Organizing spices

[LisaR]

Does anyone refrigerate their spices? I guess there are some that you aren't suppose to refrigerate but I still do. I buy big bags from Penzy and I feel like it is too humid and buggy here to leave them sitting out.

 

[Traveliz]

Does anyone refrigerate their spices? I guess there are some that you aren't suppose to refrigerate but I still do. I buy big bags from Penzy and I feel like it is too humid and buggy here to leave them sitting out.

Buggy is exactly what got me to buy the Tupperware set - I didn't have that problem (that I know of) but the Tupperware lady was talking about that problem and I had a hot mess of spices so I decided to go for it....LONG time ago - and I do really love the set up.

Liz

 

[Disney Doll]

Spioce racks and lazy susan in my house. We don't buy much in bulk because they go bad after a while.

 

[deegack]

If you're building I highly highly recommend a pull out spice cabinet. We have one about four inches wide in our island. It has three racks of varying heights that fit 99% of my spices. The other ones are in th lazy Susan in the corner with the baking items. It's great because I do all of my prep on the island and the spices ate right there.

 

[lpereira]

I' cooking dinner. As son as I'm done ill go to the computer. I have a functional but nit pretty perfect solution for you.

 

[donac]

Clean out a drawer, put dividers in as needed and lay your spices in there. It is MUCH easier to find. If you need to take utensils out of the drawer or whatever, put those in a Rubbermaid tote in the cabinet where your spices are now.

My mom's old house had drop down spice racks that fit under the cabinets. Her's was custom made by the previous owner but it was similar to this:

I have mine in a drawer also. I cleaned out all the duplicates just the other day. With them lying flat you can see all the labels.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I had a whole cabinet for spices but I lost it with our kitchen renovation. I found myself in a "spice crisis" too, and searched high and low to find something that might work.

The best spice rack I ever saw was my ex SILs. It hung on the wall but someone must have made it because it was huge. I probably could have had one made but I really had nowhere to hang it near the stove or cooking area.

Fortunately, I discovered in my new upper corner cabinet that there was plenty of room on the bottom of the cabinet itself, under the two spinners, for all the spices I could ever want. And the best part is that it even holds the really tall ones in the corners.

It was kind of liberating going through all my spices, tossing many of them and starting fresh. I have them organized in my own way for what I use them for - like spices for a sauce are all together; spices for meat are in another area; those used least in the back, etc.

So I guess my suggestion might be to see if there's any room in the bottom of your cabinets. Good luck. I spent a ton of time looking online and there are some pretty good ideas out there.

 

[MrsPete]

I thought of this because of a friend of mine that does this. She has a very small kitchen. She buys in bulk but the bags from the spice store (Penzey's for her mostly--and me) are stiffer so they stand up on their own for the most part so it works for her.

I don't know Penzey's, but the bags where I buy spices are just like ziplock storage bags -- not freezer bags, just storage bags.

Throw everything out and start over. Seriously, you need all the same size containers, whatever they end up being. You are wasting money by trying to save money. Just suck it up and buy the more expensive ones in the matching bottles at the grocery store. Then, once you have all of those, you can refill with the bulk after you make a list of what you need!

No, I'm not throwing out perfectly good spices. And no one manufacturer makes every spice; plus, I need to house several homemade spice mixtures.

and they discontinued the spice rack I just bought there a few months ago. Of course, none of the other jars are the right size so I am back to square one.

Note to self: Buy several extras in case of breakage.

I'm fond of my Dean and Deluca test tubes...

http://www.deandeluca.com/ViewProduct.aspx?ProductID=160213168&ref_code=GoogleMerchant


They sit out on the counter for everyday use, and then I have add'l specialty spices in jars in the cabinet. My bulk spice place sells clear jars that are standard spice jar size so everything stays fairly neat.

That is totally adorable . . . but not "me". My daughter would LOVE it.

I have the Tupperware Spice container set - actually two in my cabinet. LOVE it.

Tupperware . . . now why didn't I think of that on my own? I see that they make containers in two sizes . . . and with RED tops! This is a good possibility. Downside: They wouldn't fit nicely on a lazy susan, so some of them would "hide" in the back of my cabinet (and I really don't have a better spot to store them).

Spioce racks and lazy susan in my house. We don't buy much in bulk because they go bad after a while.

Buying bulk spices doesn't mean you have to bring home a restaurant-sized container. It means the spices are in a jar, and you scoop out exactly the amount you want to buy -- perhaps one tablespoon, perhaps three pounds. It's a very efficient way to buy.

 

[robinb]

I have a cabinet organizer that is a stair-step shelf so I can see everything at a glance. I got it at Bed, bath and Beyond: http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=13983119

 

[lpereira]

I had to hunt this thread down. When i was apartment living i had a spice storage and organizational issue. I dont have my homemade rack anymore (I love space!) but it still works. Very functional but not pretty at all.
You need 1 or 2 2x4s cut to length to match the bottom of your wall cabinet, some regular nails, some small tacking type nails, a number of baby food jars cleaned and de-papered, and thick rope (only if you are using 2 boards.
Empty out the baby food jars (i bought fruits because i could use the baby foods in sauces) or snag them from a friend. Take the tops of the jars and using the smaller nails nail the top to one side of the board. Use a permanent marker to label the jar or masking tape if you think you might want to change later. Take the 2x4 and using the larger nails, nail it to the underside of your wall cabinet above the counter. It doesnt have to be close to where you cook because the jars are portable. If you want a second row of spices then nail the rope to the sides of the first 2x4 (about4-5 inches of length) and repeat the process.
Take your bulk spices and fill each jar about half full. Place the remainder of the spices in a ziplock and put in the freezer. Bulk spices keep for about 6 months frozen without loss of potency.
You simply screw the jar into the nailed on top and voila. Instant, organized and usable spice rack.
You can get fancy and use a jig saw and a varnish to make your boards look nice and get a chain to suspend the second rack instead of rope.

The jar trick works great in the garage or workshop to organize all the fasteners, nails, screws, etc into one neat easy to find place.

I was a fan of baby food apricots because i could make an excellent sauce to put on fish with it. You can freeze the baby food into baggies as well until you can use it all.

 

[clh2]

We recently had our spice cabinet "slimmed up 3" to increase the fridge space. While I LOVE the bigger fridge - I didn't realize how much the narrower spice cabinet would drive my batty.

My husband got me this for my birthday.

It allowed us to a the "jarred" spices in the spice rack, and then everything else fits better and is a little more organized - because I can see things.

Good luck...we struggled with this for about 6 months, until DH found the spice rack.