Pepper is one of the best-known and universally used spices in the world. Made from ground peppercorns, the fruit of the Piper nigrum vine, pepper is harvested, processed, dried, then ground into what we know as ground pepper.
According to the USDA, Ground black pepper goes bad slowly and will typically stay at its best quality for around two to three years when stored in the correct manner. It should be stored at room temperature.
This article will explore the shelf-life of ground pepper and tips on how best to store it so that it lasts without losing its flavor.
How Long Can Ground Pepper Last?
The answer to the question of how long ground pepper can last is two to three years if it is stored correctly in the correct containers and in the right conditions. To increase the shelf-life of ground pepper, it is vital to store it in a cool, dark place away from direct heat or sunlight.
Safely stored ground black pepper can last the same length of time as in a cool area; only it may lose some of its flavor.
Even after the expiration date marked on the package, ground pepper is fine to use, provided it has been safely stored and the package is unopened. If the package is broken or the storage of the ground black pepper is dubious, then either don’t buy it, throw it out, or use it quickly.
How to Properly Store Ground Black Pepper
The biggest enemies of ground black pepper freshness are air, light, heat, and humidity. That is why storing ground black pepper in a cupboard above the stove is wrong. The heat and humidity from cooking will hasten the pepper to lose its flavor and shorten its shelf-life.
Safe places to store ground black pepper include:
- The freezer
- In a drawer
- In open storage
- On a pantry shelf
Taking a look at each storage solution may help folks understand better how to store ground black pepper fresher for longer.
Store Black Pepper in the Freezer
Ground black pepper retains its condition and quality best if stored in an airtight container in the freezer. Be sure to check on the ground black pepper occasionally to ensure the seal is still good on the pepper, or it will become freezer burned and thus no good for anything except throwing it out.
Store Black Pepper in a Drawer
Many folks love to store their spices, including ground black pepper, in spice racks. The problem comes in where they keep the spice rack. Many choose to hang the spice rack near or over the stove or oven for the convenience of having it readily available when cooking.
However, the moisture and heat from the stove and oven will quickly shorten the life of the pepper.
The best place to keep a spice rack is inside a cabinet door or in a deep drawer away from the stove and oven. It may mean a few extra steps to retrieve it, but the life of the ground black pepper will be greatly enhanced, saving money.
Store Black Pepper in Open Storage
Storing ground black pepper in open storage, such as a spice rack, it fine so long as the pepper is kept inside a tightly sealed tin and located away from the stove or oven. Some prefer to keep their ground black pepper on the top of their counters. This is also fine as long as the same rules about heat and moisture are followed.
Store Black Pepper in the Pantry
A pantry is a wonderful way to store any spices, including ground black pepper. It is cool, dry, and away from heat sources and humidity.
What Containers are Best to Store Ground Black Pepper
While those clear, glass bottles in a spice rack filled with spices appear to be good, storing things like ground black pepper and other spices in them drastically shortens their lives and destroys their flavor. This is because light is one of the enemies of spices, especially direct sunlight.
The best containers to store ground black pepper are:
- Tins
- Mason jars
- Carousel spice racks
Here is a breakdown of each container.
Tins
A tin, like these found on Amazon, is the best place for storing ground black pepper, but make sure the tins do not have glass tops. A tin is a small round container with a rolled edge and flat well-fitted lids. They come in all shapes and sizes and are ideal for storing ground black pepper because they do not allow light to enter.
You can store tins in the freezer or anyplace handy that is away from a major heat source.
Mason Jars
Mason jars are perhaps the eco-friendliest choice of containers for storing ground black pepper. Although they are transparent glass containers, if they are filled with ground black pepper and stored in a dark, cool area, like a cupboard, they will do fine.
Carousel Spice Racks
Storing ground black pepper in a carousel spice rack may sound counterintuitive after reading that the spice should not be stored in a spice rack. However, nothing could be further from the truth.
So long as the carousel or other spice rack is stored inside a cupboard away from heat, moisture, and light, they are a fine and convenient way to keep spices like pepper ready for use.
A Quick Tip About Storing Ground Black Pepper or Peppercorns
Here’s a quick tip about storing ground black pepper or peppercorns, make sure to label the container in which it is stored to make certain which container contains what. There is nothing more frustrating than needing ground black pepper or some peppercorns and having a cupboard full of unlabeled tins.
