Dried Herb and Spice Storage Solutions

[Mmmpomps]

3 minutes ago, Shelby said:

And LOOK!  You have a whole, empty shelf.  Such a rare sighting.....

 

That species is extinct at my house.

 

 

That empty shelf lasted about an hour

[Dogchef]

Shelves of sauces, odd stuff, mason jars for the bulk spices & beans/grains, etc. (like to use the foodsaver lid vacuum sealer on the mason jars ..when I get around to it)

Small spice jars on the rack..needs a major overhaul..(don't remember the name of the racks..sorry)

After a bug infestation, we try to use mostly glass...( but not always..lazy)

 

 

[liamsaunt]

 I thought I would bump this up because I had to move my spices from their current location.  My main kitchen is getting a down to the studs renovation starting this week. Luckily, my house has two kitchens, and my contractor did a minor refresh on the second kitchen (new counters and backsplash, painted the cabinets) before starting this gut job, so I will be able to continue cooking through the project.  Here is my spice storage setup for the duration:

 

 

 

The main problem with this is that these cabinets are by the floor, so I will need to bend down to retrieve what I need.  Not ideal, but workable for now.

 

The overflow is in a large cabinet behind these cabinets.  Top shelf is bags of spices to refill the larger jars, the box on the left is doubles (mostly free samples from Penzeys) and the box on the right is very infrequently used items.  The bag in the back has my really small spice containers that I take on vacation.

 

 

I still have not figured out how I am going to store the spices once my main kitchen renovation is complete.  My kitchen designer could not come up with anything that satisfied me.  

[Anna N]

 Since I organized my spices as best I could I have found I am much happier in my kitchen. I am much more willing to attempt some recipes and I’m much more willing to experiment a bit. Now if only I could address the rest of my tiny,  cramped, and overcrowded kitchen.   I desperately need an intervention. 

[kayb]

This is, perhaps, on the agenda this week for me.

 

[Anna N]

1 hour ago, kayb said:

This is, perhaps, on the agenda this week for me.

 

Would that be organizing your spices or arranging an intervention for me? 

Edited May 13, 2018 by Anna N (log)

[kayb]

2 hours ago, Anna N said:

Would that be organizing your spices or arranging an intervention for me? 

 

It would be the spice storage, which comes after the kitchen excavation, both of which come after stashing the boots and winter shoes so I have room to get out the sandals, now that it seems to have gotten to be summer without the benefit of spring. Also on tomorrow's list is cleaning out the fridge, which is taking on a funky smell. Tuesday is working in the garden, along with real work. 

 

If you wish to schedule an intervention, I don't think I can fit you in until late June.

Edited May 13, 2018 by kayb (log)

[Anna N]

3 minutes ago, kayb said:

It would be the spice storage, which comes after the kitchen excavation, both of which come after stashing the boots and winter shoes so I have room to get out the sandals, now that it seems to have gotten to be summer without the benefit of spring. Also on tomorrow's list is cleaning out the fridge, which is taking on a funky smell. Tuesday is working in the garden, along with real work. 

 

If you wish to schedule an intervention, I don't think I can fit you in until late June.

 

Oh well maybe next year.

[FauxPas]

8 hours ago, liamsaunt said:

I still have not figured out how I am going to store the spices once my main kitchen renovation is complete.  My kitchen designer could not come up with anything that satisfied me.  

 

Oh no, this sounds dangerous! 

 

I would hate to get my kitchen completely reno'd and then have to start thinking about how to store the spices. Would you be willing to share details (maybe photos or plans) here? Maybe someone would have some useful suggestions. 

[TdeV]

On 3/25/2018 at 11:18 AM, paulraphael said:

All in the freezer. When my freezer had shelves in the door, I put the bottles there. Now we have drawer-style freezers. I found plastic organization bins (Container store?) that fit the bottles fairly well, though not as convenient as the door shelves. between buying whole spices whenever possible and keeping them in cold storage, they stay much fresher. I alsways have a small mortar/pestle and microplane handy. 

 

@paulraphael, could you please post a photo of this arrangement? I keep my nuts in the freezer but I have just been reading that I should be keeping seeds there too. Many of my spices are in glass jars, and maybe I'll need to change that.

[TdeV]

I am unable to link to another post, so here is my former spice cabinet:

 

On 2/26/2018 at 6:52 PM, TdeV said:

 

 

[TdeV]

Here is my new spice cabinet. It is 4.5" deep, 41" wide, and 87" tall.

 

[TdeV]

Does anyone else keep spices in the freezer?*

I've been looking at these freezer safe jars from Lee Valley but I can't see any reasonable way to organize my inadequate freezer space.

 

Edited to add:

* Could you post some photos, please?

