• How to organize spices

    mountaineers

    Should you organize your spices with a vintage spice rack – or another way? To be sure, this antique spice rack the Three Mountaineers is absolutely charming. Find these on ebay. We use lots of spices at my house, though — and I like our organization method even better…

    annas-spice-racks

    Anna over at DoorSixteen.com bought these spice racks (above) from Ikea – the bottles  are included; the labels are from Martha Stewart.

    target-spice-rack

    But this is the way that I’ve found most practical: Put them on a lazy susan that fits right into your wall cabinet. I got my lazy susan from Target. It was under $20. It holds a bundle of spices, yes, all in alphabetical order. To the left – a little shelf from the same line. And notice on the back wall – a little magnetic can/holder… you can do this if you have steel cabinets. I have a complete repeat of this setup in the wall cabinet to the left of my stove – for my baking spices and supplies.


    Disclosure: When you buy anything from these ebay carousels or after you click into ebay here, it nets me a teensy commission.

  • Comments

    1. Jita says:

      SO organized! You go girl! Mine are all mixed up in two cabinets. I’m such a spice-a-holic.

    2. Anna @ D16 says:

      The bottles are from IKEA, too (they come with the racks)! Just the labels are from Martha. :)

    3. Not sure how retro my spice rack is, but I had some extra “filler” space in the cabinets and tucked a whole rack in a 3″ space. Here’s a picture of it from my Flickr account…

      http://www.flickr.com/photos/atomicbombshell/3347111513/

    4. Frank Boyd says:

      I don’t think that the “Herbs & Spices and How to Use Them” spice rack is an antique. I bought the same spice rack for my mother in 1977 at Hinshaws Dept Store.

    5. Culver City Bronwyn says:

      Aww..I grew up with that “Herbs & Spices and How to Use Them” Rack. I remember it actually having helpful information written on the front.

      I had the hardest time locating a spice rack as there don’t seem to be many manufactured these days (most are for countertops which doesn’t help those of us with small kitchens). We finally got one from…this won’t shock you….the McCormick Spice Company: http://www.mccormickgourmet.com/gcproductdetail.cfm?id=12749

    6. Pam Kueber says:

      Frank – I am sure you are right. I am not too careful about calling things antiques….

    7. Pam Kueber says:

      Bronwyn — what a great gift that would be for a housewarming. Includes all the spices, too — how cool! Thanks for the link.

    8. Pam Kueber says:

      Anna from D16 – Thanks for that clarification. I’ll correct the post.

    9. sablemable says:

      I have those “step” shelves in my cabinets and find them very handy for organizing spices. I think I got them from Stacks and Stacks.

    10. Lauren says:

      Hey There: Just wanted to let you guys know about another option for storing spices called the SpiceStack. SpiceStack holds 18+ spice bottles, keeping them organized in the dark, dry cabinet where they stay fresh longer (storing your spices on the counter? THAT is retro :-) ). Drop-down drawers help you find your spices fast, while the horizontal stacking makes efficient use of space. God knows we all need more of that in our kitchen!

      Happy Cooking! Lauren Greenwood, Sales and Marketing, SpiceStack.com

    11. Mitzi says:

      Three Mountaineers spice racks may not be all that old – but they are vintage and they sell for a decent price! They are on my list of things to watch out for to sell on eBay, that’s for sure! ;)

    12. Ann Smith says:

      Just saw one of these on ebay. Current bid is a bit more than $52 so if anyone has advice on max I should bid, please post. The last one of these in same condition sold for more than $180! Just a few days left on auction so I’m watching it close. It will go great in our lake cabin kitchen, all vintage country. Thanks for any advice!

    13. pam kueber says:

      Wow, they are really going for a lot these days!

    14. Diane L says:

      I own a “Herbs & Spices and How to Use Them” rack. It was part of my “Hopeless Chest”. My mother got it for me from S&H Green Stamps. How’s that for “retro”

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