Which way do you organize your spices?

etky

Sat, May 09 2015, 2:10 pm

My "method" is a combination of animeme's and yo'ma's.
I have a dedicated shelf in my pantry for spices and extracts. They are also sorted by type: green herbs, 'sweet' spices, middle eastern and Indian spices,a variety of McCormick seasoning blends, whole spices etc. However, in the front I keep the spices that I reach for all the time like the granulated garlic and onion, paprika, black pepper. It's not ideal because it sometimes takes a while to locate what I need but I don't have anywhere to hang a rack, even a small one for the most frequently used spices. In any case it's best to keep them in a dark place and also not near the stove. Exposure to light and heat can cause them to lose their potency more quickly. It would be nice to have the type of rack that hangs inside a cabinet but my pantry isn't built to accomodate that type of rack.

etky

Sat, May 09 2015, 2:23 pm

seeker wrote:

Mine is on the outside of the cabinet. That's where it fit, and it's working for me. Super easy to reach. I think theoretically you're supposed to store spices in the dark but my approach to these things is "whatever."

It never occurred to me to arrange ANYTHING in my life alphabetically. Now that I keep hearing it it's starting to make a funny kind of sense.

Truth is that if your using up the spices quickly and replacing them often it probably doesn't matter so much. But it might be worthwhile to keep the spices that you use less frequently in the cupboard because it's really frustrating to have to replace a non-longer potent spice of which you've used only a small portion of the container. Alas, even those kept in the cupboard lose their potency at some point. I finally (reluctantly) streamlined my collection and eliminated those spices that I use really rarely because it just was a waste.

Tablepoetry

Sat, May 09 2015, 4:50 pm

It never ever crossed my mind to store spices alphabetically. I would've thought it's a satire had I read about this somewhere else. You learn something new everyday.

So...mine are all mixed up, but I don't have tons of spices, not that adventurous a cook I guess. In any case, I've been storing them in the fridge for years, that's the only sure-fire way to avoid all sorts of pests taking residence in the spices.

All of you who store by the oven....do you ever find moths or the like in your spices?

Shuly

Sat, May 09 2015, 5:26 pm

I store them in the door of my freezer.
I store them by container size - taller in back and shorter in front and I group the ones from the same brands/in similar containers together.

tigerwife

Sat, May 09 2015, 7:41 pm

I keep them on the door of my freezer- not organized by type or alphabetical or anything, but since they sit in a single row it's easy to find what you're looking for.

I was also surprised so many people keep them near windows or warmth... I did once have a bug infestation and now I'm paranoid and keep almost everything in my fridge / freezer!

etky

Sun, May 10 2015, 12:37 am

Humidity is also an enemy of spices. It is ok to keep sealed or well wrapped packages in the freezer b/c the cold does preserve the life of the aromatic components in the spices but not such a great idea to keep regularly used, frequently opened and closed containers in the fridge or freezer which are 'wet' environments. Condensation can occur in the container as a result of the temperature fluctuation that the spices are exposed to which can cause the spice to deteriorate or worse, mold to develop.