How Do You Store Your Spices and Dried Herbs?

[Claire]

There are some advantages to moving every few years of your life, and one is discovering how to make the same stuff fit in several dozen homes! The beautiful spice cabinet that was a great gift in theory, didn't fit in about half my houses. Those turntables fit everywhere, and were practical to boot.

 

[Amator]

Since my spices are in jars, ziplocs, tubs, etc I found the best thing to do is devote my top drawer to them. I'm sure once I get a little better organized, I'll find better use of the space, but right now it works fine.

 

[middie]

i just stash mine in the hutch in the containers they come in. i guees that's the norm around here lol

 

[keen kook]

Two things are important about the place used for storing herbs & spices - it should be COOL and it should be DARK.

This immediately rules out those fancy turnstile things (too light). Beside the cooker is not good either (too warm) as the herbs & spices will rapidly lose their flavor.

Another thing; for best results, they should not be much older than 3 - 4 months. Anything older than that and you might as well use sawdust.

I am an enthusiastic curry eater and I learned this from Pat Chapman of The Curry Club. Hope it helps?

 

[Claire]

Heck, I have a cold and am drinking ginger tea made from ground ginger that is easily a couple of years old (I catch a cold every 2-3 years). No, it isn't as good as it might have been a couple years ago, but is still strong enough to have cleared my chest congestion, settled my stomach, and cleared my head. If I threw my spice cabinet out every three months, I couldn't afford to cook. There's ideal and there is reality. If you haven't used something in a long time, then smell and taste it, for heaven's sake. I've bought cinnamon that had no flavor and odor at all because it sat on the shelf too long before I bought it (ditto cumin and oregano). On the other hand, I have spices and herbs that have been in my kitchen for a long time, and been just fine. SMELL AND TASTE them. You'll know if you need to buy more. Turntables are just fine, they simply don't belong on the open counter or above or too near your stove.

 

[GB]

I couldn't agree more Clair! I have had the same experiences as you.

Oh and my spices are on a carousel, but in a cabinet away from light and heat.

 

[keen kook]

I couldn't agree more Clair! I have had the same experiences as you.

Oh and my spices are on a carousel, but in a cabinet away from light and heat.

Well now, that's a whole lot different than what I envisaged when I read the posts - I had something that sat on the counter top in mind.

I still maintain that freshness is vital in cooking - especially with delicate herbs and spices.

If your herbs or spices are not fresh when you buy them complain VERY LOUDLY when you bring them back!!!!

Did you know that ginger is good for travel sickness? Probably the most palatable way to take it is to chew crystalised ginger - but just about any form is good.

 

[Claire]

The times my spices were that bad, I was on the road (in other words, in a different time zone by the time I used the spice) or, believe me, I'd have brought them back and complained. Here I'm fortunate to actually have a spice merchant, and have never had a problem with his. Yes, I really did know what you meant with the spice carousel, and agree that many decorative displays of spices are silly, and many, many people use that almost-useless cabinet above the stove (the one your fan exhausts through) for spices, or heaven forbid, wine or booze (ruin the wine, and create a huge fire hazard if you have booze up there). Save that cabinet for equipment or crockery you don't use very often!

 

[keen kook]

The times my spices were that bad, I was on the road (in other words, in a different time zone by the time I used the spice) or, believe me, I'd have brought them back and complained. Here I'm fortunate to actually have a spice merchant, and have never had a problem with his. Yes, I really did know what you meant with the spice carousel, and agree that many decorative displays of spices are silly, and many, many people use that almost-useless cabinet above the stove (the one your fan exhausts through) for spices, or heaven forbid, wine or booze (ruin the wine, and create a huge fire hazard if you have booze up there). Save that cabinet for equipment or crockery you don't use very often!

Well said Claire. I heartily agree.

