For years I didn’t know what to do with the tall skinny cabinet in my 1940’s kitchen – for a while it was the “snack” cupboard for the kids – anything in there they could eat, and it had things like crackers, peanut butter, jelly, popcorn, beverage mixes, etc.
Spice Cupboard – the “stair steps” are just boards cut to size and stacked.
Now I’m using it for my spice cupboard – I do keep larger quantities of spices up in a harder to reach, dark, cool cupboard. I store them in small canning jars and even Ziploc bags, but this cupboard is now my “go to” place for spices and herbs.
I simply took boards, cut them to fit, stacked them and painted them to match – and now my little jars fit and are easy to see. (I do wish I would have cut the boards ‘with’ the grain, it would have been a little smoother.)
Cooking from scratch is really difficult if you’re reaching for spices and they aren’t easy to get to…or worse, your pot is simmering on the stove when you realize you don’t even HAVE whatever it is you need to add NOW!
I’ve noticed that a lot of older homes have these funky little cabinets; if you do, maybe this idea will help. I like this better than the lazy susan type spice rack I used to keep my spices on – they used to fall off and took up so much room. I also like that they aren’t on a spice rack that I have to keep clean or that is exposed to light. Most of all, I really like that this was done with scrap pieces of wood from my garage! I’m always thinking I’ll remodel, so I didn’t want to spend very much…but in the meantime, I needed it to function better.
You can buy little plastic shelves, too, that you can expand to fit many spaces.
In a cool, empty upper cabinet, my excess spices are stored in jars.
I have friends who have converted what was an old Ironing Board bay in their kitchen into a spice cupboard by lining it with shelves, which I thought was a great use of space.
Do you have an innovative way to store spices in your kitchen to share with us?
Spice Related Pages:
- Vegetables & Fruits
- Proteins – what prices to “buy at” and how to use in budget planning
- Pantry Items
- Herbs and SpicesOlive Oil & Cooking Oils
- Dairy – pricing and care
Links for The Twelve Strategies:
- Strategy One: Bank Your Foods
- Strategy Two: Pay Attention to the Bottom Line
- Strategy Three: Control Costs: Maximize “Profits” and Minimize Losses
- Strategy Four: Take Advantage of Cyclic Changes in the Market
- Strategy Five: Be an Investor, not a Gambler
- Strategy Six: Give Back to the Community
- Strategy Seven: Have a Business Plan
- Strategy Eight: Invest in Training
- Strategy Nine: Know the Products you Buy
- Strategy Ten: Know your Suppliers
- Strategy Eleven: Take Advantage of Special Offers & Incentives
- Strategy Twelve: Use Sound Investment Principles
Related articles
- 10 Practical Ideas for Better Spice Storage (thekitchn.com)
- Household “Hints From Heloise”, Revisited: Spices (frugalfortwo.wordpress.com)
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