From full-sweetness vanilla beans to warm-spicy-tasting cloves, spices are undeniably a must in every home and bakery kitchen. As some spices are considered a costly ingredient, purchasing spices in bulk as the all-natural ingredients for your business comes a package with a great deal of flavor expectation. You’ll expect your spices in bulk to last for years without losing its taste and aroma.
The good news is that spice won’t lose its potency within appropriate preservation. So it’s wise to know how to store spice in bulk properly.
Here’s the guide to prolonging your spices’ shelf life and keeping it fresh as long as possible. Let’s learn how to store spice in bulk properly through this article!
How to Store Vanilla Beans in Bulk?
Before storing vanilla beans in bulk, let’s take a few minutes to examine your vanilla beans’ appearance. If some of the vanilla pods in your bulk vanilla beans look dried or there are some molds (white spots) spotted, it’s time to refresh your vanilla pods with some treats.
After your bulk vanilla beans are refreshed, store the rest of your bulk vanilla beans properly to retain the flavor.
- First, wrap each pod with wax paper.
- Then, store the wrapped vanilla beans in an airtight or vacuum-sealed container. The choices may vary for the container, from glass vials to jars and plastic containers (like the pallet box or plastic crate). However, the glass container is highly recommended since plastic containers will gradually absorb the vanilla beans’ flavor and aroma.
- Lastly, place the container in a cool, dark place far from direct sunlight.
Whether it’s a single vanilla pod or vanilla beans in bulk, NEVER refrigerate your vanilla beans. It will only push the mold to appear. You’ll need to air the vanilla beans once every 2 months for 10-15 minutes to prevent the vanilla beans from getting moldy.
Appropriately storing vanilla beans in bulk can be a bit tricky, but it’s always worth it. Within appropriate preservation, the taste and aroma of vanilla beans can last for 6 months to 3 years. Long enough to naturally sweeten your baked goods!
How About Vanilla Bean Powder?
Unlike vanilla beans, the aroma is the key determiner for expired vanilla bean powder. You’ll realize that there’s no more pleasant vanilla aroma left on the expired vanilla bean powder. The aroma is gone, so is the taste, which remarks the end of your vanilla bean powder.
An important thing to remember, the shelf life for vanilla bean powder is much shorter than for vanilla beans. The potency of vanilla bean powder only lasts a year (and we know you don’t want to toss out your bulk vanilla bean powder like it’s nothing). That’s why appropriate preservation is highly necessary to retain the flavor and aroma. Fortunately, storing vanilla bean powder properly is way simpler than storing vanilla beans in bulk. You just need to skip the first step and start from the second step.
How to Store Nutmeg in Bulk?
Nutmeg is a warm-spicy-tasting spice that can last for years. When you purchase nutmeg in small quantities or in bulk, nutmeg will likely pack its best taste for 3 up to 4 years, while the nutmeg powder’s potency will last for 2 years. An important thing to note, this long-lasting shelf life only applies if you’re executing the proper storage method for both whole nutmeg and ground nutmeg.
- First, keep the whole nutmeg or ground nutmeg in airtight food storage like a jute bag or plastic crate. It’s better to choose glass containers since plastic containers still allow small amounts of air to enter.
- Second, only place the storage in a dark, cool, and dry place. Keep the crate or jute bag away from direct sunlight and excessive moisture at your warehouse.
Appropriately store spice in bulk like nutmeg and nutmeg powder is relatively easy. You might need to check your nutmeg regularly after storing it to avoid fungal infection or pest bites (beetles and termites). If your nutmeg becomes off-smell and has no taste, that’s the sign that your nutmeg has passed its prime. Don’t worry, you can revive your nutmeg freshness anytime by dry frying the old nutmeg with your industrial dry fry machine (medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes). Just be careful not to burn it!
How to Store Cloves in Bulk?
We know that off-flavor, no aroma, and moldy cloves are the last thing you want when cooking your restaurant’s signature dishes. Don’t worry; you can prevent your cloves in bulk from losing its potency with these 3 simple steps below.
- Place your cloves in airtight storage like the pallet box or jute bag.
- Store the container or jute bag in a dark, cool, and dry place.
After executing the steps above, it’s most likely that your cloves will last for 3 to 4 years without losing the best flavor and aroma. Don’t forget to regularly check your cloves in bulk to avoid untreated mold infection or pest bites like stem borer beetles.
You might need to do a simple refreshment treat if you spot a change in your cloves before it’s getting expired. To revive its freshness (not entirely, but still counts), you need to dry-fry the cloves using the commercial air fryer on medium heat for 1-2 mins. Once again, don’t let your clove burn!
How to Store Cinnamon in Bulk?
Just like any other spice, cinnamon’s shelf life is relatively long. Cinnamon sticks can last for 3-4 years, while ground cinnamon is shorter for only a year after opening. If you’re not planning to consume ground cinnamon or bulk cinnamon sticks immediately, let’s do the steps below to keep your cinnamon in bulk fresh.
- Store your ground cinnamon or cinnamon sticks in dry and airtight storage (jute bag or plastic crate)
- Place the crate or jute bag in a dry, dark, and room temperature place.
However, some errors can happen when it comes to store spice in bulk properly. The storage might accidentally have holes caused by rat bites, and there it is… your ground cinnamon and Cassia cinnamon sticks turn bad. The aroma is gone, the flavor is getting weak, and the fine powder turns into clumps or wet spots. Fortunately, your cinnamon sticks and ground cinnamon can be revived by dry frying using the industrial air fryer with medium heat for 1-2 minutes.
Where to buy Spices in Bulk for Manufacturers?
If you find your spices in bulk are no longer usable for cooking or baking, it’s time to purchase the freshest ones. Essence Food & Beverage, LLC provides you with the freshest spices, like bulk vanilla beans, bulk nutmeg, vanilla bean powder bulk, bulk cinnamon sticks (Cassia cinnamon), and other spices selection.
We source our bulk spices directly from Indonesia, sent directly to the desired locations with fast delivery and continuing product guarantee. Supply your all-natural ingredients independently and save more on your bulk spices purchase. Connect with our spice specialist or request a quote for your spices in bulk order here.
