Questions You Should Ask Before Buying Whole Spices
Spices are an essential ingredient in the culinary of India. They play a vital role in flavoring the food and enriching the taste. Every spice is unique in their taste, active ingredients, color, flavor, and function on the human body. It is the reason most of the chefs of renowned eateries and restaurants are very particular in choosing their spices and purchasing them from authentic sources. The whole spices exporters in India recommend you to run a thorough check on the quality of the spices and the storage conditions in the shop before buying them. Here are a few questions you should ask the shopkeeper before purchasing the whole spices.
Date of Manufacturing of the Products
The time of manufacturing or procuring of the Indian whole spices is one of the most crucial parameters before selecting them. It is a fact that, every ingredient has a shelf life and the sooner you use them after the collection from plants is better. So while buying whole spices from shops always look for the date of procuring label. If you do not find it marked on the container having the spices, always try to know about it from the store manager. Do not buy any products which are more than six months old as there is a chance of developing fungal growth on them. Moreover, the essence and the active ingredients of the spices also get deteriorated along with the passage of time. So, quick consumption of these products is better for their taste and health benefits.
Storage Condition in the Shop
Before selecting the whole spices for your kitchen always make a tour of the entire shop to find out the storage condition of the spices and other essential products on different shelves. The shop should give proper attention to the maintenance of hygiene and cleanliness. It also prevents the chances of amalgamation of the products. If you find the spices pouring out of the packets, or they are not present in air-tight containers, then it is better not to buy those products. The whole spices exporters in India also advocates purchasing ingredients from shops where products remain arranged in a well-sorted manner in dry shelves away from sunlight. It helps in maintaining the shelf life of the products.
Buying from Authentic Shops
Authenticity is a very crucial parameter while buying spices. Many of the products like cumin, saffron, black pepper, mustard seeds, and poppy seeds are quite small in sizes, so there is an enormous chance of contamination with other products with similar appearance or with inferior quality spices. The authentic shops, who are concerned about their brand image, never apply such inferior means for quick profit. So, do some online research about the reviews and rating of the shop before buying the products.
Do not Buy to Store Them
The kitchen products and spices, in particular, have a limited shelf life. Do not purchase them in bulk quantity availing cheap offers. Always consider the consumption and monthly utilization of whole spices before procuring them. The old spices do not provide the authentic taste and flavor to your dishes, thus resulting in wastage of money.
These were the essential parameters which you should keep in mind before buying whole spices. Since the chances of contamination are high in these products, be alert and preferably buy from reputed suppliers having a positive brand image.
