Organizing Your Cooking Spices

Most of us have, at one time or another, purchased a new cooking spice only to discover several partially-used containers of that very cooking spice stored out of sight on our spice shelf. This situation can be avoided with just a small amount of time and thought.

The first step to organizing your cooking spices is to determine what method appeals to you. I have discovered two main ways of organizing your cooking spices for ease and efficiency. One is organizing your spices in alphabetical order and the other is to organize your spices by specific cuisines.

Alphabetical Order

This method is quite straightforward. Beginning on the front section of your shelf, place your cooking spices in alphabetical order, from left to right, along the section you have designated for them. Organize the containers in two or three rows, depending on the number of cooking spices you have and the shelf space you have. You may choose to leave some extra space in each row for new spices you may add to your collection.

Organize by Cuisine

This is the method for I prefer. I have found it to be very convenient to have my cooking spices organized in groups according to their cuisine. For example, I have cinnamon, nutmeg and cumin together, as they are common in Indian and Latin cuisine. I have parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme and dill together, as they are common in chicken and seafood dishes. Then there is the Italian group, which includes basil, bay leaf, and oregano. A section for chili-style cooking includes chili powder, Ancho chili powder, and chipotle chili powder. I use a variety of pepper blends, like lemon pepper and garlic pepper, and these are organized together. Salt blends are together, as are onion and garlic related cooking spices. I also have several staple cooking spice blends that are grouped together. These include BBQ rubs, Cajun blends and Greek blends. When I plan a menu, it is easy to get to the group of cooking spices that will be needed for that type dish and easily select what I need.

I chose to utilize the lowest shelf of two continuous sections of cabinets to organize my cooking spices. To enhance their appearance, I placed many of the spices in small glass apothecary jars with decorative labels. There are also the plastic or metal step-type spice shelves that fit on the cabinet shelf and make the containers more visible. The rotating cooking spice holders allow you to put many cooking spices in a small space. You may be able to designate separate rotating holders for different cuisines, or for similar cuisines.

I also separate cooking spices from baking needs. Baking ingredients are all on a separate shelf from the cooking spices. I have groups of liquid flavorings and leavening agents like baking powder, baking soda, and yeast. Another section includes decorating goodies, such as colored sugars and sprinkles. Again, this makes it much easier to gather my ingredients according to the selected recipe.

By spending just a few minutes to consider your cooking style, and a short while reorganizing your cooking spice and baking ingredient areas, you can bring order to what can be a constant state of confusion and disorganization.