Bought those bulk spices from the discount bin and regretted it after 3 meals

I had to pick between spending $8 on a tiny jar of cumin at the grocery store or $2 for a big bag from the bulk bin at a place called Spice House in Portland. The cheap stuff tasted like dusty cardboard and made my chili taste flat, plus it went stale in like two weeks. Anyone else get burned by bulk bin spices or am I just too picky about my seasonings?

2 comments

2 Comments

matthew7031mo agoTop Commenter

I mean yeah totally, I got a huge bag of smoked paprika from a bulk bin once and it was like eating sawdust with red dye. I tried to use it in like three different recipes and it just ruined everything. The worst part is you think you're saving money but then you end up throwing most of it out anyway. idk, maybe it's just me but I'd rather pay the extra few bucks for the tiny jar that actually tastes like something.

sean_perry1mo ago

That bulk bin paprika story hit a little too close to home. Used to be the guy who bought the giant economy sizes of everything, thought I was being smart. Then I grabbed a bag of smoked paprika that probably sat in that bin since the Clinton administration. Tried it in some chili and it tasted like nothing except old dust. Ended up tossing half the bag and buying a little jar from the spice shop downtown. Made all the difference. So yeah, you definitely changed my mind on this one.