NOV
09
Kitchen Tip: A Well Stocked Spice Cabinet
I’m going to show you something a little embarrassing here. I hope you understand. Sometimes, despite my best efforts, my kitchen starts to look like this. I really hate it. I can’t find what I need. I don’t know what I have and what I’m out of. And I can’t concentrate with the clutter and disarray.
Don’t think it’s too bad? Let’s take a closer look. Oh wait. Are those child locks on the cabinets? They sure are. They’re a recent addition to our kitchen. And now every single cabinet in the whole house – and a few drawers too – has a child lock on it. Because Madeline thinks it’s fine and dandy to do things like dump whole bottles of curry powder all over the counter. Or use green food coloring as hand lotion. And no, I am not exaggerating. What’s that bottle of Excedrin doing in the mix?
A few weekends ago I went in. I tackled the mess. I took everything out of the cabinet and put it on the counter. Tossed what was old or empty, consolidated what I could, and reorganized. I did an inventory of what’s in the cupboard so I can make a note when something runs out. And here is what it looks like now.
Why did I bother? Because I like my kitchen to run like a well-oiled machine. I like everything to be neat and tidy so that the kitchen does some of the work for me. Holidays are quickly approaching and without an organized spice cabinet it’ll be difficult to get organized with Holiday baking. I made a spice cabinet inventory check-list to help me keep track of what I have and when I’m running low.
If you’d like the FREE PRINTABLE Spice Cabinet Inventory, you can download it HERE. It works great to have this taped inside the cabinet so it’s right there all the time. There are some items that should be in this check-list, but aren’t because they’re located in the pantry instead. The spice cabinet can only hold so much! (i.e. I have dried cherries here because the bag is small, but the dried cranberries and raisins are in the pantry because the bags are large).
What are your essential HOLIDAY BAKING SPICES?
Mine would have to be:
- Whole Cloves
- Ground Cloves
- Allspice
- Cardamom
- Cinnamon
- Cinnamon Sticks
- Nutmeg
- Ground Ginger
- Pumpkin Pie Spice
If I didn’t have those, I wouldn’t be able to make things like Easy Pumpkin Custard, Muffins That Taste Like Donuts, Cardamom Citrus Coffee Cake, or Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls – all some of our favorite fall recipes!
Hello! I'm Katie Goodman, author of GoodLife Eats Etc. where I share what I find in my life. A mix of great recipes, family memories, adventures, good reads, and anything else that I love is what you will discover here.
Thanks for including the spice list. There is nothing more frustrating than realizing you are out of a needed spice in the middle of cooking/baking. Very handy post as we prepare for the holidays! Have a great day…
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I have the same problem with my spice cabinet. The expandable shelf helps
Thanks for the spice list! I need to stock up on my holiday favorites
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ohhh… The inventory chart is a fantastic idea!
And don’t worry about disorganized. That’s how my looks I know!
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Thought you might get a kick out of how I have my spice cabinet organized. It saves a ton of room, and everything is quite easy to see and locate!
http://www.recipegirl.com/2009/01/03/getting-organized-in-2009-spice-cabinet-beyond/
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Katie replied: — November 9th, 2010 @ 12:56 PM
I would love to do that – I remember seeing this post. We will be moving next summer so I don’t want to go to the effort of setting that up here, but next time that would be awesome!
LOL…”I went in”…I know that feeling! My spice cabinet has been stressing me out! I need to go in! You may have inspired me!
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This is a task that I definitely need to tackle. My spice cabinet is so disorganized that extra spices are now sitting on the counter. It’s seriously stressing me out as I hate cluttered counters. Thanks for the inspiration.
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i don’t nearly have as many spices, but my cabinets definitely get pretty crazy too. time for some organization!
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Great spread sheet for spice pantry inventory. The Excedrin – too funny!
I would have to add cayenne and black pepper to your holiday bake list. I know kinda weird but I also make savory cookies that require these two.
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I made a list of everything we had (and how many extras I had stashed away), printed it, put it in a protective sleeve, and tucked it in the inside of the cabinet door. It’s great!
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Ooooh, can you come to my house and tidy my cupboard up? Great inventory list!
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Thanks for the inventory sheet. I was just thinking yesterday that it was time to reorg the spice cupboard. You nailed in on holiday spices, though I’d add mace as well since my holidays are incomplete without pepperkakor
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Thanks for the pantry list, made a couple of changes but what a great idea to have hanging just inside the pantry door. Even went to the extreme of putting shelf numbers, might help out the hubby to find things.
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I know that some people call people like us anal
But I agree with you – when things are organized, they run better. They go more smoothly and we can focus on what is important. It is surprisingly comforting to transform a mess into something neat!
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Katie replied: — November 9th, 2010 @ 12:58 PM
Check out this comment: this comment – even more organized than me. It would be so easy to find stuff that way.
We really need to do that. Our spice cabinet is so small we jam it all in.
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Katie – I have one small cabinet devoted to spices. I posted a list on the door some time ago but it’s now defunct. Since my husband is cooking more the spice cabinet doesn’t stay organized very long…so every now and again I take everything out and put it back the way I like it. Thus, the Excedrin bottle in my cabinet is empty.
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I totally had to laugh-I told my husband just last night that we needed locks on the spice cabinet! One onion bottle emptied. One garlic bottle emptied, and a (thankfully almost empty) canister of salt. Good times, these toddlers!
And thanks for the list!
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My spice cabinets often look frightfully similar to yours… it gets scary and I sometimes get lost
But this spice list is the best idea ever!! I totally need to print it out and start utilizing it 
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Yes! Me too! Every time I open my spice cupboard they fall out onto the counter…same with my tea cupboard…
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What a lovely, well-timed post! Good for you, and thanks so much.
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Sidney replied: — November 11th, 2010 @ 1:13 AM
(I keep my rarely used spices,etc., in the freezer.)
The garlic powder and Lawry’s are in the cupboard!
Great post. The well stocked spice cabinet can revamp the life of your food.
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This list is well thought out & awesome!
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I was scared for a moment… I thought you had taken a picture of MY spice cabinet! I have a bit of a spice problem, and I am constantly buying more and more spices. Right now I can’t get enough of cinnamon and cardamom.
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