Dried herb and spice storage solutions

[SuzySushi]

I have a plain oak spice rack that's been following me around for the past 25 years. I bought it at a kitchenware store in Brookyn Heights, but I've seen similar ones for sale on eBay, in various sizes. It can be mounted on a wall or is stable enough to stand on a counter.

Mine has 3 tiers and holds about 30 standard spice jars (a few more if I squeeze them together a little). I've saved the glass jars from old spices to use for new spices. Larger back-up quantities and spices/herbs that lose their fragrance quickly get stored in the freezer, in 2 layers of Ziploc freezer bags. I haven't found a problem with transferred flavors/scents.

[edsel]

I keep the most-frequently-used spices in little jars with ceramic grinder heads. Bulk supplies and larger spices like Ancho chilis get vacuum-sealed in mason jars. (We get those obnoxious meal moths in Ohio, too, Fifi).

I keep the "bulk" stuff away from sunlight. The least-used stuff (for me, at least), like black cardomom and cubeb pepper, gets stashed in vacuum-sealed jars or pouches in the cellar where it's dark and cool.

A few small and expensive items like saffron, fennel pollen, "exquisite"-grade paprika, get vacuum-sealed and refridgerated.

One little rule that I have to remind myself of: the "frequently-used" stuff has to be turned over often, even if it means tossing some occasionally.

As for organization, that's a whole 'nother pathology.

[johnsmith45678]

Old thread, and several good suggestions -- I don't know if these square tins with clear tops are new, but they're about as close to perfect as it gets for me I think. Cheap ($0.68 for 4oz, $0.88 for 8oz), almost square (I hate the space inefficiency of large round containers), and everything else the round tins offer.

[Heidi the Pilgrim]

Specialty Bottle also has these tins, which I like much better because they're square, not round little space-wasters:

Square glass-topped tins

I've been looking for a solution too, I have a cascade of plastic bags everytime I open the cabinet. I like the tin boxes with the watch cases but the square ones really appeal to me. .68 and .88 a piece, not bad.

ETA....Yeah, what JohnL said...

Edited August 20, 2006 by Heidi the Pilgrim (log)

[chow guy]

I think these Seamless Tins are exactly what you are looking for. Invest in a Brother Label maker and you're all set.

Click here to see how Martha Stewart used them (or something very similar). Her's seem to be the 4 oz tins.

←

Thanks for the link. I'm in the middle of revamping my pantry. At this point, herbs etc. are in sevearl spice racks, opaque medicine jars, lots of baggies, and zip lock bags, and in total disarray.There have been lots of good ideas in this thread. I love the idea of larger tins for those bulky bags of tiger lily buds, dried galanga, star anise and tree ears etc.Then using magnetic strips on the bottom.... Brilliant!

[Jack Sprat]

Alright, so here's my situation. I have a standard, rotating 16-jar spice rack that sits on my counter completely unused. Then I also have a cluttered cabinet full of spice jars from whole foods and trader joes that are all just slightly larger than the spaces in the spice rack.

If I poured the spices from their original jars into the spice rack jars, there would still be about 1/4 of the jar remaining. Too much to waste.

I don't want to start buying bulk spices b/c I typically find them to be much more likely to be stale and flavorless (on a slight tangent, I never understood why anyone would take good coffee beans and put them in a huge open bin). But it's quite frustrating not being able to use the spice rack.

I'd like to buy a new spice rack that doesn't come with bottles so that I can just load all the WF/TJ spice jars in. Anyone know of any racks like this that definitely fit these bigger bottles?

Edited March 5, 2008 by Jack Sprat (log)

[Adele Murphy]

I don't know about thet ype of rack you are talking about, but my daughter has done an amazing thing in her little floating house. She bought 3 dozen super small mason jars, they seem to hold about 1/2 cup. She screwed the tops into the bottom (underneath) of her upper kitchen cupboards. She emptied all the miscellaneous containers of spices cluttering up her small cupboard space. Then filled and labelled all the jars and then screwed them into the tops. They are handy and don't take up any space at all on her counter or in her cupboards! Everyone that goes to her place comments on what a good idea it was. It's just like how my ex-husband used to store his hardware bits and pieces in his workshop!

