Ideas for storing large amounts of spices

MrsAtobe

Now that the OH and I have become OS and started making our own curries, rather than ordering take aways, we have discovered a local Asian shop that sells herbs and spices at really cheap prices, but in larger than usual packs. The box that I used to keep all the supermarket size jars in has now overflowed, and I need to find a way of organising the vast array that I now own.

Does any one have any bright ideas how I can do this? I did think about clearing out a drawer, and finding square tins that would fit in it, but when I google square tins, all that come up is wholesale sites:(. Anyone got any bright ideas?

BTW, this is an idea of how cheap this place is, I've just paid £3 for a 100g pack of nutmeg, which contains 20+ nutmegs, and it's the only place I've ever seen black cardamom! All I need to do now is find a place for them to live .

ETA if anyone else has Mitzie Wilson's Mince! Cookbook, I can highly recommend the Berbere Sauce, it's sublime...

HelenYorkshire

What about tuppaware instead of square tins? Cheap and cheerful, they may discolour, but if they're in a drawer (i.e. dark) the spices shouldn't deteriorate. Or Kilner jars for really big bags?

MrsAtobe

HelenYorkshire wrote: »

What about tuppaware instead of square tins? Cheap and cheerful, they may discolour, but if they're in a drawer (i.e. dark) the spices shouldn't deteriorate. Or Kilner jars for really big bags?

Do you mean Kilner jars with the screw tops, or with clip down lids (iyswim)?

Swan_2

I keep mine, mostly from an Asian grocer, in Lock & Lock* containers in two drawers in my kitchen

the boxes are totally airtight, stack/nest neatly, & the herbs & spices are kept cool & in the dark

* they come in lots of sizes & Tesco, Poundland etc do their own versions

foxgloves

I have a cupboard just for herbs & spices. My F-i-L saves all his empty coffee jars for me. He always has the type of instant coffee which comes in the big glass jars with the chunky glass stopper lids & sometimes he seems to get a real mega-size of these, as well as the more normal size. I store all my spices & herbs in these & just write directly on the jar with a black freezer pen as to what the contents are. I find the little spice jars you buy just far too small when you make a lot of chutneys, curries, etc, so this works for me.

rosie383

I'm another one for using jam jars/ coffee jars etc. The glass doesn't take on the smell so ideal if you want to use it for something else.
My best tip would be to get yourself a wee spice grinder and then buy whole spices and grind yourself. The difference is amazing.....can't compare the 2 really. You will find that this way, even if the spice has been in the cupboard for about a year, that it is still very fragrant when you grind it.
Already ground spices go 'flat' pretty quickly.
Things that you will use a lot of, eg cumin and coriander, buy the bigger bags of them, but smaller bags of things like cardamom where you just need a wee bit.
Again though, even for the wee bags, get them in the Asian grocers.

katieowl_2

I used to buy a lot of spices from the asian shops, don't have one nearby now, but the local health food shop sells loose stuff cheaply too.

I've always used jam jars..but mine are co-ordinated I use Bonne Maman Jars, with the red and white checked lids, and I use a waterproof garden marker to write on the lids what's in them. Where I lived before I had deep drawers in the kitchen, so all the jars were in the drawer, and I could tell by the lids what was in them at a glance. I then kept all the big packets together sealed up individually in an air tight box in the cupboard, so I only got it out to re-fill the jars. That always worked well for me, a jam jar is a reasonable quantity for me as I use a lot of herbs and spices. Now I have them in a cupboard, and I have to stack them, I find that the wide top and the narrower bottom means they stack safely, and I can get lots in the space.

Kate

MrsAtobe

Thanks everyone - looks like I'm going to have to start eating a lot more jam and drinking a lot more coffee! :rotfl:

sunflower76

We use cleaned out milk plastic cartons. Obviously they aren't darkened so they need to be kept in a cupboard, but otherwise they work just fine.

It can be a pain to dry the cartons out but what I do is tear a paper towel or two into pieces, stuff them into the carton and replace the lid. I then shake it a few times until the paper is damp and repeat until the carton is properly dry.

I use a funnel to then decant the spices into the carton and either scrawl on it with a permanent marker or, if I can be bothered and feel crafty, I make nice labels to stick on. Do label though as despite all your best intentions it's easy to forget what's what until you are familiar with them all.

seabright

You can freeze them, just put what you needing the little jars you already have and freeze the rest (well labelled!!). That way you don't use much space and you spices stay super fresh

zippychick

I decant mine into "normal" sized jars, and keep the bigger bags all together in a lock and lock like Swan says. I rearranged mine yesterday actually - found a great sized tupperware which fits loads lengthwise so you can see what most of them are - you can read the label if that makes sense. Must geta pic uploaded

i can check the size but at a glance it is similar to this - the biggest long one.!!!