Please could anyone advise me of the best way to store (home made) Garam Masala?

I've seem some websites advise not to store in the fridge and yet others which say it's ok.

Hello Pampy

I never make a large amount of Garam Masala at a time. I keep it in my kitchen cupboard. My 'whole' ingredients (cardamoms, cinnamon, bay leaves, cloves, black peppers) normally live in the bottom drawer of my freezer, leaving a small amount of each out for everyday use.

mamta

Spices can be stored in the fridge, if in a container with a very good seal. Spices deteriorate for many reasons. One is moisture; this affects paprika and other finely powdered spices more. Another is light, which affects coloured spices more. Warmth will hassen the deterioration as well, so, a cool dark place with no moisture is best. This may be your fridge, if it is dry, some fridges are very wet places, so beware. Mamta's suggestion is also a good one, if the deep freeze is dry (it usually freeze-dries most things...so called freezer burn). However, I keep all my spices on several shelves in a dimly lit kitchen in glass jars with effectively sealed lids. This method keeps freshly ground garam masala fragrant for more than six months.

Don't forget to put the date of grinding on your GM or other spice mixes, it will give you an idea of when to check them for deterioration.

Thanks both for your replies. I've only made a small amount but haven't used it all in my recipe so will store in an air-tight container in a cool cupboard.

The recipe I wanted it for, by the way, was your Chicken Pasanda, Mamta - oh boy - it was out of this world! I'm in serious danger of becoming addicted to it!

I just make it afresh each time from whole spices. I keep those in sealed bags in a cupboard. The only pre-ground spices I use are ground ginger (only in an emergency when we've run out of root ginger, or if there's a recipe that calls for it) and paprika.

Phil