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When you are in the middle of cooking a meal for your family, the last thing you want to be doing is fumbling through your drawers looking for basil only to discover that you either do not have it, or you spent so much time looking for it, that you have now burnt the chicken! Yikes! I guess that means we are having frozen pizza again kids, sorry!
That is the great thing about having your spices, and other baking necessities organized! There will be no more frantic searching, and you will always know right where everything is! Not to mention you will also be less likely to buy doubles of something because everything is visible and organized.
Here is what I have done and what works for me….
First I decided where I wanted to keep my spices. This is all up to personal preference. I like to keep my spices and other baking goods in a cupboard next to the stove, I like this because I feel that everything is easily visible and accessible while I am cooking.
Once you have decided where you want to put everything, you need to plan your layout. For me, I wanted to store all of my spices and baking goods together in one space.
This is what it looks like….
The first thing I did before arranging everything, was I threw away anything that was expired,or that I no longer needed or planned to use. Next, I went out and bought this handy dandy spice shelf and a couple of decorative baskets for the bigger things. I love the spice shelf because it holds a decent amount of spices and they are all very visible and easy to reach.
Next I divided out the rest of what I had into two baskets. In one basket I put things like my gravy packets, chili mixes, extra salt and pepper, and a few extra bulk spices. The next basket I put in all of my baking goods, things like honey, sugar, vanilla extract, cupcake wrappers, etc. Obviously this is going to look very different for everyone, because no two cupboards are the same. The goal though is to put like items together, and make sure everything has a designated home. Don’t forget to label it when you are done, so that you and your family know not only where to find it, but can also return it to its home when finished!
Here is a close of up my baskets and how everything is arranged…
I also realize that not everyone has the space to donate an entire cabinet to spices and baking goods. I for one have lived in a few houses that this would have never worked. This is just what works for me right now. I do however, want to share some links to some other super handy spice organizers that might work better in a small space.
In a previous house I used something like this to hold all of my spices in a drawer next to my stove. This is a great option if you are low on cabinet space.
I also have a few friends who have attached things like this to the insides of their pantry or cabinets doors. These work well if you are low on both cabinet and drawer space!
As you can see there are a ton of options out there, you just need to decide what works best for you and your space! I hope I have inspired you to get those spices organized once and for all! Happy organizing friends!
I agree that no two spaces are alike. I cook and bake and decorate cakes so often that I have a TON of spices, and because I use so much of them, I have them in bulk as well. :S I have 3 devoted cupboards to my spices, utilizing a locker mate of sorts to have extra shelves, and then I have bins like yours on top of my cupboards to hide the extra spices. I have an A-G, H-S and then T-Z and additional supplies, like cupcake wrappers, decorating tips, etc. I am horrible at throwing outdated ones though. :/
You always have such AMAZING tips!!!!