Get your seasonings in order with these tips.
I’m infinitely proud of my spice drawer. It’s simple, clean, and the spices I reach for most are easily accessible—but that doesn’t mean it didn’t take a lot of trial and error (and jars toppling onto my head) to get here. As someone who cooks all the time in a small apartment kitchen, I’ve had to maximize the efficiency of all the storage space available, and an organized spice section is one of the most important elements. Whether you have a spice cabinet, rack, or drawer, you can apply the below methods I've learned from years of personal experience, plus conversations with experts, to organize all your spices and seasoning blends to perfection. Acrylic House Number Plaques
First thing’s first: Any professional organizer will tell you that the most crucial step in organizing a space is taking everything out first. It’s immensely helpful to see everything you have, both so you can identify what needs replacing (or what’s a duplicate), as well as how much room you really need to store the bulk of your items. Take this opportunity to suck up dirt and crumbs from the bottom of your spice cabinet with a handheld vacuum and give everything a good wipe-down with a microfiber cloth and some multipurpose spray. You’ll probably want to give each of your spice jars a quick wipe as well, but we’ll save that step for after you go through the entire collection.
This step is straightforward enough, as most spice jars will have an expiration date printed on the bottom or side. This will help you easily identify which ingredients have been kicking around in the cabinet for far longer than you thought (has it really been six years since I used celery seed?). But for spices that might be missing an expiration date, McCormick says that whole spices are good for about four years, and ground spices for three to four. If you’re not sure when you opened a jar and it doesn’t have an expiration date, the rule of thumb is to check if the spice is vibrant and fragrant. If it doesn’t have any smell or it’s lost its color, there’s a good chance it’s either expired or not going to do much to flavor your food anyway.
You’ll also want to do your best to label each spice jar — a Sharpie and a piece of masking tape works just as well as a fancy label maker — with the date you open it. This will prevent you from using something that’s expired or throwing away a spice that’s still got some life left in it.
A freshly organized cabinet is only as good as the thought put behind it. If you simply rearrange for the sake of rearranging, in a few days or weeks you’ll likely find yourself back where you started. Think carefully about how you use your spice cabinet and what you most frequently reach for. For example, if you’re consistently using the everything bagel seasoning but find that you rarely need mustard seed, the everything bagel jar should certainly be more front and center.
Arguably the most important part of an organizational system, though, is how you set up your space. If you’re finding that the current layout of your cabinet or drawer is not working, here are some solid options for reducing spice cabinet clutter and making it easier to find what you’re looking for in the process.
If you’re finding that the wide variety of spice jar shapes and sizes in your cabinet is driving you bananas, consider investing in a matching set of bottles to save your sanity. I was once skeptical that this would solve anything, as it seemed to just be an Instagram-worthy organizing hack that wasn’t necessary, but now I made the switch I’m never going back. The best part about them, in my opinion, is that they nestle perfectly next to one another, and there are no tiny or oversized bottles that jam up the delicate spice drawer ecosystem. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that they look super sleek and minimal, too.
For super deep but short cabinets, pull-out racks are a great option for maximizing your storage space. Racks like this one can actually fit up to 20 spice bottles in a tight space, and there are plenty of custom sizes to choose from so they will perfectly fit your cabinet and your spice collection.
Another way to capitalize on cabinet depth is to stack your spices up on a shelf riser, which kind of looks like stadium seating for your cumin and coriander seeds. Shelf risers like this one are actually expandable as well, so you can custom fit it to your cabinet width. If your spice cabinet is a bit out of your reach, you can also opt for an organizer that actually drops down out of the cabinet to make things easier to reach.
For bulk items, backups, or spices you don’t often use, turntables make it easy to see exactly what you need to stock up on for your next grocery run. And when you need to refill the peppermill, the peppercorns are just a spin away.
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