My first thought when it came to spice cabinet organization was to look at spice racks online but most of them come with preselected spices and they require either counter space or wall space, two things I am severely lacking in my galley style kitchen. That doesn't mean that I didn't drool over
Jennifer beautiful, home re-made spice rack! While I couldn't fit something like that in my kitchen, I really liked her idea of creating a baking center. I tackled the job by first removing everything from the cabinet (it's my favorite way to
start) and then tossing what was old or unused. Boy, that was a hard one. I tend to stow away spices just in case I get the urge to make a really unique dish that calls for white pepper, coriander and chervil leaf.
Just get rid of it, you silly girl!
Next step... I organized my spices based on the ones I use most of the time. Yours will look different but, for example, mine are garlic salt, minced onion, pinto bean seasoning (great for chili), cumin, cilantro, parsley, onion powder, garlic powder, cajun seasoning, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Those are kept up front, within reach. Everything else, I moved to this handy little storage box. It's actually a CD holder from Walmart. I think it was $1. They are stackable if you have taller shelves. I put all of my less frequently used spices there stacked on top of each other. That messiness doesn't bother me because I'm not sorting through them every day. It created so much space on the other side of the cabinet... a perfect place for a baking center.
The only thing I don't like is keeping my flour in the paper sacks. They are incredibly messy. I am considering making flour sacks out of some scrap fabric. Anyone have any thoughts on that? Have you ever tried it? I'd love some ideas.
Next step... I organized my spices based on the ones I use most of the time. Yours will look different but, for example, mine are garlic salt, minced onion, pinto bean seasoning (great for chili), cumin, cilantro, parsley, onion powder, garlic powder, cajun seasoning, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Those are kept up front, within reach. Everything else, I moved to this handy little storage box. It's actually a CD holder from Walmart. I think it was $1. They are stackable if you have taller shelves. I put all of my less frequently used spices there stacked on top of each other. That messiness doesn't bother me because I'm not sorting through them every day. It created so much space on the other side of the cabinet... a perfect place for a baking center.
The only thing I don't like is keeping my flour in the paper sacks. They are incredibly messy. I am considering making flour sacks out of some scrap fabric. Anyone have any thoughts on that? Have you ever tried it? I'd love some ideas.
We buy flour in huge 50 pound sacks, so I actually keep it in my copper canister on the counter. I initially worried that it would not keep long, but then realized we go through it fast enough that it won't ever be a problem. I'm still trying to decide what to do about spices. I don't have counter, wall or cupboard space. I love your CD case remake!
ReplyDeleteI keep my flour in the bag, but once it is open I just put it in a gallon ziploc bag. That works for me because I only buy a bag at a time.
ReplyDeleteYour spice cabinet looks great!! I like how you separated out the spices you use most. Great idea!! I have two narrow cabinets along both sides of my oven, so I try to sort my spices and other similar items under baking or cooking. It works pretty well ... My baking cupboard is a little narrower, so it's a bit stuffed right now. Maybe time to organize again ... I store my flour in a Tupperware container (a big one) in the pantry, along with sugar, brown sugar, etc. (also in Tupperware). These things don't fit in my narrow spice cabinets, so they're in the pantry on a "baking shelf." Sometimes when I buy whole wheat flour or something like that, I have to keep it in the bag. So then I do what Nicole does, and put it into a Ziploc, too, just to be safe =)
ReplyDeletei did this recently. it has been so nice to be able to find spices. :)
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of the less used spices in a bin. I may try that one. For all my flours, sugars, pastas, beans, nuts, etc. I use various sizes of Tupperware modular mates that I buy on ebay for cheap. I also have a friend that sells it so she gave me a good deal once. For your flour they make some huge modular mates that would store lots of bags of flour. That's what I use b/c I love to make the artisan bread in 5 minutes alot. Great post. I may copy you.
ReplyDeleteOh a pretty muslin and floral fabric flour sack would be awesome! I just decided to store my spices in a white photo box with a label in front and card dividers inside. I can fit about 4 spice containers across. I'm always drooling over storage solutions and containers. It's a bit of an addiction.
ReplyDelete