Use small stick-on labels that can be purchased at any department store and place on them not just what is in the container but the date the ground black pepper or peppercorns were purchased. This way, you can not only find what you need, but the date the pepper was purchased will tell if it is time to attempt to revive or toss it.
How To Tell When Pepper Has Gone Bad
While commercially processed ground black pepper will not rot, it can lose its flavor over time.
The quickest and easiest way to tell if the ground black pepper that will be used on Great Grandma’s famous pepper shrimp is to first put some in the palm of the hand and grind it. Then, after it’s been ground for a few seconds, taste it. Does it taste weak to where it does not burn your tongue? Then it has passed its peak.
One can also smell ground black pepper to check for freshness. Grind some in the palm of the hand and gently sniff to see if it smells strongly of pepper or if it has lost its scent. If the scent is weak or missing, then that batch of ground black pepper has passed its prime.
You Can Sometimes Revive Ground Black Pepper
If the ground black pepper in the cupboard is aging and has lost some of its flavor and kick, sometimes those attributes can be revived by following a few simple steps.
First, pour out enough ground black pepper for use that day. Do not pour out more than you can use because it will lose more flavor than before and need to be tossed in the garbage.
Second, warm up a skillet over medium heat under the pepper making sure to keep the temperature low.
Toast the ground black pepper for one or two minutes making sure to shake the pan to cover all the sides. Once you smell the signature aroma of ground black pepper reviving, remove it from the skillet and place it into a sealed, dark container until it is used.
Grinding Peppercorns
No article on ground black pepper would be complete without mentioning grinding one’s own pepper from peppercorns. There can be little comparison between the flavor and shelf-life of commercially ground pepper against grinding one’s own.
All spices taste better when they are fresh, and peppercorns are no exception to that rule. The best tool for grinding your own black pepper is to purchase a stainless steel or wooden pepper grinder, also known as a pepper mill.
Pepper grinders work by the movement of two metal wheels inside that turn the peppercorns so that they pass through the wheels to grind them. One need only put peppercorns inside the mill, turn the top, and outcomes fresh ground black pepper.
Purchasing Peppercorns
One can buy peppercorns in bulk and store them until they are needed in the freezer or cellar for the best flavor. Peppercorns are hand-picked fruits that are set out in the sun to dry and then given a hot-water bath. They are washed to remove impurities, debris and to help enzymes for the browning of the berries.
The best way to ensure the freshness of peppercorns for grinding into black pepper is to buy them in tiny amounts. Purchasing enough to last six to eight months is optimal to guarantee freshness.
To purchase black peppercorns in bulk, one must first understand that there are several different varieties of peppercorns available to choose from. What makes the difference between one form of peppercorn and another is the places where they are grown. All the places that grow peppercorns have distinct soils and are processed in diverse ways.
No matter what type of peppercorns are purchased, it is vital to only buy from reputable dealers or small spice shops if you wish to have the best outcome from using ground black pepper on food.
Long-Term Storage of Ground Black Pepper or Peppercorns
The official word is that peppercorns can be kept in a sealed container in a cool, dry place for up to one year. However, many claim that peppercorns are still viable after three years if stored properly.
Ground black pepper begins to lose its flavor after about four months, so the best way to keep it fresh is to avoid buying huge cans. Instead, keep purchasing fresh pepper and if the can you purchase lasts longer than four months, go ahead and toss it into the garbage. Ground black pepper is an inexpensive spice, so one can throw it away without too much guilt.
Peppercorns can be purchased packed in either brine or water to maintain freshness. Brined peppercorns need refrigeration soon after opening and used within a month.
Water-packed peppercorns have a short shelf-life after they have been opened and should be refrigerated and used within one week of opening the container.
Magnetized Tins for the Refrigerator
Magnetized tins that stick to the refrigerator to keep spices like ground black pepper conveniently located near the stove or oven are not ideal for storing them. Many magnetized tins have glass tops that expose the spices to light.
Also, while the refrigerator would seem to be a cool enough place to keep ground black pepper, it is not. Refrigerators give off heat, and unless the ground black pepper is used up quickly, it will deteriorate rapidly in that environment.
However, if the tins one wishes to store ground black pepper in have solid-colored lids that allow little or no light into the top, they will indeed be handy. Only fasten them to a metal strip attached to a cabinet door instead of the fridge.
