Storing Herbs and Spices

Storing Herbs and Spices in Your Kitchen

Herbs and spices are kitchen staples that tend to take up a lot of cupboard and counter room. Over the years, my herbs exceeded the available wall cupboard space, and I found myself tromping across the kitchen from wall cabinets to the standalone cupboard to assemble what I needed for cooking. And I often had difficulty locating them, as there were a dozen different brands. Plus, I had continually haphazardly stashed the new additions wherever I found some room for them, leaving my spices in a bit of a chaotic disarray. I decided to end my frustration once and for all and purchased some oval glass canisters to replace the odds and ends bottles in my cupboards. Storing herbs, as outlined below, has made my kitchen more efficient, and cooking more streamlined.

First, I invested in some small and large oval glass canisters. The oval canisters have several advantage over my huge collection of mixed brand and bottle types:

• The oval profile takes up less lateral space in the cupboard.
• The oval shape is designed to accommodate a teaspoon.
• Glass is clear so you can see the contents.
• Silicone gaskets are removable, plus they provide airtight freshness when storing herbs and spices.
• Consolidating into the same bottle types allowed me to get organized once and for all.
• Displaying them in glass is actually quite attractive.

Once I transferred the spices and herbs into the new containers, I needed an easy way to identify them – especially the green herbs which are easily confused. I labeled them with these inexpensive adhesive labels. They come pre-printed for common spices, with included blanks for custom or uncommon mixes.

Having clearly marked my herbs and spices, racks were my next organizing priority. My most-often-used spices got mounted to the wall near the stove for convenience using this inexpensive wire rack. The lesser-used ones are now relegated to a two-tiered lazy Susan, which fits nicely in my shallow vintage cupboards.

The glass jars provide a pretty, colorful accent, making in-the-open-storage aesthetically-pleasing to visitors, while offering convenience and accessibility when seasoning food.

by Laurie Halbritter