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Organized Island » Home Organization

Organizing Food Spices

Published: Nov 19, 2012 · Modified: Nov 11, 2014 by Raquel · This post may contain affiliate links · 22 Comments

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A few weeks ago I organized my kitchen spices in preparation for the cooking and baking I am going to be doing for the holidays.  I wanted to share with you how I organized my spices in my kitchen.

Organizing Food Spices

The first thing I did was pull all of the spices together to see which ones were too old.  Most spices last a couple of years, but let me tell you, two years goes by quick.   I toss out the old spices and make a list of what I need to purchase the next time I am at the store.  Then I clean off the spice jars with a damp cloth because sometimes a bit of grease gets on them when cooking.  Now I keep my most used spices (salt, pepper, seasoning salt) separate from my other spices because I keep them handy on my range.

But the other spices are kept in a kitchen drawer that is near the area that I bake and prepare most often, my kitchen island.  I use a spice drawer insert to hold the spices in the drawer.

I alphabetize them to make them easy to find.  I like that I can see all the spices at once.  (Notice that the Chili powder was not where it should have been...this was fixed.)

 

I also put the measuring spoons in the spice drawer since I often use that with them.

When I buy a spice jar, I note the month and year purchased on the bottom of the container with a permanent marker.  The spices have it printed on there, but I find that over time with use, this can fade.  I like keeping spices in a drawer because it prevents them from getting splattered when I am cooking and keeps them away from the heat.

Do you organize your spices?

 

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About Raquel

Southern California mom who blogs about time-saving recipes, entertaining and party ideas.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. CJ at Food Stories

    November 19, 2012 at 5:57 am

    I alphabetize mine but I love the tip about the date on the bottom 🙂

    Reply
    • Organizedisland

      November 19, 2012 at 7:53 am

      Thanks for stopping by CJ! 🙂

      Reply
  2. SprungAtLast

    November 19, 2012 at 9:51 am

    I alphabetize mine ... and then re-alphabetize mine every so often. I like the idea of keeping them in a drawer. My pantry is chaos!

    Reply
    • Organizedisland

      November 19, 2012 at 7:10 pm

      Yes, it did not work for me in a pantry either. Thank you for stopping by!

      Reply
  3. Anne (@notasupermom)

    November 19, 2012 at 10:37 am

    So nice to meet you on GenFab!

    My spices are in a cabinet, but only organized into what I use to bake and other spices.

    I do check for old spices before the holidays to make sure I have what I need and that it is fresh.

    I wish I had the drawer space to organize the way you have. Such a good idea!

    Reply
    • Organizedisland

      November 19, 2012 at 7:12 pm

      Nice to meet you too Anne! Sounds like you have a great plan in place. I had to do this because I found some very old extract in a cabinet once.

      Reply
  4. Nancy @ gottagetbaked

    November 19, 2012 at 7:01 pm

    My spices are still in bags, they're all tossed & jumbled on an upper cabinet shelf and I always have to drag a stool over to reach them. Needless to say, my first thought when I have to grab my spices is "aaaarrrrggghhhh!" - lol. I WISH my spices were as organized as yours. Brilliant idea to have them lying down in a drawer for easy access and for quick visibility. Thanks for the tips!

    Reply
    • Organizedisland

      November 19, 2012 at 7:13 pm

      LOL! That used to be me Nancy. Thanks for stopping by and commenting 🙂

      Reply
  5. Denise Malloy

    November 20, 2012 at 5:40 am

    I feel like you have been in my kitchen and see what I need to do! Love the idea of date on the bottom, I just threw out several from years ago on my last move. Where do you find the drawer inserts? Those are a GREAT idea!

    Reply
    • Organizedisland

      November 20, 2012 at 6:25 am

      Thank you Denise! They are available on Amazon.com.

      Reply
  6. Jay @craftyspices

    November 20, 2012 at 9:36 am

    Do you organize your spices?
    Well, that is a good question. I sure do, but it seems they have legs or something because they sure don't last long. :)... Love your tips. Thx

    Oh and BTW thanks for linking to our hop: http://www.craftyspices.com/hops/wwhop

    Happy Thanksgiving

    Reply
    • Organizedisland

      November 20, 2012 at 5:44 pm

      Hi Jay! I can imagine how quickly you must go through your spices! Happy Thanksgiving to you too!

      Reply
  7. Mandy @MoneyMasterMom

    November 20, 2012 at 11:08 am

    I found you via the Bloggy Moms Blog Hop. Your spice drawer is a work of art. I hope this isn't a case of I showed you mine now show me yours, because I'm not showing you. I'm embarrassed.

    Reply
    • Organizedisland

      November 20, 2012 at 5:45 pm

      LOL, no Mandy you do not have to show me yours. Thank you for stopping by from the hop!

      Reply
  8. Blond Duck

    November 20, 2012 at 4:49 pm

    I wish I had a spice cabinet like that!

    Reply
    • Organizedisland

      November 20, 2012 at 5:45 pm

      It really helps - thank you for stopping by!

      Reply
  9. Savvy Working Gal

    November 21, 2012 at 4:32 am

    I used to alphabetize our spices, but my husband who does most of the cooking prefers to have the spices he uses the most in front. I like the idea of using a drawer and writing the date of purchase on the bottom of the jar.

    Reply
    • Organizedisland

      November 21, 2012 at 6:48 am

      Thank you for stopping by, I am sure that system works for him.

      Reply
  10. Loy Cerf

    November 21, 2012 at 7:20 am

    Great idea...I'm afraid I'm one of those whose spices are older than dirt! LOL Thanks for the motivation to clean out my cabinets.

    Reply
    • Organizedisland

      November 22, 2012 at 7:23 am

      I am glad you are motivated! Thanks for stopping by!

      Reply
  11. Lisa @ A Little Slice of Life

    November 21, 2012 at 10:00 am

    I love the idea of writing the date on your spices. I tend to refill my containers with spices I buy in the bulk aisle at the grocery store so the package always looks old.

    Reply
    • Organizedisland

      November 22, 2012 at 7:25 am

      That is great that you are saving money buying in bulk. I can do that for a few spices. Thanks for stopping by.

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Raquel! I am a self-proclaimed foodie and have enjoyed cooking and baking since I was little. I loved baking cookies with my mother and grandma as a child, and later making dinners for my parents to foster my passion while in high school. I also had a passion for organizing and keeping things tidy.

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