Spices....why did it have to be spices?! Am I the only one who has this problem?

I only grate nutmeg fresh...

... but cinnamon I prefer to buy ground, saving the sticks for recipes that call for them in whole form. We go through cinnamon very quickly, Phil uses it in his smoothies almost daily.

I agree that particularly spices that have volatile compounds lose power, but this idea of trashing spices every 6 months makes me roll my eyes to the ceiling. I would love to have a blind test, cooking anything using a 2 year old bottle of ground ginger versus fresh, and see who can tell the difference. It will be the toss of a coin, I guarantee it. smileys/smile.gif Also, I don't like the idea of buying tiny amounts of spice in equally tiny plastic bags - it just doesn't work for me. I find it messy, and pretty hard to keep track of what you have in the pantry

but, hey, to each its own...

 
Here's how I keep things organized: if I don't use the entire cello bag of spice, I...

...put the entire cello bag, with the label, into a sandwich ziplock. Then I put them in a small, elongated plastic bin in alphabetical order. The bin stays tucked on a shelf in my "pantry".

Works for me.

Michael

 
My friend who has a bento blog uses these small plastic baskets, about

6x10 and about 3 inches high from the dollar store. She puts all the spices in them by category:
-sweet
-herb - whole
- herb, ground
- peppers & chiles
- etc. you get the idea

each one is labeled on the front and the jars are labeled on the top. yay labelmakers! Then when's she's looking for something, out comes the small bin onto the counter, it's easy to find what is within, even spices that come in cello packs are easy to look through. She shopped at Daiso but that may be just a west-coast place. Some boxes get stacked! Oo!

I aspire to this, I have 2 lazy suzans with spillover onto the sides and there's always one jar that falls over and jams up the works.

http://lunchinabox.net/2008/07/spice-cabinet-reorganization/

 
Dang...

I think you are into something here!

I just saw Heather's new reply at the bottom, and I do think it could be a nice move to store the "exotic" spices, you know, the ones that are not used all the time

Not sure I should thank you, as I see a little bit of work ahead of me if I decide to go for it

(sigh)

 
I use these plastic stacking bins

the little green handle flips in and then the next bin sits on top of that. The McCormik spice jars just fit to the same level as the flippy handles to the next bin sits on them too. I have one bin for the stuff I use the most - the basics (oregano, thyme, etc) and one for the unique not often used. I can then pull out the bin, get what I need and return

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Sterility-Stacking-Bin-Clear-with-Bamboo/20977419

 
Absolutely useful. I have various sizes all over the house. They really help to expand usefulness

of cabinets.

And large lichee baskets for seasonal storage, with labels on the ends with lids so that they stack. When it came to move from my house, the packers just picked up the baskets and off they went on the truck. Then again, nothing to unpack at this end.

 
I have an inventory for my chest freezer and find it very helpful - should do one for herbs/spices!

 
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