Do you find traditional spice jars that we buy from the large chain grocery markets just a nightmare? I did. I do. There is not just one thing I dislike about them. I dislike the whole design, so I decided to change the way I store spices. Take a look.
Here are three different styles of spice jars that you will find in the baking aisle of any large grocery store. The first and most obvious thing I do not like about these is that they are all a different design. Two are glass, one is plastic. Unless you go to the same store each and every time you need to purchase a spice, this is what you end up with - a hodgepodge of mismatched containers and this drives me to distraction.
Additionally, I defy anyone to insert a standard, round tablespoon measure or a teaspoon measure into any of the three designs. It cannot be done. I thought I outsmarted this situation a few years ago and bought measuring spoons that were long and narrow rather than short and round.
This was the set I bought and, indeed, they do fit inside these standard spice jars. However, the bottle needs to be only half full or less, if you are attempting to use the "tablespoon" measure before you can get the measure in the bottle and extract the spice. The smaller ones, naturally, work with ease when you first open the bottle, but I rarely use 1/8 and 1/4 teaspoon measures. The dishes I prepare usually start at 1/2 teaspoon and go up, and even then, 1/2 teaspoon is rare.
So I decided it was time to change all of this. I found these wonderful little glass jars with screw-on lids at The Container Store.
As you can see in the picture above, they have nice, wide mouths which makes the process of measuring out the spice inside the jar infinitely easier than before. They are large enough to hold the full content of the grocery store jars which is also very nice. You are not left with a miniscule amount in the original jar that would end up back in the cabinet and rather defeat the whole purpose of what we are doing.
Here we have our three spices all contained in the new glass jars from The Container Store. (Of course, wash the jars in hot soapy water first and dry thoroughly.) Left to right, poppy seeds, dried parsley and cayenne pepper. I was very pleased with how this looked, but we needed to label the jars. I couldn't possibly put them in the cabinet without first labeling them. I cannot imagine the nightmare that would ensue when I was trying to figure out later on what was in each jar.
So I jumped on my computer and started preparing labels. I decided to go with the Avery 5160 labels which are 1" x 2-5/8". I chose Segoe UI Light for the font and then experimented with different font sizes until I found the size I liked. I saved the document for future use and then printed the labels and affixed each label to the corresponding jar.
I typed the "best by" date from the manufacturer on each label from each of the original bottles. Spices do not last forever. They lose their flavor and potency after a while and that is why the dates are placed on the original bottles. Now those same dates are on my bottles and I will know when it is time to replace the content of each jar. The labels are mere pennies in cost and can be removed and replaced with ease when the spices are replenished.
I was very pleased with how this project turned out. Now I have a nice, cohesive look to the spice cabinet. I know you will too!
Here are three different styles of spice jars that you will find in the baking aisle of any large grocery store. The first and most obvious thing I do not like about these is that they are all a different design. Two are glass, one is plastic. Unless you go to the same store each and every time you need to purchase a spice, this is what you end up with - a hodgepodge of mismatched containers and this drives me to distraction.
Additionally, I defy anyone to insert a standard, round tablespoon measure or a teaspoon measure into any of the three designs. It cannot be done. I thought I outsmarted this situation a few years ago and bought measuring spoons that were long and narrow rather than short and round.
This was the set I bought and, indeed, they do fit inside these standard spice jars. However, the bottle needs to be only half full or less, if you are attempting to use the "tablespoon" measure before you can get the measure in the bottle and extract the spice. The smaller ones, naturally, work with ease when you first open the bottle, but I rarely use 1/8 and 1/4 teaspoon measures. The dishes I prepare usually start at 1/2 teaspoon and go up, and even then, 1/2 teaspoon is rare.
So I decided it was time to change all of this. I found these wonderful little glass jars with screw-on lids at The Container Store.
As you can see in the picture above, they have nice, wide mouths which makes the process of measuring out the spice inside the jar infinitely easier than before. They are large enough to hold the full content of the grocery store jars which is also very nice. You are not left with a miniscule amount in the original jar that would end up back in the cabinet and rather defeat the whole purpose of what we are doing.
Here we have our three spices all contained in the new glass jars from The Container Store. (Of course, wash the jars in hot soapy water first and dry thoroughly.) Left to right, poppy seeds, dried parsley and cayenne pepper. I was very pleased with how this looked, but we needed to label the jars. I couldn't possibly put them in the cabinet without first labeling them. I cannot imagine the nightmare that would ensue when I was trying to figure out later on what was in each jar.
So I jumped on my computer and started preparing labels. I decided to go with the Avery 5160 labels which are 1" x 2-5/8". I chose Segoe UI Light for the font and then experimented with different font sizes until I found the size I liked. I saved the document for future use and then printed the labels and affixed each label to the corresponding jar.
I typed the "best by" date from the manufacturer on each label from each of the original bottles. Spices do not last forever. They lose their flavor and potency after a while and that is why the dates are placed on the original bottles. Now those same dates are on my bottles and I will know when it is time to replace the content of each jar. The labels are mere pennies in cost and can be removed and replaced with ease when the spices are replenished.
I was very pleased with how this project turned out. Now I have a nice, cohesive look to the spice cabinet. I know you will too!
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