Making Gingerbread Cookies - Spices oo Old?!


Question: Making Gingerbread Cookies - Spices oo Old!?
I am using the recipe at the site below!.
http://www!.joyofbaking!.com/GingerbreadMe!.!.!.

I have everything to make the cookies - the only thing I'm iffy about is the ground nutmeg and the ground cloves!. I found both in our cabinet!. However, I can't find an expiration date on either!. On the top of the ground cloves, in my mother's handwriting, is "December 1995!." Meaning she bought it in December 1995!. I'm assuming the ground nutmeg is from the same time period!. Are they still okay to use!? They both smell pretty strong!.Www@FoodAQ@Com


Answers:
That's over 10 yrs old!. I think it could still be good!. Most spices don't go rancid because they don't have fat in them; however, they do get stale!. I'm not sure what the fat content of nutmeg is, so I can't tell you if that would be rancid!. You could always make a small batch using the spices to try them out!. Since you say they have a pungent odor, that makes me think they're not stale yet!.

Are you sure she bought them in 95!? I refill my spice jars constantly so the expiration dates are wrong!.

Worst comes to worst: buy new spices!. Nutmeg and cloves are not too pricey!. Good luck!Www@FoodAQ@Com





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