Instructions: Recently I made a Hungarian dish called paprikash that called for a goodly amount of paprika. My supply looked a bit peaked, so I purchased a new jar of good (read: expensive) paprika. After a few bites, my husband looked up and said, I didnt know paprika had a flavor. I thought it was just a color.

His epiphany inspired me to do some sleuthing into the spice trade. And specifically, into how long you can expect spices to last.

While spices dont go bad or turn rancid, they do lose their potency. Dried herbs go first, yellowing and losing flavor. Ground spices begin to lose their volatile oils, which results in a decrease of fragrance and flavor.

The Food Marketing Institute, based in Washington, advises that ground spices have a shelf life of six months; whole spices, a life of one to two years.

While some spice makers say ground spices can last far longer, Morton Gothelf, president of San Francisco spice company Morton & Bassett, recommends that all spices be replaced after six months to a year.

If youre going to make a good meal, you want to use very fresh spices, he said.

Gothelf says storage is the most important factor in a spices shelf life.

You want to keep your spices away from three things: heat, light and moisture, he said. Storing spices on a rack is all right, as long as they are out of direct sunlight. The worst place you can store them is over the stove where they are continually exposed to heat and moisture. The best place? In drawers, cupboards or, optimally, in the refrigerator where temperature and humidity are controlled.

Although it is economical to purchase spices in bulk, most herbs and spices are yearly crops, says John Tilison, operations manager at Penzeys, a spice purveyor that has been in business since 1959. Therefore, it makes sense to buy no more than you would use in a year and avoid throwing away large quantities that have lost their freshness. [] Spike suggests you visit Penzeys.com - it is a wondrous site. []

Penzeys markets more than 250 varieties of herbs, spices and blends. And Tilison says that blends - which contain many different types of spice, each with unique qualities - change most rapidly. Over time certain ingredients can become more pronounced while others fade. The best test of freshness, says Tilison, is to open the top and smell.

While I have not trashed my venerable collection of spices (including a metal tin of cream of tartar handed down to me from my mother), I will start updating my arsenal of seasonings recipe by recipe. Ive learned that a cake made with ground nutmeg purchased circa 1991 and a cake made using freshly ground nutmeg are two entirely different cakes.

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