What's your spice storage solution?

<Mitch@this_is_not_a_real_address.com> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

As we cook more, our spice collection has grown from the little rack
on the wall, to a "honeycomb" type cubby system in a cabinet, and now
we've far outgrown that.

I'm interested to know how you guys store upwards of 75 spices!

All spices are in Ball glass jars, with the one-piece plastic lids, almost
all wide-mouth, labeled with avery file labels or scotch-taped labels on the
outside with dates purchased, and sometimes with an ending date that I have
decided by researching how long to keep, sometimes where I've bought and the
price.

All are kept in a separate refrigerator. I use this refrigerator for nuts
and other things I don't use everyday. It's full.
If I buy a large quantity of something I use a lot, I keep some of it in a
small jar in a cabinet or regular refrigerator nearby; for instance, I use a
lot of cumin seeds, so I keep some in my regular refrigerator.
HTH,
Dee Dee

Mitch@this_is_not_a_real_address.com said:

As we cook more, our spice collection has grown from the little rack
on the wall, to a "honeycomb" type cubby system in a cabinet, and now
we've far outgrown that.

I'm interested to know how you guys store upwards of 75 spices!

You won't want to hear this.... once i ran into this problem, i checked
my spices for freshness and smell and many of them weren't that good any
more. So i tossed them. And decided not to put them on my grocery list
until i *knew* I'd be using it within a week ( I shop once a week).
That solved the storage problem.

Told ya, you didn't want to hear this 🙂

On Mon 08 Aug 2005 02:13:13p, Dee Randall wrote in rec.food.cooking:

Quoted message said:

<Mitch@this_is_not_a_real_address.com> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

As we cook more, our spice collection has grown from the little rack
on the wall, to a "honeycomb" type cubby system in a cabinet, and now
we've far outgrown that.

I'm interested to know how you guys store upwards of 75 spices!

All spices are in Ball glass jars, with the one-piece plastic lids,
almost all wide-mouth, labeled with avery file labels or scotch-taped
labels on the outside with dates purchased, and sometimes with an ending
date that I have decided by researching how long to keep, sometimes
where I've bought and the price.

All are kept in a separate refrigerator. I use this refrigerator for
nuts and other things I don't use everyday. It's full.
If I buy a large quantity of something I use a lot, I keep some of it in
a small jar in a cabinet or regular refrigerator nearby; for instance, I
use a lot of cumin seeds, so I keep some in my regular refrigerator.
HTH,
Dee Dee

That sounds like a great idea, Dee. What size ball jars are you using?
Pint? Half-pint? When we move to our new house we will have a second
refrigerator to be used for similar purposes.

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
____________________________________________

Give me a smart idiot over a stupid genius any day.
Sam Goldwyn, 1882-1974

Mitch@this_is_not_a_real_address.com wrote on 08 Aug 2005 in
rec.food.cooking

Quoted message said:

As we cook more, our spice collection has grown from the little rack
on the wall, to a "honeycomb" type cubby system in a cabinet, and now
we've far outgrown that.

I'm interested to know how you guys store upwards of 75 spices!

I use the small and large baby food bottles and store larger amounts
wrapped up well in the freezer. I have several extra baby food jar lids
in which I put holes so can shake the spices out if required.

--
The eyes are the mirrors....
But the ears...Ah the ears.
The ears keep the hat up.

In article <[email hidden]>,

Mitch@this_is_not_a_real_address.com said:

As we cook more, our spice collection has grown from the little rack
on the wall, to a "honeycomb" type cubby system in a cabinet, and now
we've far outgrown that.

I'm interested to know how you guys store upwards of 75 spices!

I use one of my kitchen drawers. All my spices are in regular tall
glass spice bottles. I found some at Target for $1 each so they worked
for my Penzey's spices in a bag order. I found some round labels that
go through the computer and wrote the name of each spice on them - one
per label. They fit quite nicely on the lid so when I open the drawer I
can find what I need without picking up each bottle to read the label on
the glass part. I dunno if I could fit 75 bottles in the drawer, but I
do have quite a big selection.

marcella

In article <[email hidden]>,

Mitch@this_is_not_a_real_address.com said:

As we cook more, our spice collection has grown from the little rack
on the wall, to a "honeycomb" type cubby system in a cabinet, and now
we've far outgrown that.

I'm interested to know how you guys store upwards of 75 spices!

