bnbacademy Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 (edited) There has to be a better way... I have half of a shelf full of spices and the 3-tiered shelf attached to the base cabinet door for spices. I still waste time searching for spices while cooking. Any advice on new storage ideas and/or organizing for easy access? Oh, and I really don't want to put any on the counter. ETA: oops, just saw a similar thread... I'll browse there... Edited July 22, 2012 by bnbacademy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 The only thing I've done that's helped is to keep the spices I use in almost every meal- things like garlic powder or basil- in their own separate little box for easy access. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 I have one of those plastic three step thingies across the bottom shelf of a large cabinet. I sort by cooking style. So, the cinn, allspice, clove, nutmeg, cake spice, vanilla etc is at one end, my Indian spices along the back behind them, the italian/tomato loving spices in one cluster, the peppers in another, although I keep the Aleppo pepper with the Italians because I put it in tomato sauce. There there are mixes for stirfries or dressing/dips. The more commonly used ones get front row. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bnbacademy Posted July 22, 2012 Author Share Posted July 22, 2012 The only thing I've done that's helped is to keep the spices I use in almost every meal- things like garlic powder or basil- in their own separate little box for easy access. So easy... thank you. Mine seem to mysteriously mix around the cupboard and my fear is that I will substitute chili powder for cinnamon one day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 So easy... thank you. Mine seem to mysteriously mix around the cupboard and my fear is that I will substitute chili powder for cinnamon one day. You never know. I made some pretty tasty mustard snaps last year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 You never know. I made some pretty tasty mustard snaps last year. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dory Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 My hubby made the shelves on one of my baking cupboards a little more shallow than usual, put heavier duty hinges on the doors, and build little shelves inside the doors. All my spices fit single file on the shelves. There's three shelves on each door so there's plenty of room for all my usual spices. The ones that I don't use regularly that don't fit on the shelves, I just put into the cupboard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bnbacademy Posted July 22, 2012 Author Share Posted July 22, 2012 I have one of those plastic three step thingies across the bottom shelf of a large cabinet. I sort by cooking style. So, the cinn, allspice, clove, nutmeg, cake spice, vanilla etc is at one end, my Indian spices along the back behind them, the italian/tomato loving spices in one cluster, the peppers in another, although I keep the Aleppo pepper with the Italians because I put it in tomato sauce. There there are mixes for stirfries or dressing/dips. The more commonly used ones get front row. HTH I often cluster them, but then find them scattered throughout on the next go round due to other cooks in the kitchen. What do you do about the varying heights of bought spice containers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bnbacademy Posted July 22, 2012 Author Share Posted July 22, 2012 My hubby made the shelves on one of my baking cupboards a little more shallow than usual, put heavier duty hinges on the doors, and build little shelves inside the doors. All my spices fit single file on the shelves. There's three shelves on each door so there's plenty of room for all my usual spices. The ones that I don't use regularly that don't fit on the shelves, I just put into the cupboard. That sounds great. I'm tempted to remove my door shelf, because it's not big enough for all the "usuals". It may save shelf space, but not time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 I have "stickies" on the inside of my cabinet doors - I think 18 on each side. each "sticky" holds one uniform sized spice bottle and I have about six across. (we buy bulk and refill). the spices are arranged alphabetically. it's really fast to find what I'm looking for and to put away. on the shelf I have turntables. the bulk spices are on a harder to reach shelf and are also in alpha sorting. this is the closest I found (or this one, but not adjustable) the thing I liked was I could adjust them according to how the cupboard door would close - no hitting shelves or hinges. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThisIsTheDay Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 I have a cheap, two-tiered lazy Susan styled plastic thing from Walmart in my cabinet. I have always arranged the spices alphabetically, and anyone else in my family is lectured that they'd better return them to the same spot (!). It's holding 35 spices right now; it's about full. The round lazy-Susan style is not the best use of space (round in a square space), but it's kept my sanity for many years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 Do you have a drawer they will fit? I have a shallow, very wide drawer, and my spice jars lie down in it, labels up. Super-easy to see what is there and how much. When I have a duplicate, the new jar goes upside down (top to the front of the drawer) so I know to use the one that is right side up first. Before this kitchen remodel gave me such a fabulous drawer, I used shallow racks screwed to the inside of a couple of cabinet doors. I did not have as many spices at the time, though Terri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kroe1 Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 Do you have a drawer they will fit? I have a shallow, very wide drawer, and my spice jars lie down in it, labels up. Super-easy to see what is there and how much. When I have a duplicate, the new jar goes upside down (top to the front of the drawer) so I know to use the one that is right side up first. Before this kitchen remodel gave me such a fabulous drawer, I used shallow racks screwed to the inside of a couple of cabinet doors. I did not have as many spices at the time, though Terri We have a spice drawer, too. My husband has a big drawer under the counter where he prepares the food. It's great not having 8 or 9 spice jars fall out of a cabinet every time it is open. I go in and alphabetize the spices every few months just because I'm OCD that way. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ednkirstin Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 I have "stickies" on the inside of my cabinet doors - I think 18 on each side. each "sticky" holds one uniform sized spice bottle and I have about six across. (we buy bulk and refill). the spices are arranged alphabetically. it's really fast to find what I'm looking for and to put away. on the shelf I have turntables. the bulk spices are on a harder to reach shelf and are also in alpha sorting. Thanks for this idea! I thought $39.99 seemed pretty high for little plastic clips, but I found pretty much the same thing on Amazon for $7.95 here. It looks like you get 4 strips that each hold 5, but can be broken into smaller sections to customize. Doing the happy dance and gonna give it a try! :hurray: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bnbacademy Posted July 22, 2012 Author Share Posted July 22, 2012 Thank you for your ideas. Has anyone attached a spice rack of any kind to the bottom of the upper cabinet? I'm wondering if this hinged rack works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 My spices (other than s&p) are in a basket above my cabinets. I'm pretty tall, but it's still a pain. We have no cabinet or counter space, though. (One double cabinet for plates, cups, bowls, the short double cabinet over the range, and a single skinny cabinet for sugar, flour, coffe filters, etc. That's it up top.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 I have two lazy susans next to each other in the cabinet that hold all my spices. Frequently used are on the outside of the ring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamakim Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 Thank you for your ideas. Has anyone attached a spice rack of any kind to the bottom of the upper cabinet? I'm wondering if this hinged rack works. I have this lady's idea bookmarked - I really really want to do this. Currently I have a tiered plastic thing in a cupboard with spices alphabetical, but wow what a mess. I love that it frees up cupboards, etc. And it looks really nice with the pretty trim piece :001_smile:. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In the Rain Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 You never know. I made some pretty tasty mustard snaps last year. :lol: My husband has done the same thing! It was when the spices were in baggies waiting to be put in their jars. He said it looked about the right color. :tongue_smilie: They actually weren't bad- just hot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In the Rain Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 I have a large pantry. I keep my spice jars in plastic shoeboxes. They are grouped roughly by purpose. The top of each jar is labeled with a colored garage sale type dot sticker: green for herbs, yellow for baking, red for spicy. I write the name on the sticker. The color system makes it pretty easy to find what I am looking for. Commonly used bottles naturally work their way to the front of the boxes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justLisa Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 I use a lot of different spices. I keep them in the smallest mason jars in a drawer. I used to keep many on the counter on a lazy susan thing but they get all greasy/dusty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stellalarella Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 I acquired some small plastic containers from friends who own a restaurant. I love them because they stack! I buy my spices in bulk from Whole Foods. When we lived in rural Kansas, i bought my spices in bulk from Glenn's Bulk Foods near Hutchinson. Oh, man. I miss that store. But anyway, here is a picture of my spice cabinet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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