Spices for your food
I’m sure you don’t really think much about your spices. You need one, you grab it. Unless you cook oodles and have a multitude of spices. Even if you don’t cook loads, you can end up accumulating countless spices over the years. The goal is to make it easy to get to and easy to find. You can’t have them in front of each other because then you can’t see the ones in the back. And if you stack them, then you have to move the one on top to get to the one on the bottom. That’s a hassle.
The other factor is “they” say you shouldn’t have them out by the stove since the heat can speed up the loss of flavor of the spice. It’s also best to keep them out of the light if they are in clear containers. So my solution to where to store the seasonings is a cupboard close to the stove! Mine is that triangular-shaped corner cupboard where items placed in the back inevitably get unused because we are visual creatures!
I consider myself an average accumulator of condiments/spices..so if I have about 30 different spices of various sizes and mixtures, I would think others do also.
Of course I keep my spices in alphabetical order (not perfectly but approximately)…how else would you do it? Then if I need Cumin, I just spin to the C’s and there it is.
The easiest way for me to organize this job is to use my favorite double-decker lazy susan pictured below. You can find them on Amazon, although I purchased mine at the thrift store for less.
This is only 10.5 inches tall and so should fit in a standard cupboard. I use the top tier for the small spice jars keeping them above the alphabetized area in which they belong. It’s also convenient to put other small miscellaneous items on the top tier like candles, spice packets from pizza delivery, and even extracts (laying on their side).
Then I use these single-layer lazy susans (found here on Amazon) for the bulk spices and tall liquids like vinegar. Since there are many different sizes of these turntables, it’s good to measure the cabinet first!
As a bulk seasoning buyer, I have the greatest tip to get them in smaller containers. Do you know those pesky inserts in most magazines and catalogs? I use those leaflets because they can be rolled into any size opening and then can be thrown into the recycle bin when finished! In the past, I utilized my kitchen funnel but some spices would build up and get stuck in the tip, and then, of course, it had to be washed.
See the short video of how to do this easy peasy. And where do I store these magazine inserts? In the junk drawer, of course. See my junk drawer here.
As a thrifty shopper, this is the budget version of an organized area!