I use one of my kitchen drawers. All my spices are in regular tall
glass spice bottles. I found some at Target for $1 each so they worked
for my Penzey's spices in a bag order. I found some round labels that
go through the computer and wrote the name of each spice on them - one
per label. They fit quite nicely on the lid so when I open the drawer I
can find what I need without picking up each bottle to read the label on
the glass part. I dunno if I could fit 75 bottles in the drawer, but I
do have quite a big selection.

marcella

In article <[email hidden]>, Wayne Boatwright

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

All are kept in a separate refrigerator. I use this refrigerator for
nuts and other things I don't use everyday. It's full.
If I buy a large quantity of something I use a lot, I keep some of it in
a small jar in a cabinet or regular refrigerator nearby; for instance, I
use a lot of cumin seeds, so I keep some in my regular refrigerator.
HTH,
Dee Dee

That sounds like a great idea, Dee. What size ball jars are you using?
Pint? Half-pint? When we move to our new house we will have a second
refrigerator to be used for similar purposes.

I think the 4-ounce jars (I've only seen them with the Kerr label for a
couple years) would be about right -- 1/2 cup. I buy most of mine at a
food co-op and when I need a tablespoon of ground cardamom once a year,
I can buy that one tablespoon and know it's fresh.
--
-Barb, <http://www.jamlady.eboard.com> 8/3/05 New York-Vermont tab (a
couple pictures added to the 7/29 note on 8/5)

In article <[email hidden]>, Wayne Boatwright

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

All are kept in a separate refrigerator. I use this refrigerator for
nuts and other things I don't use everyday. It's full.
If I buy a large quantity of something I use a lot, I keep some of it in
a small jar in a cabinet or regular refrigerator nearby; for instance, I
use a lot of cumin seeds, so I keep some in my regular refrigerator.
HTH,
Dee Dee

That sounds like a great idea, Dee. What size ball jars are you using?
Pint? Half-pint? When we move to our new house we will have a second
refrigerator to be used for similar purposes.

I think the 4-ounce jars (I've only seen them with the Kerr label for a
couple years) would be about right -- 1/2 cup. I buy most of mine at a
food co-op and when I need a tablespoon of ground cardamom once a year,
I can buy that one tablespoon and know it's fresh.
--
-Barb, <http://www.jamlady.eboard.com> 8/3/05 New York-Vermont tab (a
couple pictures added to the 7/29 note on 8/5)

Mitch@this_is_not_a_real_address.com said:

As we cook more, our spice collection has grown from the little rack
on the wall, to a "honeycomb" type cubby system in a cabinet, and now
we've far outgrown that.

I'm interested to know how you guys store upwards of 75 spices!

Ok my solution is for the spices I use the most that are bought in bulk
or home grown, I use a hughe metal shelf. I regularly freeze herbs so
the freezer is a big source of storage. I use one small cupboard for
those spices and herbs I use in dried from.

Mitch@this_is_not_a_real_address.com said:

As we cook more, our spice collection has grown from the little rack
on the wall, to a "honeycomb" type cubby system in a cabinet, and now
we've far outgrown that.

I'm interested to know how you guys store upwards of 75 spices!

Ok my solution is for the spices I use the most that are bought in bulk
or home grown, I use a hughe metal shelf. I regularly freeze herbs so
the freezer is a big source of storage. I use one small cupboard for
those spices and herbs I use in dried from.

Quoted message said:

I'm interested to know how you guys store upwards of 75 spices!

I'm not sure I have 75. I'd have to check, but I doubt I have more than
40.

Part of my solution is to go heavy on the spices. I'd rather run out
and have to buy more than throw them away. We burn through rosemary,
basil, cumin, and sage pretty quick. Black peppercorns also go fast.
The jar of cilantro goes slower because the fresh stuff is so much
better. I have a little cannister of nutmeg, since I don't use that as
often as many of the others. I tried that with cumin powder, since it
seems to have a fairly short shelf life, but we use enough of it to
avoid problems. If you are willing to grind your own, the whole spices
last longer than the pre-ground powders.

That said, my spice cabinet is the land of chaos. I have some things in
jars, some in cans, and some in bags. I just used my last cinnamon
stick yesterday, but my green cardamom still has plenty left. Here is
where it went :

Fragrant Rice
1 coffee cup full of Basmati rice
1.5 coffee cups of water
1 large dolop of butter
0.5 teaspoons of salt
1 cinnamon stick broken into small pieces
4 or 5 whole green cardamom pods
1 dash of black pepper

Rinse rice a few times
add all ingredients to a small coverable pot and stir
bring all ingredients to a boil and boil until the water level drops
below the rice
stir carefully to mix butter and bury cinamon and cardamom
reduce heat to low and cover
cook 10 minutes
remove cover and cook 10 more minutes
The original directions (from the rice bag) says to keep it covered,
but removing the lid dries things up a bit so the rice fluffs better
when serving.

Dean G.

