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Dried Herb and Spice Storage Solutions

tommy

By tommy
in Kitchen Consumer

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FauxPas

FauxPas

Posted
Posted (edited)
2 hours ago, FrogPrincesse said:

Most of mine are in a drawer, stored upright.

 

I love those Morton & Bassett ones with the names written on the lid! I wish all spices had that additional labeling. 

 

But why are some of their lids varying colours? Is there a plan to that?  🙂

 

Edited by FauxPas (log)
FauxPas

FauxPas

Posted
Posted

@Shel_B, it's a bit hard to see in the photo. Are those magnetic shelves on the side of your fridge? Or are they attached via something else? Either way, it seems to create a decent storage area. 

Shel_B

Shel_B

Posted
Posted (edited)
36 minutes ago, FauxPas said:

@Shel_B, it's a bit hard to see in the photo. Are those magnetic shelves on the side of your fridge? Or are they attached via something else? Either way, it seems to create a decent storage area. 

They are magnetic shelves.  I have two styles as I wanted two different sizes.  There are plenty of choices on Amazon. This is one of my sets:

 

(eG-friendly Amazon.com link) 

 

Perhaps I should mention that the shelves are very firmly attached to the fridge.

 

 

Edited by Shel_B
Additional information (log)
  • Like 2

 ... Shel


 

  • 6 months later...
FauxPas

FauxPas

Posted
Posted

@liamsaunt, after coming back and re-reading this thread, I am wondering what you ultimately ended up doing for spice storage in your kitchen after it was all redone! Spice storage is a topic that keeps coming up. 

 

Hope you see this and have a chance to respond!  🙂

 

 

  • 4 weeks later...
rotuts

rotuts

Posted
Posted

I plan to add an adjustable door mounted spice rack to my renovated storage closet in my kitchen.

 

the contractors cleaned it out , painted it , and installed these shelves , non adjustable .  the contractor was going to build shelves 

 

on the R wall in this picture , which see in the second picture :

 

IMG_5840.thumb.jpeg.d02f2d223e8349ac47981c799c4345d9.jpeg

 

IMG_5843.thumb.jpeg.48dbbde615a036199abd052854b5f3ef.jpeg

 

a lot of this junk useful stuff , that isnt used much these days , will travel down to the basement

 

and be easily available for Call-Up.   the rack will go on the door , first pic

 

Id like to get something sturdy , adjustable , and not offensive   Amazon has a zillion of these things

 

this one caught my eye :

 

vvv.thumb.jpg.addcecfa4a94bf6fbec57c0d43ef4bc0.jpg

 

 

SWOMMOLY Adjustable Wall Mount Spice Rack Organizer, 12-Tier Dual-use (Multi-use) Hanging Spice Shelf Storage for Kitchen Pantry Cabinet Door (eG-friendly Amazon.com link)

 

a lot of stuff @ Amazon does not end up being as nice as their pictures .

 

what experience have you had w door mounted racks , and what would you not hesitate to buy again .

 

Ive looked through many of the spice systems presented here , and gotten some good ideas 

 

but have not found many that are on a door , and adjustable.

 

'thanks

 

P.S.:  in thinking a bit more about this , I might mount the item mentioned  ( or similar ) on the empty wall

 

as then the spices would no rattle each time the door was opened.

 

of note , the light goes on when the door is opened , and simply screws into a standard light bulb fixture .

 

no mechanical switch .  very nice , and not expensive .   ive mentioned it somewhere already on eG.

 

highly recommend it.  its @ HomeDepot

 

 

 

 

TdeV

TdeV

Posted
Posted (edited)

@rotuts, I can't tell from your pictures about the total space in that closet, but I want to tell you a story. Moving to current house, there were plenty of those 9" or 11" deep shelves inside cabinets and on the walls of some rooms. Those shelves always get stuffed full of junk which is impossible to move (or organize). 

 

Seems like you have a lot of dead space in the middle of that pantry room. What if you could convert that to useful storage space?

 

Maybe redesigning that space so you have 24" deep pull-out drawers on some walls? See Shelves That Slide. They have blind corner units and other stuff.

 

I googled "pantry organizers" and got some more ideas.

 

 

Edited by TdeV
Clarity (log)
rotuts

rotuts

Posted
Posted

@TdeV

 

excellent ideas , thank you .   I have lots and lots of space in the kitchen cabinets

 

many have those pull out drawers  .  maximizing space is not my issue , in its self.  much of the stuff in the many drawers

 

that pull out has not been used for years and years .  some of that stuff will just stay put , some will move downstairs.