Edited October 15, 2018 by TdeV (log)

[kayb]

This topic has been dormant for a while, but I had to report a major advance in spice storage at my house. I have spices stored in a couple of pull-out shelves in my pantry. Some are in plastic containers with the name of the spice written on the lid, but the black lids on Penzey's jars had defeated me until I finally ordered a package of white paint pens. Now all my Penzey's jars have the name of their contents on top!

 

 

It makes me foolishly happy to look in the spice shelf. A good activity for a socially distanced day.

[choux]

Finally got my spices organized, a big change from ziplocs and a Rubbermaid bin. So happy to not have to root around in all that. Everything is from Lee Valley.

I thought the larger metal tins would be bigger, guess I can't visualize spec measurements well. This is mounted on the wall in my pantry, which is the cupboard under the stairway. 

[KennethT]

44 minutes ago, choux said:

Finally got my spices organized, a big change from ziplocs and a Rubbermaid bin. So happy to not have to root around in all that. Everything is from Lee Valley.

I thought the larger metal tins would be bigger, guess I can't visualize spec measurements well. This is mounted on the wall in my pantry, which is the cupboard under the stairway. 

I have a lot of similar metal tins with the clear cover. They have a magnet on the bottom and I have them stuck to a magnetic white board hanging on the wall. Really easy access, but some if the tins have gotten gunked up over the years. I can't even twist open the one that holds star anise!

[heidih]

11 minutes ago, KennethT said:

 I can't even twist open the one that holds star anise!

Some bozo put the Angostura bitters in the fridge and rim must have been gunky. Pliers can be your friend with gentle application. Bottle now in pantry after wipe down. 

[haresfur]

4 hours ago, KennethT said:

I have a lot of similar metal tins with the clear cover. They have a magnet on the bottom and I have them stuck to a magnetic white board hanging on the wall. Really easy access, but some if the tins have gotten gunked up over the years. I can't even twist open the one that holds star anise!

 

try a couple of these puppys 

[KennethT]

It's not the hand strength - and I've got a set of channel locks - but the metal it's made from is relatively flimsy - so any tool used to grip would probably deform it. And I don't really care - we'll be moving in a couple months and will need to rethink the spice storage since the new kitchen has lots of cabinets but very little wall space, so the whiteboard is going out the window. And I have a bag full of star anise in the cupboard...

[chromedome]

I have several of the same kind of spice jars hanging on the backsplash near my stove. A couple are similarly sticky, and I've been racking my brains for some kind of lubricant for the lip of the tin (or inside of the lid, but I'm leaning toward the tin) that I'd be comfortable having in close proximity to my spices. Many of the obvious options are suspect: vegetable oil gets gummy; I don't want mineral oil or WD-40 in my spices; and graphite is seriously messy.

So far my best idea is to rub the lip with paraffin (ie, a tea light candle) the next time I wash one of the sticky ones. Where it's a solid it should stay in place (barring trace amounts, which I'll live with) and hopefully will help keep them sliding smoothly. I'll try to remember to report back (and I'm open to better suggestions, if anybody has one).

[MokaPot]

Yes, I have the same baby boa wrench. I think it started out as a plumbing tool. It shouldn't damage your container. Inexpensive, too.

 

 

[weinoo]

I like these semi-custom inserts for a spice drawer...

 

 

Not perfect but works here.  And pandemic acquisitions specific to certain cuisines have led to storage of said spices in devoted cambros. So when cooking "Indian" food, for example, a cambro can just be taken down from the shelf, and all related spices are at hand...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 30, 2021 by weinoo (log)

[KennethT]

4 hours ago, weinoo said:

I like these semi-custom inserts for a spice drawer...

 

 

Not perfect but works here.  And pandemic acquisitions specific to certain cuisines have led to storage of said spices in devoted cambros. So when cooking "Indian" food, for example, a cambro can just be taken down from the shelf, and all related spices are at hand...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nice.  But certainly there's some crossover, no?  When making Thai food or other SE Asian food, you can use coriander, fennel and cumin seed for starters (as well as cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, star anise, etc.) all of which you could also use for Indian.

[KennethT]

 

The top left shelf has all of the backup spices that either aren't used much (so don't go on the whiteboard) or have what is leftover.

[weinoo]

15 hours ago, KennethT said:

Nice.  But certainly there's some crossover, no?  When making Thai food or other SE Asian food, you can use coriander, fennel and cumin seed for starters (as well as cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, star anise, etc.) all of which you could also use for Indian.

Now you're really trying to confuse me. 

 

So the stuff you mention by name - that all resides in the main spice drawer. The cambros generally hold stuff in addition to spices, which is pretty specific to its cuisine. Like palm sugar in the Thai cambro. Dashi tea bags and nori in the Japanese one. Etc.