Never Store Your Spices Above The Stove - Here's Why

Collecting spices and seasonings is the first step to becoming a skilled cook. There are many essential seasonings your kitchen should have, and once you've got them all, what's even more important is how you store them. Doing it wrong can degrade them and keep you from making the most of their full potential. While your spices may look lovely lined up above your stove, this is exactly where they should never be left. All spices need proper storage for long-lasting flavor, and this spot in your kitchen will completely ruin them. 

It may be convenient to have your spices on standby above the stove for easy reach while cooking, but keeping them here is a bad idea. The heat and moisture that radiates off the stove when cooking can affect the flavor of your spices, making them much less prominent in your dish. This is because the essential oils that give spices their flavor evaporate when exposed to hot temperatures. Plus, spices are much more fragile than you may realize, and even slight exposure to moisture, like the steam that wafts upward during cooking, can degrade their flavor. To ensure your spices stay fresh and potent, they need to be stored far away from your stove.

Spices need to be stored in a cool, dry, and dark place that's far from any heat source — this also applies to appliances like the dishwasher and oven that tend to get hot. This could be your pantry, cabinets, or any drawers that aren't too close to your stove. If you don't have a ton of kitchen space to keep your spices neatly organized, pull-out drawers can come to the rescue. You could even tuck your spices behind any doors near your kitchen for optimal storage. 

Your spices should also ideally be kept in airtight glass or metal containers. The plastic packaging most spices come in is acceptable, but some containers may be porous enough to let a little bit of air in, spoiling the contents inside quicker. Additionally, if you do want to leave your spices on a counter, be sure to keep them in opaque containers so that sun exposure doesn't ruin them. 

If you've been keeping your spices above a stove all this while, you can check their freshness by crumbling a small pinch between your fingers and checking if it still has a strong aroma. You can also taste them — if they don't have much flavor, or you've been wondering why your dishes have been less flavorful, improper storage has wrecked your spices. Safe to say, storing your spices in neat little jars above your stove may add to your kitchen decor, but it's not the best environment for your seasonings.