A potent, flavorful addition to steaks, chicken, pork chops, and even veggies, Montreal Steak Seasoning is one of the most popular spice blends on the market. This seasoning can even give a savory kick to lighter fare.
Does Montreal Steak Seasoning Expire? Montreal Steak Seasoning never spoils but does have an expiration date. Once past its expiration date, Montreal Steak Seasoning begins to lose potency and won’t taste quite right. Despite being expired, Montreal Steak Seasoning should still be safe to consume as long as it hasn’t been exposed to moisture.
How to Tell if Montreal Steak Seasoning Has Gone Bad?
Spices, unlike most other foods, don’t go bad or spoil in a way that makes them non-consumable. Properly stored spices can hypothetically be used forever, though they will lose their potency and taste weaker as time goes on.
The one exception to this rule is when spices are exposed to moisture. Moisture will cause spices to mold, ruining them.
If you look at your Montreal Steak Seasoning and see any indication of white or black fuzz, your seasoning is molded and is now spoiled. Throw it away.
Is it Okay to Use Expired Montreal Steak Seasoning?
Yes, using Montreal Steak Seasoning that has expired is okay.
With spices, even blends, expiration doesn’t mean that the spice becomes unsafe to eat. Instead, it becomes blander and blander over time, meaning that you will not get the flavor you expect from expired spices.
A few months to a year after expiration shouldn’t affect your spices flavor very much, but any longer than a year and the taste may not be adequate.
How to Read Montreal Steak Seasoning Expiration Date?
McCormick Spice Company, the chief producer of Montreal Steak Seasoning in the US, prints their expiration dates in a black vertical bar on the side of their spice shakers.
The format for the expiration date has a month/year date followed up by a lot number.
The first number is a ‘Best Before’ date, and the second is when the product was produced.
Seasoning that is at its best before March of 2020 would have MAR 20 listed as the ‘Best Before’ date.
The lot numbers have a letter at the beginning, which stands for a month. January is A, February is B, and so on. This letter is followed by the day and the year of production. So seasoning produced on February 2nd, 2021 would read B 02 21
How to Store Montreal Steak Seasoning?
To keep your Montreal Steak Seasoning at its tastiest, proper storage is key. There are a few things to consider when storing spice blends, and these little changes can really make all the difference in how long your seasoning will stay its freshest.
Where to Store Montreal Steak Seasoning?
Like most other spices, there is no reasoning to store Montreal Steak Seasoning in the refrigerator. The only time refrigeration is needed is if you’ve mixed your seasoning with oil or another liquid to make a marinade.
The best place to store Montreal Steak Seasoning is in a cool, dark location without drastic temperature fluctuations.
Storing seasonings in an open front, bright storage cabinet is aesthetically pleasing, but the light will cause your spices to lose their oomph faster.
What Container Is Best For Montreal Steak Seasoning?
Montreal Steak Seasoning is traditionally sold in a plastic container, but this actually isn’t the best container for freshness. The ideal storage container for Montreal Steak Seasoning is a sealed glass container.
Glass is much better at preventing moisture or any other kind of contamination than plastic is, so even if moving your spices to new containers seems like a pain, it is better for your pantry in the long run.
Does it Matter Where My Montreal Steak Seasoning Was Produced?
One funny note on McCormick’s expiration dates is that if your spice reads that it was produced in Baltimore, MD, then it’s over 25 years old!
McCormick moved their production plant to Hunt Valley, MD, over 25 years ago, so when a viral post by the spice company urged anyone with spices produced in Baltimore to clean out their pantry, many people were shocked to find that their spices were over a quarter of a century-old!
If you ever doubted that spices didn’t expire, the rampant usage of spices that were old enough to drink should be proof enough!
What is Montreal Steak Seasoning?
Montreal Steak Seasoning is a spice blend meant to top steaks and other meats. The principal components of the blend are garlic, coriander, black pepper, cayenne pepper flakes, dill seed, and salt.
Montreal Steak Seasoning is also known by the names Montreal steak spice, Canadian steak seasoning, or Canadian steak spice, and in America is primarily produced by the company McCormick.
How to Use Montreal Steak Seasoning?
The shaker that Montreal Steak Seasoning comes in is a fine way to distribute the seasoning, but excess oxygen, to a lesser extent than moisture, can make spices go bad over time.
When you shake a spice up, it’s exposed to a ton of oxygen, making it lose its flavor faster. To avoid this, scooping the spice out with a clean spoon before adding it to your dish instead of shaking helps lessen oxygen exposure.
The only downfall of this method is if your spoon is moist or dirty, you risk exposing your Montreal Steak Seasoning to contamination.
Final Thoughts
- Montreal Steak Seasoning is a blend of different spices that is great on everything from steak to roasted vegetables.
- Like other dried spices, Montreal Steak Seasoning does not spoil in a way that makes it unsafe to eat. Instead, it loses its potency and becomes less tasty the further away from the expiration date it is used.
- Montreal Steak Seasoning is best stored in a cool dark place, and kept in a sealed glass container, to keep its flavor as robust as possible.
- Montreal Steak Seasoning is fine to use after the expiration date with no ill consequences.
- Montreal Steak Seasoning has a clear expiration date and lot number printed on its container as a ‘Best Before’ date and lot number.