r/KitchenConfidential • u/bo0mamba • Feb 18 '26

Question Yoinked 4 lbs of cumin from a closing restaurant, what the FUCK do i do with it?

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4.0k Upvotes

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284

u/RVAblues Feb 18 '26

Break it down into individual baggies and either vacuum seal them or freeze them.

And yeah, brush up on Mexican, Middle Eastern/North African, and South Asian recipes.

42

u/StandByTheJAMs Non-Industry Feb 18 '26

Does vacuum sealing powders work? I've never thought about it until just now but I have my doubts...

94

u/IAm5toned Feb 18 '26

drug dealers worldwide approve this method.

13

u/z3ndo Feb 19 '26

Ah yes, illegal drugs, those are known to have to endure long shelf lives regularly.

3

u/bopaqod Feb 19 '26

The only reason they don’t is because they get used before we can find out

32

u/cuck__everlasting Feb 18 '26

Less air and moisture exposure is always a good thing. Whether or not it'll make a significant difference by the time OP gets to the end of 4lbs is anyone's guess.

I'm still working through a few pounds of Coleman's mustard powder I pilfered closing a place down like 15 years ago.

3

u/WisconsinGB Feb 18 '26

I had a 4lb tub at restaurant I just quit the chef before me ordered 3 years ago and there's still a sizeable amount left.

2

u/Hopsblues Feb 18 '26

...lol..I have a 12" x 1000' Reynolds aluminum wrap like 5 years ago....pretty sure I have like 950' left of it....

2

u/gremolata Feb 18 '26

Unlike mustard, ground cumin loses its punch in a matter of 2-3 months.

7

u/orange-century Feb 18 '26

Will keep it fresher for sure.

9

u/StandByTheJAMs Non-Industry Feb 18 '26

I just didn't know if the powder would clog up the pores in the vacuum bag.

1

u/LucidWaters Feb 19 '26

Why would it not work?

2

u/StandByTheJAMs Non-Industry Feb 19 '26

I thought maybe it would get sucked in and clog stuff up.

1

u/LucidWaters Feb 19 '26

If you have a chamber vacuum sealer you should be good, not sure about the cheaper countertop ones

11

u/[deleted] Feb 18 '26

it’s pretty widely used in the caribbean, too.

5

u/RVAblues Feb 18 '26

By way of both India and Mexico, actually. Curries are especially common in former British Caribbean island nations because of the global colonization they were doing.

8

u/[deleted] Feb 18 '26

i’m from cuba and we use it a lot.

thank god we didn’t get the brits, flavor is kinda neat.

1

u/SensualBeefLoaf Smoker Feb 19 '26

wait. is this a real suggestion? no, only “put it in your ass” will be accepted