Have bottles of spices around so long you can’t remember when you bought them? According to Amanda Bevill, owner of World Spice Merchants in Seattle, Washington, there’s an easy way to figure out if spices are still fresh enough to cook with: crush a little between two fingers. If the aroma is rich, full and immediate, the spice still has enough potency to add zing to your dishes. If the aroma is bland, it’s time to replace it.
[photo: madpai]

