Does wasabi powder go bad?

Question

I just made a dipping sauce for ahi skewers using mayo + some wasabi powder I've had since the Reagan adminstration. Blech! Bitter and awful. Does wasabi powder have a shelf life or do I just not like the taste of this recipe? I'm in the market for an alternate if anyone has ideas. I have some Mr. Yoshida sweet & savory marinade and cooking sauce that might be a base for something else.

This is why it's always a good idea to test drive your recipes the day before!

Answer

I recently made some a wasabi cream with old-as-dirt wasabi powder. It was gritty, no radish flavor and had a somewhat tinny aftertaste. I went to the market to see what my alternatives were and ended up buying a fresh piece of wasabi. The fresh version is more fragrant and slightly sweeter, no searing pain. I also bought a tube of S&B prepared wasabi in a tube ... it definitely lights up my sinuses.

Answer

Yes

Answer

Expanding on Mr. Fujisaka's eloquent reply, any ground spice loses its whang pretty fast unless it's kept airtight and cold, and then it loses it not quite so quickly. And the more its potency depends on volatile oils the faster it goes to hell. If you can't afford genuine wasabi - it's hideously expensive, even when you can find it at all - find a brand of the fake stuff that you like, keep it in the fridge, and use it within the year. Same with dry mustard.

Answer

In my experience jarred wasabi powder "heat" has a half-life of about a year in my pantry, less for the jar I keep in my car. Any "heat" ingredient should be tested / tasted before adding fixed quantities of it to a recipe, especially chilies. Adjustments are often necessary. Your wasabi powder probably became flavorless some time ago.

Answer

Oregon has more going for it the Pinot Noir, rain and smelly hippies. We also grow wasabi. Why deal with powder when you can get tubes of the real stuff:?

http://www.freshwasabi.com/

Answer

After having a tin of powder go stale, I decided to stick with tubes of wasabi paste. I can only dream of living in a place where markets sold things like fresh wasabi...

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Guess I'll throw out that tin that someone gave me ten years ago and I never used.

Answer

From experience making sushi I can tell you that you should make the wasabi paste ahead (with water) and let sit for 10-15minutes before mixing it with the mayo, that would get rid off the bitter taste

Answer

OMG--does it ever!! So glad to hear that I'm not the only one with this question. Years ago--and yeah, probably Reagan-era years ago...LOL!--I had a small tin of it that was very bitter with no heat at all. Recently, I bought the same brand as I had years ago, but it was great & tasted just like the restaurant stuff. Heat & flavor were spot-on. Except now, it's been sitting in my cupboard for about 8 months. I went to test it out today, and---BARF. :P Tastes just like the old Reagan-era crap did that I had years ago. 

 Guess that pretty much answers our question--looks like old wasabi powder DOES get bitter after a while, plus it loses all of its heat. Off to the store now to go get a fresh can... :D

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Does wasabi powder go bad?

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