Some Expert Tips on Ground Black Pepper
There are fourteen peppercorn types in the world that are used in cooking. They come from regions of the world, such as:
- Brazil
- China
- India
- Cameroon
- Indonesia
- Mexico
Each region has different soil types giving each variation of black peppercorn a different taste and punch.
One expert tip to preserving the flavor of these marvelous spices is to store them in commercial-grade plastic bags that allow excess air to be expelled to preserve freshness. Using plastic bags also makes for easy organization of all the spices laying about on counters in a kitchen.
Keeping the plastic bags in a wire basket stored with labels on top will allow for easy retrieval. Just remember to keep the bags in the dark for optimal taste.
Growing One’s Own Black Pepper for Optimal Storage
One manner to store ground black pepper not discussed yet is the ultimate, growing one’s own peppercorn plant.
What is needed to grow a pepper plant is a large planting pot, some quality potting mix, and some viable black pepper seeds that can be obtained from specialty seed stores or purchased online. Pepper plants can also be propagated from cuttings if one knows someone else who is already growing their own fresh black pepper.
To plant, add some compost and coarse sand to the potting soil. Then make a small hole in the soil in the planting pot and drop the seed into it. Afterward, make sure to water the seeds well.
When the plants emerge and have grown a few inches tall, pack the soil firmly around the base of each one and remember to keep them watered thoroughly.
Make sure to use a big enough pot because black pepper plants have extensive root systems and will become pot-bound quickly and not grow well if the pot is too small. Then, when the plant flowers and the flowers become peppercorns, harvest what you need and grind them in a pepper mill.
How To Tell If Ground Black Pepper Has Spoiled
As has been stated, ground black pepper is almost indestructible if kept away from sunlight, heat, and moisture. However, ground black pepper can spoil. Here are some of the best ways to tell if the pepper in your pantry has gone bad.
- The ground black pepper is moldy
- The ground black pepper has gotten or is wet
- The pepper just seems off
- The pepper has lost its heat
Let’s take a closer look at these four circumstances.
The Ground Black Pepper is Moldy
Mold will eventually grow on ground black pepper if it is old enough or if it has gotten wet whichever comes first. If moldy pepper is found, do not eat it. While it may not make one ill, it will taste atrocious.
The Ground Black Pepper is Wet
If water has gotten into the package either through not being sealed properly in the freezer or improper storage in a cabinet located too close to a water or steam source, the pepper will be useless.
The Ground Black Pepper Seems Off
Although the ground black pepper may look okay, if it has a twangy taste, one that is unfamiliar, or it has lost its flavor altogether, then throw it out. To test for these things, simply place some of the pepper on the tip of the tongue and taste it. No one will be harmed in doing this, and one will know immediately if the pepper is on its way to becoming moldy.
The Pepper Has Lost Its Heat
Ground Black Pepper must be truly ancient for this to happen, but the pepper will lose its heat if it is old enough. Again, the only way to see if the pepper is too old is to perform a taste test. For all of the above scenarios, throw the pepper away and get a new can.
Final Thoughts
Ground pepper is a versatile staple spice found in many kitchens around the world so it is a good idea to be educated about how to keep it from going bad.
Properly stored ground pepper can stay fresh for several years and can be consumed past the expiration date if there are no signs of spoilage.
Related Questions
Can you get sick from eating expired spices? Spices don’t usually expire in a way that makes you sick. If they are properly stored without mold present flavor will fade, and it will be stale but not dangerous to consume in most cases.
Does sugar go bad? Granulated sugar has a two-year shelf life but technically never spoils when properly stored so it can be used in baking long after the expiration date.
For more, check out How Long Do Sauce and Condiment Packets Last?
Anne James has a wealth of experience in a wide array of interests and is an expert in quilting, cooking, gardening, camping, mixing drinks (worked as a professional bartender), and making jelly.
Anne has a professional canning business, has been featured in the local newspaper as well as on the Hershey website, and has been her family canner for decades. Anyone growing up in the South knows that there is always a person in the family who has knowledge of the “old ways,” and this is exactly what Anne is.
With over 55 years of experience in these endeavors, she brings a level of hands-on knowledge that is hard to surpass. Amazingly, she doesn’t need to reference many resources due to her vast wealth of experience. She IS the source.
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