9 Surprising Kitchen Items You Need To Replace Every Year, According to a Pro

Stocking a kitchen is an ongoing project. While some items last practically forever (cast iron pots and pans, well-cared-for chopping boards and carving boards, etc.), many should be replaced about yearly. Here are the pantry items, kitchen tools, and cleaning items I keep up to date. 

1. Spice Blends and Dried Herbs

While whole spices like nutmeg, peppercorns, and cinnamon sticks can keep their potency for three years or more, ground-up spices and more delicate, leafy herbs tend to lose their kick within a year or so. They’ll still be safe to use but won’t pack the same punch. For this reason, it’s best to buy them in smaller quantities unless there are certain ones that you go through faster. In my house, we go through lots of chili powder, granulated garlic, and lemon pepper on a regular basis, so we go big on those.  

2. Baking Powder and Baking Soda

These leavening agents keep for about two years in their sealed containers, but once opened they can start to lose their rising power in six months to a year. Store them in a cool, dark place (like a spice cabinet or pantry) to keep them fresh. 

3. Flour

Different varieties of flour can vary widely in shelf life, so be sure to note their expiration dates, especially if you’re transferring them to a different storage container. The most white, processed flour (all-purpose flour, bread flour, and cake flour) will keep just fine in your pantry for a year or up to two years in the fridge or freezer. Whole grain flours and nut flours like whole wheat flour and almond flour have a shorter shelf life when stored at room temperature—they last in the pantry for three to six months, but in the freezer, they’ll keep for a year or so. 

4. Nuts and Seeds

If you have the space, it pays to store your nuts and seeds in the fridge or freezer. Like whole grain and nut flours, they contain a lot of oil, so they can go rancid after three to six months if stored in the pantry. Always sniff before you use them—a handful of off-tasting nuts can spoil a whole recipe in a hurry. In the fridge, they’ll keep for about a year, and in the freezer, that extends to two years. Sesame seeds in particular usually get relegated to the spice cabinet, but they do last much longer in cold storage.

5. Rice and Pasta

Just like with flours, whole grain and gluten-free pastas, as well as brown rice, usually have a shorter shelf life than white varieties. They do tend to keep for about six months to a year past their “Best By” date. If it passes the smell test, it’s fine to use. As for white flour pasta and white rice, stored in a cool, dark pantry, those should be fine for two years or more. I buy 20-pound bags of medium grain and long grain white rice, then store them in ant-proof containers in my hall closet. What can I say, I don’t have a walk-in pantry, so I have to improvise a little!

6. Towels and Dish Cloths

I don’t know if you’re as hard on your kitchen linens as we are in this house, but after a year, they tend to get pretty dingy and worn out. If a day-long soak in OxiClean isn’t restoring them to their former glory, I know it’s time to get some new ones. 

7. Nonstick Skillets

Most of my cookware is either stainless steel, enameled, or cast iron, and those pieces should last for as long as you take good care of them. Nonstick is another story. No matter how careful you are, chances are that they’ll begin to lose their nonstick properties (and probably take on a few scratches) within one to three years. I always keep an eight-inch and a 10-inch nonstick skillet around for a few specialized tasks, and I don’t buy top-of-the-line ones since I know they’re going to wear out eventually. 

8. Silicone and Nylon Spoons and Spatulas

Similar to nonstick skillets, silicone and nylon utensils just don’t last like the ones made out of more durable materials, aka wood and metal. I try not to use mine around sharp objects, but I’ve been known to nick them on blender and food processor blades (oops!). Even with the most care, they do get nicked or stained within a year or so, no matter how fancy the brand. 

9. Kitchen Sponges 

I never use the same kitchen sponge for an entire year—mine gets replaced about every two weeks. I’m including them here, though, because they are a yearly purchase for me. I’ll grab a 24-pack from Costco, and then I don’t have to think about buying them again for a while. They’re much cheaper this way, too. 

Are there other items that you replace on a yearly basis? Anything I’ve missed here? Let me know!