3 Steps to a Spice Storage Makeover

Is your spice drawer out of order, overcrowded and out of date. Here's a weekend kitchen project to transform your spice mess into a space that's is orderly and attractive.

STEP 1 - Pitch and Purge

• Gather your herbs and spices from all corners of the kitchen.

• Perhaps the hardest part of this is turfing herbs and spices you good money paid for!

• You can use one of the spice company's best buy guidelines below:

• Whole Spices - 4 years

• Ground Spices - 3 to 4 years

• Dried, Leafy Herbs - 1 to 3 years

• Or you take their guidelines into consideration (after all it is the spice companies setting the guidelines) and know that evidently spices don't expire but they do loose their potency. Do a sniff and visual test. They should have a strong aroma, not clump and have good colour (not faded).

• Be ruthless and discard the hand me downs or spices over a decade old that need to be replaced or released. The ones you use the most will naturally get replenished.

STEP 2 - Perfect Position

• Avoid the mistake of putting spices near the stove, above the dishwasher, on the counter, window or on the outside of a kitchen cabinet. The key is to keep them away from moisture, light, air and heat.

• Spices will do well in a drawer, on the inside of a cabinet door or in pantry.

• Do not freeze spices, however, fresh herbs can be frozen.

STEP 3 - Set up

• Store your spices in air-tight containers in a cool dark place to protect them from moisture, fading and oxidation. If you use glass jars, the flavour seems to last longer.

• If transferring to new bottles or containers use a funnel or paper roll to transfer the them.

• Next, label spices for visibility and durability. If printing labels, download the correct template, experiment with the font styles and be sure to test on paper before using precious labels.

• Arrange alphabetically or by usage and use removable white tape and write the purchase date on the bottom.

Bonus Tips

• Save money and grow your own herbs. Use 1 TBSP fresh herbs to every 1 TSP of dried or approximately a 3 to 1 ratio.

• If you use fresh herbs add them at the end of the recipe. If you use dried herbs add them at the beginning of the recipe for maximum flavour.

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