How To Organize Spices

Posted by Laura

April 4, 2008

Photo by view from 5'2
When was the last time you opened one of your spice jars and smelled…well, …spice? Spices are often overlooked and neglected when we look in our cupboards. And now is the time to take it in hand.

Step 1: Put all your spices together

First, gather all your spices out in one place. From every nook and cranny, take them all out and put them on a large surface, like your kitchen table.

Step 2: Purge

A good rule of thumb: if it is a year old throw it out.

But what if you don’t know? I had many spices I couldn’t remember when I purchased. In this case, smell them. If they don’t smell pungent, out they go.

Step 3: Label

Make sure all spice bottles are labeled. When I performed this exercise, I had several spice blends I had made up…and had no idea what they were. Was it taco seasoning, or steak seasoning? I couldn’t tell. Make sure all your jars are labeled.

Step 4: Organize

There are two ways you can go about this: by usage, or alphabetical. If you don’t have a large area to keep all your spices, organizing by usage is more practical.

Sort the spices into the order they will be stored.

Step 5: Store

Bear in mind that heat and humidity are the enemies of spices. There are many options for storage, though.

Wall Mounted Spice rack

Wall mounted spice racks, like Alder Wood Wall Mount or Counter Top Spice Rack - 3 Sizes Available (aff), give you a nice way to keep your spices handy. The disadvantage to this type of rack is that you have to transfer spices from their original containers into the rack’s jars, and it takes a fair amount of wall space to mount. The advantages is you get to see everything in one glance.

Rotating platform

The rotating platform, like the Kamenstein Revolving Spice Rack with 16 Filled Jars (aff), requires less space than a wall mounted rack, but gives you the same uniform look.

Step 6: Revisit this Process

Keep up with your spices. Buy what you need when you need it, in as small a quantity as you will use. And never be afraid to toss!

Bleachers

Bleachers that sit in a cabinet, like EXPAND A SHELVES (aff), allow you to keep the original containers, while making sure that no spice jar gets shoved to the back of the cupboard.

Cupboard mounts

Cupboard mounted racks, like Feeny 4 Tier Spice Rack 10 3/4″ Wide White (aff), mount to the back of a cupboard door. It gives you the ability to keep your spices in their original containers, while not sacrificing wall space.

Drawer racks

Drawer racks, such as Drawer Spice Rack (aff), give you the ability to put your spice bleacher in a horizontal drawer.

Photo by view from 5′2″

Cooking/Meals, Organization

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Comments

Thanks for the tips. One type of spice rack you missed is the SpiceStack. SpiceStack saves space by stacking up to 27 bottles from the grocery store in your kitchen cabinet (where spices will stay dry, dark and happy!). The drop-down drawers allow you to always find spices fast while cooking. Check it out at http://www.SpiceStack.com.

Comment by Lauren on April 7, 2008 @ 9:04 am

The Spice Stack looks interesting. It is certainly a good use of space. The big benefit I could see is that you don’t have to transfer spices to another bottle. The disadvantage is that you have to open each of the drawers to see what is in there. Unless you are like my mother, who alphabetizes her spices, this could lead to a real searching game.

Comment by Laura on April 7, 2008 @ 6:24 pm

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