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There’s a million and one ways to organize spices well, but I’ll show you what works best for me. I organize my spices in my drawer.
The drawer is right next to the stove top and right across from the island, which are the two places where I use spices the most. I am always close to my spices when I need them.
The drawer pulls out easily, and all of my spices are right there. I can access everything without things falling all over each other.
And all at one glance, I can see all my spices easily! There was no secret, magical drawer dimensions for this. I took all the spices I had and played with arranging them until they fit. The big ones have to lay on their sides to fit.
I’m telling you, sometimes the simplest ways of organizing something end up being the best ways. I take that back – USUALLY, the simplest way to organize something ends up being the best way.
That’s what I do to organize spices, what do you do?
From my home to yours,
Mary
I organize mine similarly but alphabetically. I might have to try doing it your way to see if it works as well for me. Having them alphabetized helps me find them easily.
Alphabetical – now that sounds organized! Good job!
Great idea! The best organizational ideas are the easiest.
That’s the truth!
This is one of my favorite things I learned during the declutter!! In January I made a spice drawer at my old house to see how I liked it. An important detail for me was to put down the padded liner – I think it keeps them from rolling around. On Friday I set up at my new house and was very excited to have that plan. I’m really happy with it (but am currently back at old house so can’t take a pic )
Oh yay! I’m so glad you’re loving it! I think you’re right about the drawer liner, good note!
I like how you can see what is there without having to move things around. I have one of those rotating very pretty spice racks. I do not use all the spices listed on the jars and the plastic lids are popping open. Not to mention, all the other spices I keep on the rack hanging inside my pantry. I think it is time I try this. My husband is going to kill me. I keep moving everything around. The utensils have been in three different places since we moved in. I think I have finally found the best place for them.
Woohoo!! I’m so glad this sparked an idea for you! I love it when that happens!
Most of mine are on two hanging racks within arm’s reach of our stove. I have a second set of my common baking spices in the cupboard where my “baking center” is located. We have a small galley kitchen, and I didn’t like having to walk across and to the other end of the kitchen to get them. I do a lot of baking.
It’s the small things, isn’t it. I’m glad you went ahead and made things convenient for yourself – that is organization right there. Good job!
I like this idea! We’re finishing a kitchen remodel and I have been searching for ways to organize the spices.
Awesome! I really love it – I think you’ll love it too!
I am such a spice addict! I love spices and herbs, and use them in my cooking (I use what I buy!). I have about 3x the amount of spices that you have, at least. We just moved, and our previous house had enough room that I had a whole cabinet devoted to spices, with stair-step holders. Our current apartment has a very tiny kitchen so I have them all in a basket. It holds them but I’m forever digging through them, which is not convenient to say the least. We are moving into a house in a little over a month and I’ll work on getting something more suitable for my spice-loving self. 😉 Until then I’ll deal with the basket!
You may want to consider spice racks for the wall, because you can fit a lot of spices and see them clearly … and if you have that many spices, it could actually look really artistic and pretty to have them displayed.
We’re only in our apartment for another month or so, and the apartment charges $25 per hole in the wall…so we’re doing nothing to the walls. 😉 When we move into our house then I will get set up better! No more spices dumped in a basket…or any of the other stuff that is going on because we are in an apartment for 2 months. 😀
Oh my, yes, I wouldn’t do anything to those walls either. Yikes!
I have 4 turntables in my pantry. 3 of them hold my spices, in alphabetical order, and the 4th holds my flavorings. I wish I had a drawer. I like the way that looks. However, I have a LOT of spices. I taught Family and Consumer Sciences for 30 years. When I retired last year, sadly, they closed the program. I brought all those spices home with me. I’m sure I’m not using them all. I need to devise a plan to see which ones I actually use and get rid of the rest.
I think you’ll feel better about organizing them after you go through them and figure out which ones you are using! Turntables are a great alternative when they won’t fit in a drawer. Sounds like you are figuring it out. 🙂
My husband built drawers in the pantry for spices. I use 1/2 pint canning jars and have them in alphabetical order.
Sounds beautiful! The link didn’t work right so I deleted it, but that sounds awesome!
This is exactly what I’ve done for the last 3 years. Love it!
Yes! It is the best!
All of my spices would not fit in one drawer. They take up three shelves inside a small cupboard, and they are stacked on stackable spice racks–and in front of them, spilling out. We are all cooks here, and we tend toward unsalted vegetarian-vegan eating most of the time. : )
That sounds like a lot of spices! Might be time to keep hunting down the right solution, because you deserve a non-annoying system for something you use so often. 🙂
Hi Mary! Beautiful spice drawer! I have a cabinet with a triple decker lazy susan near my stove. I put the spices I use most often on the lowest level. I used my labeler to put an A below the Allspice and halfway through I put “peppers” below all the various peppers. This is to help my family put things back in alphabetical order 🙂
I bet that helps a lot! I find labeling is really mostly for the OTHER people in my house and does a lot to help people clean up right. 🙂
Yep! Exactly!
I have done this for 30 years, except my collection is so large I stand the jars up and label the tops. Blush – yes they are in alphabetical order.
That sounds like an amazing collection! That also sounds like a tall drawer – perfect.
I’ve always kept all my spices in 3 or 4 small pull out baskets on a cabinet shelf. Each basket holds a section of the alphabet in spices. However, in our new house, I do not have room to put all the spices together anywhere, So I reorganized my baskets to be types of spices. Like the nutmeg, cloves, all spice and things normally used in baking are in their basket with the baking supplies over my main work area. Then I have baskets in a cabinet near the stove with spices organized by what I generally use in a type of cuisine. For example, I have a Mexican basket, a Japanese, Italian and French and what I call Grilling which is things I would put on raw meats. I just pull out the basket I need for that type of meal, and usually have everything I want. I did keep needing garlic powder with lots of things so I just bought more than one spice container for it and put it in multiple baskets.
I love the solution you came up with for your spices – it sounds like it works really well for how you cook. Great organizing!
I like this. My savory spices are in a drawer on the left of the stove, and my sweet spices are in a drawer on the right.
Great solution! I’d probably do that too if I had two smaller drawers instead of this larger drawer. Good job!
I cannot use a drawer, as I only have 5 in the kitchen. I bought some Ball jars and filled them with prices. Only about 4 oz. Labeled them with label machine. I hate to use the jars the spices come in, These are easy to open and spoon out what I need.
I like the idea of the ball jars instead of the spice jars – so much easier to spoon out of! Way to find a solution that fits your house!