Getting value from herbs and spices at Australian supermarkets

Herbs and spices are a small but surprisingly wasteful category

A jar of dried oregano costs a few dollars. Bought once and forgotten at the back of the cupboard for two years, it represents a poor return. Bought at the right price and actually used regularly, herbs and spices add significant flavour at very low cost per serve.

The two habits that matter most are buying what you will actually use and comparing price per gram rather than per jar.

Price per gram varies enormously

Supermarket spice brands — Masterfoods, Greens, store-brand — package identical ingredients in different jar sizes at very different prices per gram. A 25 g jar of ground cumin at $4.50 is expensive per gram compared with a 100 g bag of the same spice from the bulk or health food section at a similar or lower total price.

Before buying a branded spice jar, check whether a larger format is available — either a larger jar of the same brand, a store-brand equivalent, or a bulk bag from the international foods aisle or a specialty store. The international aisle in particular often stocks commonly used spices in 100 g or larger bags at a fraction of the price of the branded spice section.

The spices worth having on hand

A short list of versatile dried spices covers most everyday cooking without requiring a full spice rack:

• Ground cumin and coriander (for curries, Mexican, Middle Eastern)
• Paprika, smoked paprika
• Dried chilli flakes or ground chilli
• Garlic powder (useful when you are out of fresh)
• Ground turmeric
• Mixed Italian herbs (oregano, basil, thyme)
• Cinnamon (ground, for baking and sweet spiced dishes)

These cover the majority of everyday recipes and keep for twelve to twenty-four months in a cool, dry location.

When fresh herbs are worth buying

Fresh herbs add a brightness to finished dishes that dried cannot replicate — particularly basil, coriander, parsley and mint when used raw or added at the end of cooking. They are more expensive per gram than dried, but the cost per dish is still low if you use them.

The waste problem with fresh herbs is that a full bunch is hard to use before it wilts. Growing a small pot of herbs on a windowsill or balcony — particularly basil, parsley and chives — is cheap to set up and eliminates per-bunch cost entirely for herbs you use regularly.

If you buy fresh herbs and regularly throw out half the bunch, the dried version or a potted plant is more economical.

Storage that extends shelf life

Dried spices keep best in airtight containers away from heat and light — not above the stove, where steam and temperature changes accelerate loss of flavour. A simple label with the purchase date helps you rotate older spices to the front and use them before they become tasteless.

Comparing spice prices

The international foods aisle and the mainstream spice section are worth walking both before committing to a price. For branded spice jars you buy regularly, a quick search on TrolleyChecker can show whether another chain has a better price this week.