[JAZ]

Does it have to go on the counter? If you have wall space, you can buy coated wire shelves of varying depths at the hardware store. That's what I used in my previous kitchens (I don't have the wall space in my current kitchen, or I'd still be using them).

Here's my "spice rack" in my last kitchen:

I used shelves about 2 inches deep, but I also had some deeper than that for other uses.

[helenjp]

I store mine in a small set of plastic drawers (take a spice bottle with you to check drawer depth).

Small stackable drawers would probably be even better, if you can find a type that suits you. Glass bottles are heavy, and plastic is light, so small drawers balance better than large ones!

On top of the drawers I put spices that I use every day, the shallow drawer takes bulky items in small bags (such as cinnamon sticks or gardenia pods, dried chilis etc), and small bottles fit in a deeper drawer - write names on lids and store alphabetically for quick access.

This system works well for me, because the spices are not exposed to a great deal of light, and they are at waist-chest height and easy to see.

Excess stock goes in a cardboard box, away from light. I would freeze them if I had space.

[LizD518]

I, like Helen, also use a small set of plastic drawers. I think I got them in the office section of a Target or Walmart. The set I have holds6-8 1/2 cup jars (spice islands, or other supermarket brands), One drawer holds about 16 1/4 jars from Penzey's and the final one has things I have bought by the bag from Penzeys or other places. There are still a few odds and ends floating around , but not enough to buy another set of drawers.

Pretty much like this:

Plastic Storage Drawers

[Jack Sprat]

Thanks,

I really like the ideas. Thanks for all the help.

[abadoozy]

I have those little jars of herbs/spices stashed in no fewer than 4 places around my kitchen and pantry - the very-common spices in small jars from Penzey's, nicely labeled and stored in a drawer. A big plastic bin of the secondary spices (whole peppercorns to fill the pepper grinders, cinnamon sticks, etc) stashed in a cupboard. Refills for the small jars in the drawer in plastic envelopes on a shelf in the pantry. And another box in the pantry with dried chilies and other "big" spices that don't fit anywhere else.

And I just remembered, a bowl on the counter with a bunch of samples sent to me by a friend.

Does anyone have a good system to store way-too-many spices? I do go through them all, they're not old or forgotten or anything like that. But I have too many to fit in any sort of commercial rack. I'm wondering if there's some sort of nice case or box that would hold, say, 50+ small jars.

And, of course, I've got my eye on all the stuff necessary for Modernist Cuisine projects. So add in another 10 or 15 jars of various thickeners, transformers, spherification agents, etc.

[cteavin]

I have the same problem.

What I did was keep the leaf-type herbs in the deep freezer and I placed the other spices in a small bottles with the names on the top and put them in a three drawer plastic shelving unit in a cabinet. When I pull out the drawer I can read what's in the bottle from the label on top.

I put the larger bags of spices (which I use to refill those small bottles) in triple zip-locked bags in a box in the coolest part of the kitchen (under the sink), so it's out of the way. This system works for me.

[weinoo]

You could always have Chris Hennes come over and build you one of these... .

[Jenni]

I have a large cupboard with three shelves for spices. Top shelf has all the half open and unopened bags for refills. Middle shelf has jars of spices ready to be dipped into and used. Bottom shelf has dried herbs and a few spices that I don't use much - these are mostly my Dad's and are for non-Indian cookery.

[abadoozy]

You could always have Chris Hennes come over and build you one of these... .

That picture was one of the reasons I started that thread. Unfortunately, I have absolutely no wall space in my kitchen - it's all covered with cabinets.

[weinoo]

LOL. Even Hennes can't solve your problem then.

[Kayakado]

I store those small jars in a drawer too but I use a paint marker to label the tops of them so I can tell at a glance what I have. I keep refills/bulk spices in a box in a high cabinet, those spices that I have refills for are marked with an X on top so I know I can refill it. If I was really good... I had a computer program to track my inventory.

