg 2009
Sage 2008
Turmeric 2007
Cumin 2007

And an undated split pouch of coriander which is going in the bin regardless because the stuff is pure evil and I can't believe I ever tried to cook with it.

They would be safe to use. But they will taste of nothing! Bin and buy lovely fresh ones!

I'd chuck the lot of them, they'll barely taste of whatever they're supposed to be by now.

I trust my nose & sense of taste.

If it smells bad I don't use it regardless of the date on bottle/jar/pack.
Yeah they may lose potency but unless it's something like salt you shouldn't over-do, then you just add extra to recipe to get back to flavour strength you want.

If it smells fine I do use it, regardless of date on bottle/jar/pack.

This thread is making me fancy making some soup...

If you've had them that long you are probably never going to use them so just bin them and enjoy having less clutter!

I agree with others if you haven't used some since 07 I'd probably skip them you are not going to use them.

Well played!

I have a jar of whole cloves passed on by a friend who was emigrating which is so old it has no best before date on it. Still imparting flavour. I use three or four a year. It may see me out!

Hahaha! Perfect!

Green ones can definitely go properly bad so I'd bin the sage and parsley for sure.

Anything older than 5y past date I think should be replaced. Which is basically all the ones on your list! If you haven't finished a pack in 15y then don't buy another one, you haven't found recipes to use them in.

(Honestly, they're a few quid each, not worth hoarding...)

Yeah I'd use them all

Havent you got any with a Woolworths label on them? (joke for us oldies there)

I had some Safeway Thyme that I binned very recently!

Any more than about a year and I usually bin them - they lose their potency. I’m very much a waste not, want not, type, and do use a lot of things well past their use-by, but did recently bin a couple that hadn’t been used since before last Christmas (mixed spice for the 🎄puds was one).

Love it!!!!

I'd replace them all. It's not so much the waste of the herbs/spices that's a worry, they will have cost you pence back in the day. It's the current (much higher!) cost of all the other ingredients in whatever you're making. Plus all your effort cooking, baking, oven time, cleaning up etc.

Why risk spoiling the dish or serving up something tasting stale or lacklustre?

Turmeric and cumin would be fine I think, just double up if needed?
My cut off point is last century!

If you have not used then in all that time you will not miss them

I'd dump the herbs as they are extremely likely to have lost their flavour. Spices are probably OK (they usually last well beyond dates) but you could always taste test to be sure.

Whole nutmegs last for decades. I also have a jar of celery salt that goes back to the early 1980's. I use that about once or twice a year and it still seems fine.

I'd probably get rid not because they'll be bad (I think would likely be bland as pp have said) but if you haven't used sufficient quantity in 15 years, it probably doesn't need space in your cupboard!

I tend to chuck herbs once they have completely lost their green colour and have gone brown. Ground spices last a lot longer, although do tend to lose their oomph a bit. Whole ones keep better, things like peppercorns, dried whole chillies and nutmeg are good.

In my caster sugar jar there is a whole vanilla pod that's been in there since before I married DH, and we celebrated our Silver Wedding anniversary this year!

Seems like a good excuse to post this.

The herbs will likely be horrible. I'd use the celery salt and whole nutmegs, but the ginger/cumin/turmeric are quite possibly more dust and sadness by now.

I would be happy to use after decades. Nothing goes wrong they just lack the intensity of flavour they once had.

I’ve never checked the date on spices, so I suspect many many years past the best before date

They won't harm you but they won't be that nice or make your food tasty, which is the point of herbs and spice. I'd bin them all. Sorry!