Organizing a Spice Cabinet

We recently did that sort of misguided, fairly overwhelming thing where you decide to take everything out of each and every kitchen cabinet and drawer and figure out a better way for all of it to be organized. The process isn't a whole lot of fun. It's crazy. It's messy. But when it's all done, cooking almost seems effortless. It may be worth all the trouble.

Our system for spices before this project was a pitiful sight: one drawer with bottles and tins, a plastic shoebox with bags of spices filed away, and two hanging spice racks on the wall beside the oven. This project took a while, but we were determined to corral all our spices into one space so stuff was easier to locate. We separated out all the spices into categories (one of us got a little teasing for 'Baking Level 2', but hey…the maple flakes, lavender, and poppy seeds have to go somewhere that makes sense). Once we figured out what we had, we bought small bins for each. Larger bins on the top shelf hold all the extras.

Here's what we used if you get inspired to do the same in your kitchen: these bins, these chalkboard labels, and this white paint pen. Let us know how it turns out!

(You can also check out last January's project: organizing the pantry and adding pull-out shelves. This has made for a whole year of easy-to-use storage space. We even incorporated a snack drawer in it with 3 bins for granola bars, dried fruit bars, oatmeal, cookies, and nuts. Maybe we'll share that easy project soon!)