 

[LeeAnn]

I have old and new spices. Some of my older ones are in the carousel rack that they came in and also in the cupboard in empty Schwans ice cream tins. My newer set is from Costco and it's a flat rack with about 20 spice jars. They are stored in the corner of the kitchen on the counter next to the other spice rack, so far I've not had a problem with old smelling or tasting herbs or spices (knock on wood). My dream kitchen does not have the hodge-podge stuff on the counter though.

 

[Otter]

I just placed an order with Penzy's. For the things I bought that come in bags I also bought some of their glass jars. They were pretty cheap so I figured those would be perfect to keep the bags stuff in instead of keeping them in the bags.

I also just ordered some jars from Penzeys - the bags just wouldn't close well after they got spice particles in the grooves. I keep my spices in the original jars in the cupboard furthest from the stove (other than salt, pepper and a few others that are adjacent to the stove because they get used daily during the cooking process). I have two three tier adjustable shelves so I can see whats in the back. Due to my compulsive nature, the spices are in alphabetical order.

 

[bevkile]

They are all crammed higgledy piggledy in one of my cupboards. I have terrible avalanches when I'm trying to find something, and I usually have 2 or 3 jars of the same spice/herb because there are so many of them that I lose track of what I need to buy......one day I will get organised

Paint.

Me too. I best not have them in glass, so when they fall out it doesn't break anything. I am into them every day that I cook, shuffling and so forth. I have two little lazy susans. It helps but not much. I just have too many.

 

[momcooks]

LOL, I'm anal about my spices. Alphabetized and on the side of my fridge in magnet containers. The cloves and Tumeric are on top so they don't eat through the plastic lids.

 

[jennyema]

GB,

Penzeys is opening up in Arlington in May! YEAH!!

 

[GB]

GB,

Penzeys is opening up in Arlington in May! YEAH!!

That is so awesome!!! I knew it was going to be somewhere outside of Boston, but I didn't know they chose Arlington. I am so excited now

 

[norgeskog]

i have mine in those little spice tins and have made labels for each can (cans do not have see=thru lids) so I know what is in each one. The are small, smallest is about 1/4 cup size. I buy my dried herbs bulk so I only get a small amount at a time, and run thru grinder if needed. I have some fresh herbs in my garden but always need dried ones as well. I have always heard the herbs and spices should be in cool dark places to stay fresh longest.

 

[LeeAnn]

Momcooks - what a great way to store them. I am loving the little containers sticking to the side of the fridge, looks like fun containers for my kids to use in their rooms above their desks for little things also.

 

[norgeskog]

They are all crammed higgledy piggledy in one of my cupboards. I have terrible avalanches when I'm trying to find something, and I usually have 2 or 3 jars of the same spice/herb because there are so many of them that I lose track of what I need to buy......one day I will get organised :roll:

Paint.

thanks, I thought the spice g-ds were after me and this only was happening to me. I now finally got organized and have those cute little tins that keep out light and I buy the dried spices in bulk so I only get an ounce or so. Now they do not avalanch at me. I used my Print Shop program to print lables with the herb/spice on the front of hte can. Nothing worst than playing sniff and search.

 

[amber]

I guess most of us are not "Martha Stewart" organized!

Is what you are doing working for you, or do you want to find another method of storage?

I have my spices in two cupboards in original containers. It's a mess to find what I want, so yes I need a new method. I would prefer them on a rack, single file, so I can find them easier. I could stand to throw some out too, I've had some of them for a few years, but they never seem to lose potency , so I don't throw them out.

 

[digigirl]

Currently, my spices are in the original jars in the cabinet next to my stove. But I saw a cool setup on the Good Eats show (any other Alton Brown fans here?) that I'm totally coveting and I'm gonna do that!

He has strips of velcro on the insides of the cabinet doors. Then he put velcro on the bottoms of metal spice tins and sticks them to the door (magnetic strips would probably work too). The names of each are written in sharpie marker on the top (Labels would be just as good, I'm sure). You just grab what you want, and then stick it back when you're done. Plus, you have more room left in your cabinet for other things.

Isn't that cool? So I'm looking for the metal tins now.