Question:
What is the black stuff growing on my spice box?
I had to leave for 3 weeks and packed all my belongings in a cardboard box, including my kitchen stuff, like my spice box. It's made of stainless steel, and the salt compartment (which I left empty while I was gone) has some black stuff growing on the side..it looks moist (i was afraid to touch it). The rest of my spices seem fine, but I want to know what the black stuff is and if the other spices I left in my box are safe to consume. Everything inside stayed pretty clean and dry when I unpacked my box, however, where I left all my boxes and suitcases, it rained a lot outside and the room had been unventilated and moist consequently, so the wall had mold growing on it. I've cleaned my suitcases thoroughly with bleach and let them air dry...so I think the mold is gone. The things inside looked fine. The rest of the pots and pans in my box looked fine too..but now I'm noticing this black stuff in my spice box.
Any help would be very much appreciated.
Answers:
Best Answer - Chosen by Voters
It sounds like it's mould in the salt compartment. That's not safe to consume. Remember, it's better to be safe than sorry.
The only thing I can think of is that the salt has attracted moisture.
Give that container a good clean out, and if the other spices were all in open spice holders in the spice box I would ditch them.
Spices should be replaced every 6 months to retain freshness.
It's mold and to be safe I would just dispose of all your spices and then clean your container.
It's mold...put on some rubber gloves or something and clean it. Then replace all of your spices to be safe.
