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Home » Kitchen Tips & Tricks » Cooking Tutorials » Kitchen Tip: A Well Stocked Spice Cabinet
holiday spice cabinet
November 9, 2010

Kitchen Tip: A Well Stocked Spice Cabinet

From the Kitchen of Katie Kick

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Want to get organized for holiday baking? Come get this Well Stocked Spice Cabinet free printable to help you get started!

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.

Right now it is definitely not a A Well Stocked Spice Cabinet.

kitchen organization

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?

kitchen cabinet organization

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.

A Well Stocked Spice Cabinet has been achieved!

organized spice cabinet

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 and well stocked 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.

holiday spice cabinet

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).

A Well Stocked Spice Cabinet - free printable spice cabinet inventory

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!


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Meet Katie Kick

My lifelong interest in cooking has shown me that part of the goodness in life is enjoying delicious food with friends and family. I love trying new foods, discovering new places & things that help my family live the good life.

More About Katie
Updated: January 21, 2025

Reader Interactions

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  1. Catey says

    November 9, 2010 at 6:22 PM

    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!

    Reply
  2. Nancy-The Sensitive Pantry says

    November 9, 2010 at 5:23 PM

    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.

    Reply
  3. Kelsey says

    November 9, 2010 at 2:52 PM

    We really need to do that. Our spice cabinet is so small we jam it all in.

    Reply
  4. Michelle (What's Cooking with Kids) says

    November 9, 2010 at 12:48 PM

    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!

    Reply
    • Katie says

      November 9, 2010 at 12:58 PM

      Check out this comment: this comment – even more organized than me. It would be so easy to find stuff that way.

      Reply
  5. SC says

    November 9, 2010 at 12:39 PM

    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.

    Reply
  6. Kristi aka FiberFool says

    November 9, 2010 at 11:06 AM

    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 🙂

    Reply
  7. SusieBee at eatlittleeatbig says

    November 9, 2010 at 10:48 AM

    Ooooh, can you come to my house and tidy my cupboard up? Great inventory list!

    Reply
  8. Liz says

    November 9, 2010 at 10:08 AM

    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!

    Reply
  9. naomi says

    November 9, 2010 at 9:03 AM

    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.

    Reply
  10. the blissful baker says

    November 9, 2010 at 8:47 AM

    i don’t nearly have as many spices, but my cabinets definitely get pretty crazy too. time for some organization!

    Reply
  11. Holly says

    November 9, 2010 at 8:42 AM

    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.

    Reply
  12. Aggie says

    November 9, 2010 at 7:45 AM

    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!

    Reply
  13. Lori @ RecipeGirl says

    November 9, 2010 at 7:42 AM

    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/

    Reply
    • Katie says

      November 9, 2010 at 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!

      Reply
  14. Nick (Macheesmo) says

    November 9, 2010 at 7:16 AM

    ohhh… The inventory chart is a fantastic idea!

    And don’t worry about disorganized. That’s how my looks I know!

    Reply
  15. Estela @ Weekly Bite says

    November 9, 2010 at 7:10 AM

    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 🙂

    Reply
  16. Kim @ Quit Eating Out {Recipes to Make Dining Out A Choice, Not A Chore} says

    November 9, 2010 at 6:47 AM

    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…

    Reply
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Katie Kick from Good Life Eats in her kitchen

Meet Katie Kick

Hi, I’m Katie! Thank you so much for visiting my corner of the internet. I am passionate about cooking delicious and beautiful, yet accessible, food for my family and friends. I love tasting new foods, discovering new places and things that help my family live that good life.

More about Katie
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