Organizing the Spice/herb Cabinet

Organizing the Spice/herb Cabinet

Tip 1. I don’t know about you, but I hate it when I’m cooking and I’m out of or too low of a spice/herb I need.  To keep this from happening I have organized my spice/herb cabinet and taped up a little note so I can add spices/herbs to the list as I use them and notice they are low.

Tip 2. Even with a great system to keep the spices fully stocked, sometimes I/we drop the ball.  If this happens to you, there are certain spices/herbs you can substitute.  For example, oregano can be swapped for basil and vs. versa, or cinnamon and cloves for nutmeg and vs. versa.  Sometimes, this works out even better and you find that the replacement spice(s)/herb(s) make the dish better than the original spice(s)/herb(s).  But, sometimes they don’t work and you end up wasting your time and effort. Oh darn...

Tips 3.  Obviously the best solution is to not have this happen, by making sure you always has the spices/herbs you need on hand.  Especially, if it’s a family favorite recipe and everyone is looking forward to filling their tummies with your fantastic creation (like on Thanksgiving when your home is filled to the brim with hungry family and friends); my suggestion to keep you on track and reduce some unnecessary stress during the hectic holidays (which are stressful enough).  Would be to make sure to replenish spices/herbs once they are no less than ¾ empty.  

Tip 4.  I have slowly been transitioning my spices/herbs to Simply organic and get them from http://www.iherb.com/.  On this site they are less than half the price of the non-organic cheap spices/herbs at the grocery store.  Plus, iHerb usually processes and ships the orders the same day and if you order $20 or more you get free shipping, awesome!  (iHber.com also has a bunch of other awesome items that I purchase often.)

Tip 5.  How to organize your spices/herbs.  I realize it’s nice to have the spices/herbs close to the stovetop for quick add-ins while cooking or baking, but spices/herbs are not suppose to be stored near warm/hot places, like the oven/stove top.  I keep my spices/herbs above the kitchen sink in a small cabinet.  I organized my spices/herbs by flavor, so if I feel adventurous, I can add-in similar spices/herbs that might just make the dish even better.  Plus, often when making a dish they require similar spices/herbs, which makes it faster to just grab them if they are next to or close to each other.  For example, hot spices are stored together like red pepper and chili powder, or sweet spices are stored together like cinnamon and nutmeg, and herbs are stored together like basil and oregano.

I hope this helps you with your cooking/baking this holiday season and throughout the year!  Because by taking a little time now to get organized will help you in the long run when you are even busier as the holidays continue to get closer.