 

Im after ease of accessibility , having some balance and back issues .  

 

thanks again.  I like having the space in that space , after I remove the junk on the floor

 

to move around and get the things at waist or above height.

  • Like 1
Smithy

Smithy

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, rotuts said:

P.S.:  in thinking a bit more about this , I might mount the item mentioned  ( or similar ) on the empty wall

 

as then the spices would no rattle each time the door was opened.

 

That's a good consideration. However, you also need to consider the clearance between the rack and the existing shelves if you park this on the open wall. For instance: in your photo you show a mixer sitting at the right-hand end of one shelf. Will you have trouble maneuvering to get it out past the spice rack if you put the rack on the wall?

 

I note also that the Amazon AI for this particular rack says that it's frequently returned. The statistics indicate that the reviews are mostly positive, but I looked at one 2-star review that said it was fiddly to put up and not very sturdy. You can always see for yourself, of course, since it has a 30-day return policy.

  • Thanks 1

Nancy Smith, aka "Smithy"
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"Every day should be filled with something delicious, because life is too short not to spoil yourself. " -- Ling (with permission)
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rotuts

rotuts

Posted
Posted

@Smithy

 

excellent points .  thank you.

 

I had not gone to the review , but for the price , and the number of shelves , it did seem cheap.

 

everything in that closet is at a temporary position.  the mixer might actually move to counter space Ill have

 

as moving it in and out of where it is now is risky 

 

target has various spice systems , and they are more expensive e than Amazon

 

Ill look at those .  it seems more often than not , much of the stuff @ Amazon is simply cheap .

  • Like 2
Smithy

Smithy

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, rotuts said:

Target has this :

 

https://www.target.com/p/closetmaid-adjustable-3-shelf-spice-rack-organizer-kitchen-pantry-storage-for-cabinet-door-or-wall-mount-with-metal-shelves-white-2-pack/-/A-86801006#lnk=sametab

 

nnnvvv.thumb.jpg.0081e9a166f00c94f15daaf8a7ad62e6.jpg

 

this would be interesting if they sold extra shelves separately 

 

or just bought two  ( ie 4 units ) and tossed out any extra rails and just usd the shelves.

 

i think that's closer to what my parents bought when they downsized from the ranch house to an apartment. It worked well for them, and 10 years later my sister and I were astonished at what had accumulated there!

 

I think they got theirs at Home Depot, or possibly Bed, Bath and Beyond back in the day when BBB was still around.

  • Like 1

Nancy Smith, aka "Smithy"
Host, eG Forums - nsmith@egstaff.org

Follow us on social media! Facebook; instagram.com/egulletx

"Every day should be filled with something delicious, because life is too short not to spoil yourself. " -- Ling (with permission)
"There comes a time in every project when you have to shoot the engineer and start production." -- author unknown

KennethT

KennethT

Posted
Posted

@rotuts For that space, I have one word: carousel!  Seriously, I would consider getting rid of all of the shelves and put in a multi-tiered  lazy-susan / carousel, from floor to eye level...  Just my $0.02

  • Like 1
AlaMoi

AlaMoi

Posted
Posted

keep in mind . . . spices/herbs come in all shapes and sizes of 'containers'

many McCormick items come in short jars . . . if you stack two shorts in the rack, it may well transpire that the top shortie is above the wire retainer - and falls out on a door swing type mounting.

 

I have my "shelves" divided into "shorts" and "talls" - all the "short" shelves have a vacant 'spot' so I can move a top short and get the the bottom short without turning the whole world upside down....

 

new, not so neat anymore . . .

image.thumb.jpeg.e47712da8af5a12fde8968426609c898.jpeg

 

  • Like 2
JoNorvelleWalker

JoNorvelleWalker

Posted
Posted

@rotuts I've evaluated half a dozen over door racks or more.  I am using three of them.  One I gave away just this afternoon.  It's hard to get much of a feel for how well a rack will work for you until you try it on your door in your house.

 

  • Like 1

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Tan Can Cook

Tan Can Cook

Posted
Posted (edited)

I don't have any times, other than to share a portion of my expansive spice collection. Because I only cook cuisines of regional India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Iran, my spices are specialized for those cuisines. I recycle jars and glasses, which were cleaned well, washed inside with high-temperature dish water with sanitation option.

 

I manually made labels: common English names and underneath its botanical (Latin) names.

 

Prior, the labels were in Hindi to help learn Hindi names for my spices. Now that I've learnt their Hindi names, they now appear in English with Latin names.