[runwestierun]

I have something similar to these:

http://www.amazon.com/Piece-Magnetic-Spice-Rack-Decanters/dp/B001QSALF4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1299607474&sr=8-1

---literally 135 of them stuck on the side of my refrigerator. They are magnetic on the back. The edge of the lid screws around to expose a slot for pouring or some holes for sprinkling. Or you can of course take the lid off for measuring. The whole lot is alphabetized, I find that's easier than dividing spices up into categories. I've used a labelmaker to label each one across the front. The capacity of each can is 4 ounces, so I try to only buy what will fit in the can so I don't have bags everywhere.

Then I have some of the MC chemicals in the fridge and freezer. I have lots of frozen herbs in the freezer. I also have a box in the pantry full of the loose bags of spices that I do have. Lastly I have a rack on the wall of the pantry that holds big bottles of mostly spice mixes. The magnetic cans have cut down significantly on the amount of shelf and drawer space that is occupied by spices.

In my first house, these were on the side of the fridge. Second house, on 2 stainless steel plates screwed to the kitchen wall. Third house, front of the fridge. Fourth house, steel plates on inside door of pantry. This house, side of the fridge again.

[PetersCreek]

One of the gee-whiz features that caught our attention when we bought our house is a built-in, swing-out spice rack:

Now, don't ask me to show you what's behind that rack. It's chock full of more herbs & spices.

[abadoozy]

If I was really good... I had a computer program to track my inventory.

You and me both. I'm a software developer, and I've been pondering throwing together a smart phone app that tracks my spices - could even bar code them! Now, is that a sign of a dedicated home cook, or just pure obsessiveness?

[abadoozy]

I have something similar to these:

http://www.amazon.com/Piece-Magnetic-Spice-Rack-Decanters/dp/B001QSALF4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1299607474&sr=8-1

---literally 135 of them stuck on the side of my refrigerator. They are magnetic on the back. The edge of the lid screws around to expose a slot for pouring or some holes for sprinkling. Or you can of course take the lid off for measuring. The whole lot is alphabetized, I find that's easier than dividing spices up into categories. I've used a labelmaker to label each one across the front. The capacity of each can is 4 ounces, so I try to only buy what will fit in the can so I don't have bags everywhere.

If I hadn't already invested in a whole pile of Penzey's jars (and labelled them) I'd be tempted to go with this solution. But after buying all these jars, I'd rather not change unless I can't figure out anything else.

Then I have some of the MC chemicals in the fridge and freezer. I have lots of frozen herbs in the freezer. I also have a box in the pantry full of the loose bags of spices that I do have. Lastly I have a rack on the wall of the pantry that holds big bottles of mostly spice mixes. The magnetic cans have cut down significantly on the amount of shelf and drawer space that is occupied by spices.

In my first house, these were on the side of the fridge. Second house, on 2 stainless steel plates screwed to the kitchen wall. Third house, front of the fridge. Fourth house, steel plates on inside door of pantry. This house, side of the fridge again.

Heh, what's becoming increasingly apparent in this thread is that I'm not the only one with 5 different spots in the house for herb/spice storage.

[Chris Hennes]

LOL. Even Hennes can't solve your problem then.

Hey man, have a little faith!

Do you have any cabinet space to spare, or can you arrange some? They sell drawer inserts for cabinets (or you can build one if you are handy), and if you also label the tops of your spice jars you can squeeze quit a few in a full-depth bottom cabinet.

[Darienne]

Another thing to do if you have any free wall space at all is to remove the wallboard and build into that small space in the wall interior. This is what my DH has done.

(Contents are currently in transition and of course, this little cupboard doesn't begin to hold everything.)

Edited March 8, 2011 by Darienne (log)

[peterm2]

Here's the solution I built. Holds 56 spices, although right now my top shelf is in disarray. I'm using jars with a clear top so you can see how many are left, and I've got them in alphabetical order so it's super-easy to find whatever I'm looking for. It's definitely made a big difference in how often I use spices. When it was a pain to dig out a bag or bottle from who-knows-where, I sometimes just wouldn't bother. Now not only can I find them all, but I can also just look through and get new ideas from having everything right in front of me!

And no, my kitchen doesn't defy gravity. I can't figure out how to rotate the picture.

Edited March 8, 2011 by peterm2 (log)