On Mon, 08 Aug 2005 20:53:09 GMT,

Mitch@this_is_not_a_real_address.com said:

As we cook more, our spice collection has grown from the little rack
on the wall, to a "honeycomb" type cubby system in a cabinet, and now
we've far outgrown that.

I'm interested to know how you guys store upwards of 75 spices!

When my parents redid the kitchen last year, the spice collection
spent several months in one of the kitchen drawers - all the spices
were in small glass jars and if they'd stayed there permanently we
would have labelled the lids. Only it was only temporary while we
waited for a special order of spice racks - the inside of the pantry
door is spice racks floor to ceiling and it holds about a hundred
bottles.

--
~Karen aka Kajikit
Crafts, cats, and chocolate - the three essentials of life
http://www.kajikitscorner.com
Online photo album - http://community.webshots.com/user/kajikit

On Mon, 08 Aug 2005 20:53:09 GMT,

Mitch@this_is_not_a_real_address.com said:

As we cook more, our spice collection has grown from the little rack
on the wall, to a "honeycomb" type cubby system in a cabinet, and now
we've far outgrown that.

I'm interested to know how you guys store upwards of 75 spices!

When my parents redid the kitchen last year, the spice collection
spent several months in one of the kitchen drawers - all the spices
were in small glass jars and if they'd stayed there permanently we
would have labelled the lids. Only it was only temporary while we
waited for a special order of spice racks - the inside of the pantry
door is spice racks floor to ceiling and it holds about a hundred
bottles.

--
~Karen aka Kajikit
Crafts, cats, and chocolate - the three essentials of life
http://www.kajikitscorner.com
Online photo album - http://community.webshots.com/user/kajikit

On Mon 08 Aug 2005 03:02:16p, Melba's Jammin' wrote in rec.food.cooking:

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>, Wayne Boatwright

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

All are kept in a separate refrigerator. I use this refrigerator for
nuts and other things I don't use everyday. It's full.
If I buy a large quantity of something I use a lot, I keep some of it
in a small jar in a cabinet or regular refrigerator nearby; for
instance, I use a lot of cumin seeds, so I keep some in my regular
refrigerator. HTH,
Dee Dee

That sounds like a great idea, Dee. What size ball jars are you using?
Pint? Half-pint? When we move to our new house we will have a second
refrigerator to be used for similar purposes.

I think the 4-ounce jars (I've only seen them with the Kerr label for a
couple years) would be about right -- 1/2 cup. I buy most of mine at a
food co-op and when I need a tablespoon of ground cardamom once a year,
I can buy that one tablespoon and know it's fresh.

That's probably adequate for most of my spices/herbs, although there are a
few that i would probably use half-pint jars for since I use larger
quantities more quickly.

I haven't been there yet, but there's a new Penzey's in the Phoenix area.
I should probably consider a bank loan before I go! :-)

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
____________________________________________

Give me a smart idiot over a stupid genius any day.
Sam Goldwyn, 1882-1974

On Mon 08 Aug 2005 03:02:16p, Melba's Jammin' wrote in rec.food.cooking:

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>, Wayne Boatwright

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

All are kept in a separate refrigerator. I use this refrigerator for
nuts and other things I don't use everyday. It's full.
If I buy a large quantity of something I use a lot, I keep some of it
in a small jar in a cabinet or regular refrigerator nearby; for
instance, I use a lot of cumin seeds, so I keep some in my regular
refrigerator. HTH,
Dee Dee

That sounds like a great idea, Dee. What size ball jars are you using?
Pint? Half-pint? When we move to our new house we will have a second
refrigerator to be used for similar purposes.

I think the 4-ounce jars (I've only seen them with the Kerr label for a
couple years) would be about right -- 1/2 cup. I buy most of mine at a
food co-op and when I need a tablespoon of ground cardamom once a year,
I can buy that one tablespoon and know it's fresh.

That's probably adequate for most of my spices/herbs, although there are a
few that i would probably use half-pint jars for since I use larger
quantities more quickly.

I haven't been there yet, but there's a new Penzey's in the Phoenix area.
I should probably consider a bank loan before I go! :-)

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
____________________________________________

Give me a smart idiot over a stupid genius any day.
Sam Goldwyn, 1882-1974

<Mitch@this_is_not_a_real_address.com> wrote

Quoted message said:

As we cook more, our spice collection has grown from the little rack
on the wall, to a "honeycomb" type cubby system in a cabinet, and now
we've far outgrown that.

I'm interested to know how you guys store upwards of 75 spices!

I use the the lower two shelves of three kitchen cabinets, that's six
shelves... they contain four Rubbermaid lazy susans, with spice bottles
jammed into the spaces around the lazy susans. I have quite an
eclectic collection of bottles/jars filled with spices. I'm sure I
have way more than 75 containers, way more.... quick count; over 160.
And this doesn't include all the spices I keep frozen.