 

Because I am the one created and organized these jars, I know exactly where certain ingredient(s) are located. On the top most shelf are regional specific spices and herbs. You'll find dried vetiver roots, lesser galangal, long pepper, Kashmiri dried cockscomb flowers, dry rose petals, black stone flowers, etc.

 

In that regard, even though my spices may not look "organized or aesthetically pleasing to the eyes," I can find any ingredient(s) I want and need at any given time.

PXL_20250214_234321094.jpg

Edited by Tan Can Cook
I wanted to reply to the topic from the original author and share my own system of spice organization and labelling. (log)
  • Like 1
Tan Can Cook

Tan Can Cook

Posted
Posted
On 10/15/2018 at 7:46 AM, TdeV said:

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

 

IMG_1284.thumb.JPG.8077b3bd87cba9cb6252519b6e6b098b.JPG

 

You win! 🙂

 

I wish my kitchen has this large-sized cabinet. All my spices will probably fill this entirety.

  • Like 1
Tan Can Cook

Tan Can Cook

Posted
Posted

Here is a portion of my spices. I reuse glass jars and manually label my spices in their English names on the first line and their Latin (botanical) names on the second line. Before, the labels were in Hindi, because I was learning the Hindi names for all of my spices in my collection. Now that I know all their Hindi names, it's back to English and Latin names.

 

I have much more spices in other sections of my kitchen.

 

My cooking is specialized to Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, and Iranian. All my spices are expansive and stocked so that I could create any regional bespoke spice blends at any given time.

PXL_20250214_234321094.jpg

  • Like 2
Rickbern

Rickbern

Posted
Posted

I have a seriously tiny kitchen but I always find room for my spices. This is the fourth iteration of this shelving system (Vitsoe). This is pretty much the whole kitchen IMG_5869.thumb.jpeg.9ac8595c99d6cd4c3918cee0ffa57e8a.jpeg

  • Like 4
TdeV

TdeV

Posted
Posted (edited)
11 hours ago, Tan Can Cook said:

I wish my kitchen has this large-sized cabinet. All my spices will probably fill this entirety.

 

My kitchen is quite small with a doorway on either side. Amusingly, my spice cabinet is outside of the kitchen proper, on a wall leading into the kitchen, taking up not very much space for a big return (6" deep including backing and cabinet doors). It fits on the back of the coat cabinet (which faces the hallway). 

 

I should find you a modern picture of the contents of the cabinet.

 

 

Edited by TdeV
Clarity (log)
  • Like 1
Rickbern

Rickbern

Posted
Posted
18 hours ago, C. sapidus said:


Nice! Do the shelves have a lip on the front edge? I think I would want that for open shelves. 

Yeah, it’s a beautifully designed system from the sixties, an icon of modern design. Pretty costly but it’s just perfect shelving 

 

 

https://www.vitsoe.com/us/606

  • Like 2
liamsaunt

liamsaunt

Posted
Posted
On 1/13/2025 at 7:59 PM, FauxPas said:

@liamsaunt, after coming back and re-reading this thread, I am wondering what you ultimately ended up doing for spice storage in your kitchen after it was all redone! Spice storage is a topic that keeps coming up. 

 

Hope you see this and have a chance to respond!  🙂

 

 

 

Sorry, I just saw this now.  I think my notifications are messed up.  I store my spices in a tall cabinet next to my refrigerator.

 

IMG_6545.thumb.JPG.4e6c91cf85efa3361bbb143805a1862b.JPG

 

Here's what it looks like inside.  The four bottom shelves are the spices. I cannot reach the tallest upper shelf, so I keep boxed stock up there when I have any in the house (not right now, as you can see).  I have a gripper on a pole that I use to access that shelf.  The other fixed shelves hold the bags of overflow spices that I use to keep the jars on the lower shelves full.  The lowest upper shelf has a pullout tray affixed to the shelf.   I just use a lightweight basket on the middle shelf, because I need to bring the whole basket down to be able to see what's inside (short people problems).  

 

IMG_6546.thumb.jpg.459c635812a0b27d38536eefb3072c09.jpg

 

The lower shelves all roll out and the jars are labeled on top and generally alphabetized so I can just look down and find what I need

 

IMG_6547.thumb.jpg.a7b370809fe5dbee2313a69b97030266.jpg

 

I don't bake very often, so the baking spices are all over in the second kitchen, in the spot where I stored all the spices during the renovation back in 2018.

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 3
FauxPas

FauxPas

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, liamsaunt said:

I store my spices in a tall cabinet next to my refrigerator

 

That looks pretty awesome! Seems to have quite a lot of space. 🙂

 

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