Pumpkin pies, cinnamon hot chocolate, delicious cookies … the holidays are right around the corner, ushering in a hectic season for those of us who love to bake! Bakers make sure your kitchens are prepped and ready to go, to ease the stress and craziness that comes before the yummy sweets. This month, we want to focus on one cabinet that tends to be the greatest source of frustration for our clients: The Spice Cabinet.
Have you ever found yourself digging through containers upon containers of spices, looking specifically for those caraway seeds that you know you bought last year? Have you ever purchased a lazy Susan or stepped shelving, desperately looking for a solution to organize this mess, but to no avail? Have you ever chosen to buy something from the store, rather than make it yourself, because it’s just so much easier? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you are not alone! You, like many people we work with on a daily basis, are simply in need of the right solution. Luckily for you, we have gathered a slew of helpful spice organization tips over the years.
- Organize your spices into three categories: ‘Spices I use regularly’, ‘spices I use occasionally’, and ‘I don’t remember why I bought these spices’. Consolidate any duplicates and throw out those that have expired or those you feel you may never use.
- Lay spices flat in a roll-out drawer or on a spice insert within a drawer. This way, you can see everything you have at a glance, without having to dig to find it. (View examples of this in our kitchen gallery). Bonus: Being able to see everything in your spice ‘arsenal’ can get those creative juices flowing, spurring fun, spontaneous cooking sessions!
- Spice storage should be as close as possible to the cooking surface.
- To save on space, store spices from the ‘occasional’ and ‘I don’t remember’ categories somewhere else, such as a bin or basket in another cabinet. They are still easily retrievable but won’t get in the way of the spices you use almost daily.
- Ask for professional help! Our team at Shelves2Drawers has tackled the messiest of kitchen cabinets, and we’d be happy to offer our bits of wisdom. If you decide to bite the bullet and have roll-out drawers custom made for you, we’ll give you a free in-home estimate first! Just fill out the contact form on our website.
That’s all there is to it! Follow these tips and we’re sure your holiday baking season will be much easier and more enjoyable. As always, our professional organization services are available if you need them. Happy baking!