Sheldon

<Mitch@this_is_not_a_real_address.com> wrote

Quoted message said:

As we cook more, our spice collection has grown from the little rack
on the wall, to a "honeycomb" type cubby system in a cabinet, and now
we've far outgrown that.

I'm interested to know how you guys store upwards of 75 spices!

I use the the lower two shelves of three kitchen cabinets, that's six
shelves... they contain four Rubbermaid lazy susans, with spice bottles
jammed into the spaces around the lazy susans. I have quite an
eclectic collection of bottles/jars filled with spices. I'm sure I
have way more than 75 containers, way more.... quick count; over 160.
And this doesn't include all the spices I keep frozen.

Sheldon

Wayne Boatwright said:

On Mon 08 Aug 2005 03:02:16p, Melba's Jammin' wrote in rec.food.cooking:

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>, Wayne Boatwright

Quoted message said:

>
> All are kept in a separate refrigerator. I use this refrigerator for
> nuts and other things I don't use everyday. It's full.
> If I buy a large quantity of something I use a lot, I keep some of it
> in a small jar in a cabinet or regular refrigerator nearby; for
> instance, I use a lot of cumin seeds, so I keep some in my regular
> refrigerator. HTH,
> Dee Dee

That sounds like a great idea, Dee. What size ball jars are you using?
Pint? Half-pint? When we move to our new house we will have a second
refrigerator to be used for similar purposes.

I think the 4-ounce jars (I've only seen them with the Kerr label for a
couple years) would be about right -- 1/2 cup. I buy most of mine at a
food co-op and when I need a tablespoon of ground cardamom once a year,
I can buy that one tablespoon and know it's fresh.

That's probably adequate for most of my spices/herbs, although there are a
few that i would probably use half-pint jars for since I use larger
quantities more quickly.

I haven't been there yet, but there's a new Penzey's in the Phoenix area.
I should probably consider a bank loan before I go! :-)

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
____________________________________________

Give me a smart idiot over a stupid genius any day.
Sam Goldwyn, 1882-1974

My spices are in various cans, bottles and bags. I bought about 30
small corked square green bottles last fall, and put the spices I use
most often, ot that lend themselves to that kind of container, in those
and labeled them with a blank label on the back for purchase date. I'd
like to find more so I can get all my spices into someting nicer than
the little cans.
Most of them sit, the ones that fit, on 2 plastic lazy Susan's in the
cabinet next to the stove.
These days, I buy all the spices I can fresh ground at my Asian market.
They're cheaper, fresher and I can buy as little or as much as I need
so they don't go stale.
Anybody got any small bottles they'd like to get rid of?

Wayne Boatwright said:

On Mon 08 Aug 2005 03:02:16p, Melba's Jammin' wrote in rec.food.cooking:

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>, Wayne Boatwright

Quoted message said:

>
> All are kept in a separate refrigerator. I use this refrigerator for
> nuts and other things I don't use everyday. It's full.
> If I buy a large quantity of something I use a lot, I keep some of it
> in a small jar in a cabinet or regular refrigerator nearby; for
> instance, I use a lot of cumin seeds, so I keep some in my regular
> refrigerator. HTH,
> Dee Dee

That sounds like a great idea, Dee. What size ball jars are you using?
Pint? Half-pint? When we move to our new house we will have a second
refrigerator to be used for similar purposes.

I think the 4-ounce jars (I've only seen them with the Kerr label for a
couple years) would be about right -- 1/2 cup. I buy most of mine at a
food co-op and when I need a tablespoon of ground cardamom once a year,
I can buy that one tablespoon and know it's fresh.

That's probably adequate for most of my spices/herbs, although there are a
few that i would probably use half-pint jars for since I use larger
quantities more quickly.

I haven't been there yet, but there's a new Penzey's in the Phoenix area.
I should probably consider a bank loan before I go! :-)

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
____________________________________________

Give me a smart idiot over a stupid genius any day.
Sam Goldwyn, 1882-1974

My spices are in various cans, bottles and bags. I bought about 30
small corked square green bottles last fall, and put the spices I use
most often, ot that lend themselves to that kind of container, in those
and labeled them with a blank label on the back for purchase date. I'd
like to find more so I can get all my spices into someting nicer than
the little cans.
Most of them sit, the ones that fit, on 2 plastic lazy Susan's in the
cabinet next to the stove.
These days, I buy all the spices I can fresh ground at my Asian market.
They're cheaper, fresher and I can buy as little or as much as I need
so they don't go stale.
Anybody got any small bottles they'd like to get rid of?