Bobby Flay's Spice Advice Every Home Cook Should Hear

When Bobby Flay offers advice on food, it pays to listen. With more than 40 years of experience as a chef, nearly 30 years spent on the Food Network, and a seemingly countless list of restaurants to his name, the man knows what he's talking about. Despite this range of culinary pursuits, his plea to home cooks is quite simple: Clean out your pantry, and keep an eye on your spices.

On an episode of the podcast "All on the Table with Katy Lee Biegel," Flay discussed what a skill it can be to make meals from key pantry staples. The caveat of course is that the ingredients must still be worth using. "People don't take care of their spices," he warned. "It's not that they go off, they just lose all of their flavor."

Videos of the celebrity chef's pantry have gone viral, with viewers perhaps hoping to glimpse some secret to amazing meals. But Bobby Flay's pantry essentials are all simple ones, and he explains that he often turns to rice or pasta dishes for easy pantry meals. Spaghetti with a jar of pasta sauce (Flay prefers the Mutti brand) can be ready in minutes, which he enhances with herbs and spices such as basil, oregano, and Calabrian chilies or crushed red peppers.

Some people might be surprised to learn that you can't keep your spices indefinitely. It's true that in most cases they're not going to spoil, but spices past their "use by" date won't add the desired effect to your dish. In fact, they might even give your food a musty taste. 

The shelf life of your spices will vary depending on the spice itself, and how long it was sitting in the supermarket before you purchased it. Generally speaking, ground spices should be tossed after 1 to 2 years, meanwhile whole spices last longer, keeping for around 2 to 4 years. However if you want to enjoy maximum flavor, the timeframe is much shorter – around 8 to 10 months for whole spices, and just 3 to 6 months for ground options. 

Getting the best flavor also relies on storing your spices correctly, as there are plenty of ways you might be inadvertently speeding up their expiration. Light, heat, and humidity will all contribute to a loss of flavor, so spices should never be stored on the counter, especially close to the cooktop. The best place for them is in the pantry or in a drawer, stored in airtight containers. If you follow all these tips but still find you're losing flavor, it could be the way you're using them. Seasoning a bubbling pot of food from above can result in steam entering the spice jar, leading to staleness, clumping, or even mold.