Storing tahini: where, how long and what to look out for
Keep the jar closed, cool and out of the light — a kitchen cupboard away from the cooker is right. Unopened, follow the best-before date on the jar. Once opened, use a clean spoon each time and work through it over the following months.
Light and heat are what spoil it
Half of what is in the jar is oil, and oil turns rancid through warmth, light and air. That is the whole story of storing tahini. A cupboard does the job; the shelf above the hob does not, however convenient it is.
Close the lid properly after each use. Every scoop with a wet or used spoon brings in moisture, and moisture is what lets mould take hold.
The fridge makes it hard
Tahini does not need refrigeration and gets difficult in the cold: stiff, hard to stir and awkward to spoon. If you have kept it there anyway, let the jar stand out for an hour before you use it.
How to tell it has turned
Smell first. Good tahini smells of roasted sesame; a sharp, paint-like or stale-nut smell means the oil has oxidised, and the taste will be bitter. That is not a stirring problem.
Oil floating on top is not spoilage but the normal behaviour of tahini without emulsifiers.
A 700 g jar is a lot of tahini
Six jars of 700 g come to 4.2 kg, so it helps to have more than hummus in mind. Dressings, halva, cookies and the Kurdish breakfast of rashi with date syrup all take real spoonfuls — the recipes are a place to start.
Also good to know
Can you freeze tahini?
You can, and it survives, but the texture comes out grainier and needs long stirring afterwards. Given how long a cupboard jar keeps, there is rarely a reason to.
Does tahini go off quickly once opened?
No. Sesame paste contains very little water, which is what makes it slow to spoil. Closed, cool and dark, an opened jar stays good for months.
The box
6 jars of 700 g, 4.2 kg of stone-ground tahini from Amedi, €49.00 per box. Shipped from the Netherlands to more than 40 European countries.
Order a box