I was walking the spice aisle at HEB, and I noticed the cost of herbs/spices seems to be increasing. Does anybody buy herbs/spices online at a lower price? If so, who do you recommend?

We get spices from either Penzey's or in bulk at CostCo.

Yea herbs at HEB are rather pricey....i normally buy anywhere else. Herbs are not bought in the spice isle...they are with the produce.


For spices, you want to buy in bulk. Some HEB's have this option, if not Central Market and whole foods does.

Or check out the Fiesta brand stuff, you save money because of the packaging , there stuff is typically decent, its an Ag owned company, and he post on here from time to time.

And i differ on the term bulk, i am speaking about filling your own bag from a bulk container and paying by the ounce.

I do not recommend buying a large quantity at costco or sams, the spice will "spoil" before you utilize it all, unless you cook like a restaurant. 6 months is about as lon i go before throwing out old spices

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the spice will "spoil" before you utilize it all

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you clearly have no idea how much chili powder I use

Touché

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For spices, you want to buy in bulk. Some HEB's have this option, if not Central Market and whole foods does.

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This. An even better option is to purchase whole spices in the bulk jars, and you just scoop them out an pay by the ounce. Then just grind them when you need it.

http://www.penderys.com/

second or third the bulk bins at the HEBer. i usually buy all i need for whatever I'm making that week when i go to the store. get the garden going for the herbs. herb prices are ridiculous. i use a lot of rosemary. i would need to take out a loan to buy rosemary at the store. i've got enough oregano to power a small italian restaurant

I'd like to chime in here.

As stated above, whole spices are indeed the best way to have the freshest spices for your use. Grinding them just before use will give out the most volatile oil quickly and with the most strength. Food flavors can be exceptionally consistent with freshly ground spices. We see a lot of very high end places going to self ground spices. There are some places that actually promote this fact to differentiate themselves.

Ground spices in jars no matter how you buy them is a bit more problematic, however. Once the seal is broken, air, light and heat begin immediately to reduce the volatile oil's effectiveness. Simply stated, it evaporates. Most ground spice has a logrithmic decline in flavor. Half the oils will be lost over a period of a few weeks if not stored properly. Once that level of oil is achieved, the flavor does not change much. This is the state of most kitchen spice cabinets.

There are some steps to help the flavor loss problem. First, after opening, do not leave the cap off or a flapper not snapped down. Second, keep the spice as cool, dark and dry as possible. The ultimate way is the freezer, although that may not practical for the variety of ground spices most people have.

Finally, buy smaller amounts and use them as quickly as possible. Large, food service sizes tend to get old before they are used in most homes. We do see a lot of consumer interest in value, but in the case of spices, value can translate into weaker flavors over time.

Bulk jars in stores may or may not have been open for quite a while. Look carefully at the jars and lids to see what they look like. Some do a much better job of proper rotation than others.

As odd as it sounds, some restaurant chains like their spices "pre-staled" to a certain extent. To have as much consistency as possible they choose a lower oil specification so over time, everything will be the same.

As far as retail pricing, you are correct - there has been substantial cost increases mostly due to commodity costs. As an agriculture product, spices are subject to the same forces that cause coffee, peanuts, corn and all the rest of the things we grow to fluctuate in cost. The poor exchange rates of US dollar to other currencies has cause costs to increase. More people in the world and and unstable Middle East (major growing area) has caused costs to rise.

Gig 'em Aggies!

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As odd as it sounds, some restaurant chains like their spices "pre-staled" to a certain extent. To have as much consistency as possible they choose a lower oil specification so over time, everything will be the same.

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that makes perfect sense.

have alwasys liked central market's spice and bulk section.

Penzeys or my local giant eagle

You would be wise to listen to mike.


Something i neglected to mention, if the bulk spice isle is nit used frequently then are not getting a better product. Though you may still save some money.

Spice sitting on the markets shelf is no better than it siting in you cabinet for 10 months

Speed of use is a very important factor.

_______________________________________________________
Bacon: The duct tape of the kitchen.

I order online from http://www.thespicehouse.com/. You can buy whole or ground, and you can either buy in the jar or refill bags for jars you already have. They have lots of spice blends as well.

Thanks for all the advice! I went with the amount I needed of ancho chili powder from the bins at HEB. Purchased it for $5.99/lb compared to $5 for less than 2 oz in a jar.

Bingo!

_______________________________________________________
Bacon: The duct tape of the kitchen.

raider - You did the correct thing for what you needed. You also could have bought ancho chili pods, removed the stems and seeds, toasted it a bit and ground it yourself.

Spice labels can be confusing:

In the land of labeling, the industry calls what you bought chili pepper while at retail it is often called chili powder. In reality you purchased Ancho chili pepper. If Chili pepper has spices added it is normally called chili powder, particularly in Texas. Such is the continuing remnants of Willie Gebhardt's genius.

From El Paso West, you find red things called chili powder, and chili powder with spices.

Restaurants use garlic powder and granulated garlic, but not interchangeably. Same garlic, different grinds. Most retail packages use granulated int the jars that say garlic powder.

Gig 'em Aggies!

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http://www.penderys.com/

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Surprised this place doesn't get more love on this board.

I'm from Ft. Worth, and the brick and mortar Pendery's is where my family always bought spices. I know I might catch a little flame, but their seasoning blends and mixes were also pretty good, at least relative to those that come in foil packets and such at the supermarket.

Whole bulk spices at Fiesta (Kirby / S. Main) in Houston

Herbs - rosemary, basil, mint, chive - fresh from my front landscaping