Seasoning storage ideas. Storing spices in the kitchen: functional ideas for those who are used to uncompromising order. Storing Spices and Dried Herbs

It is more difficult if the room is small - you will have to carefully consider the location of all the necessary items.

Typically, cereals take up a lot of space, and packets of spices cause chaos because they spontaneously spread over all surfaces (plus odors).

Here are our tips on this topic. Let's start from the opposite, that is, what not to do.

Where should you not store cereals and spices?

It is impossible to begin deciding on the placement of bulk products without understanding which places are best to avoid.

• First of all, you need to remember that storage in bags and cardboard boxes Absolutely forbidden. Avoid this if you don't want .
  Note: Spices also do not tolerate such storage conditions well - they quickly lose their aroma. And in general taste qualities products spoil if they are not stored.
• Poor choices include drawers and shelves above the kitchen sink. High humidity promotes the formation of dampness and, as a result, mold. And if cheese with it can be considered a delicacy, then hardly anyone would consider moldy buckwheat a gourmet delicacy.
• Storing cereals in the refrigerator is not the best option. Firstly, condensation may form there and they will become damp. Secondly, they will simply take up space there - bulk products do not need to be kept cold for preservation, just a dry place and sealed containers are enough.

Having figured out where it is better not to place cereals and spices, let's choose nine best options, which will help organize them in a small kitchen.

There are many interesting ideas for storing cereals and spices that are easy to implement with your own hands. Let's see the most original and convenient ones?

Secret sliding panel

It is not necessary to put your culinary supplies on public display - they can be disguised. For example, by building a retractable shelf into a kitchen set, which will look like an ordinary decorative panel.

This method is quite unusual, but requires significant costs: you will have to purchase a custom-made kitchen. However, the final result is worth it - few people can hold back an exclamation of surprise when they see how you take out pasta or seasonings for it from the seemingly solid wall of the set.

Hanging shelves for refrigerator

If you have easy access to the side of the refrigerator, hanging structure, which will accommodate sealed jars for bulk products, can be a wonderful way out for not large kitchen.

This way they won’t take up precious space on the shelves, but will always be in order and in sight. This method is a kind of organizer that will greatly facilitate the search for the necessary ingredients for cooking.

Tip: For a white refrigerator, choose shelves that match the color scheme in the kitchen. If you bought a more original colored unit, choose a suspended structure in a contrasting shade.

Retro cabinet

Looks good hanging wooden cabinet with glass doors and iron handles. It fits well into a kitchen decorated in classic style. You can arrange the drawers symmetrically, or you can arrange them in a chaotic order, alternating the sizes and colors of the doors.

This option looks impressive, but it is necessary to take into account some nuances. The first of them is price. Most likely, the cabinet will need to be made to order so that it fits properly into the color scheme your kitchen. The second can be considered more significant - if the product is of poor quality, you will not be able to ensure the tightness of the products, which will negatively affect their shelf life and may become cause of kitchen moths.

Alchemy laboratory

Probably, almost everyone dreamed of becoming a wizard in childhood. Now you can at least partially realize your dreams! On hanging shelf Small narrow test tubes with spices and wide flasks with cereals and pasta will look very impressive.

You can also add mystery bottles of vinegar and vegetable oils. This design looks very interesting and mysterious. However, be careful not to hang it over the stove, even if your beakers are heat-resistant: constant heating does not improve the properties of the food.

Interesting trick: Originality without it interesting idea Can add glass containers different color. If you decide to place on this shelf and vegetable oils, make them aromatic - add to them spices or berries. This will make your shelf look even more like the shelf of a wise wizard.

Hanging stand

Containers hung by strong hooks on a metal or wooden sheet on the wall look non-standard. You may have to make it protruding in order to organically place containers with cereals. It is better to choose oblong narrow containers.

Using this design technique it is necessary to take into account that it looks best in kitchens decorated in modern style. In addition, it will be difficult to arrange containers of different sizes beautifully - it may be better to use the method only for cereals or spices. In this case, it is better to come up with another option for the second type of product.

Magnetic board

This storage method is more suitable for spices - after all, large containers will look a little strange, and placing small containers on the board is much easier.

The essence of the technique is quite simple: A canvas with magnetic properties is attached to the wall in a convenient place. Then small jars with metal lids or magnets on the walls. Then everything is simple: attach them in a random or strictly defined order, depending on your taste.

It is not necessary to purchase special containers for this. Clean jars of tick-tock dragees, signed in a beautiful font, look original. Simply attach a ribbon with an inscription to one part and a small magnet to the other.

For a large kitchen: If you want to use this technique for cereals, you will need a lot of space, a magnetic board and more powerful magnets. Select containers that are not too heavy and think about the location so that it is convenient for you to reach each jar.

Rack with pull-out shelves

A small narrow cabinet with pull-out shelves will also look original. You can see these in the supermarket. Make several large drawers for cereals and pasta, a couple of smaller ones for coffee and tea, and very tiny ones for spices.

Such a cabinet, especially if it is designed to match a kitchen set, will look organic. Pull-out shelves make it easier to find the products you need and organize the location of products.

If you are not a fan of large stocks, you can make such a rack in the form of a small decorative cabinet placed on the kitchen panel or built into the set. In any case, such shelves are convenient and easy to implement.

As a decor for the kitchen

Love the space decorated in rustic style? Then post beautiful jars for spices, cereals, tea and coffee on small open shelves. Choose cute lids for them - for example, wrapped in fabric. It is not necessary to buy them identical: on the contrary, different ones, but decorated in the same style, will look better.

Do not place more than two or three containers on one shelf - this creates an overloaded effect and does not look as impressive as five or six shelves with several cans.

As for the sizes, also show your imagination - select containers different sizes, but in one form. In this case, the kitchen will not look boring, but you will be able to avoid clumsiness.

Interesting addition: Don't try to place the spices like this. small light jars are difficult to keep in order on an open shelf. It's better to place them in a small wall basket. Alternatively, it can be hung from one of the shelves. Just make sure the fasteners are strong enough.

Drawers

Probably, almost everyone has seen shelves for selling tea and coffee - a large number of small sealed boxes with transparent side doors.

You can allocate a separate area in the kitchen for such tanks, or you can order an original kitchen set, where such tanks are installed in any order. This will add originality to the kitchen and will look like an original design technique.

The price for such a set will be high, but the final result will please any lover of original furniture.

However, there is one caveat. If you are not particularly careful, you will have to refuse this option. You will have to be careful to keep the clear doors clean and the containers full. Half-empty, they will not look so aesthetically pleasing.

As you can see, there are many ideas that completely refute standard ideas about how to store spices and bulk products in the kitchen. We tried to collect for you the most original solutions, but this does not mean that you should limit yourself exclusively to them.

You can use one of our ideas for storing cereals and dried herbs, or you can come up with your own based on them. Don’t be afraid to experiment with interior design - perhaps you will be the one who can say a new word in kitchen design.

Don't like to cook? Then you're on your way out. The rest are welcome. After all, you are the one who regularly visits culinary sites. And it is your collection of magical supplements that is growing every day. And at a certain point the question arises: how to store seasonings and spices? That's what we'll talk about today.

Many articles on the Internet provide beautiful photographs of storage options upon request. No doubt, spectacular design solutions and charming jars are a delight to the eye. But no one ever asked the seasonings what they themselves wanted. It is clear that we cannot wait for an answer. But the change appearance, smell, taste, the appearance of mold - this is also a kind of answer.

Those who actually know how to use spices have long developed several important rules for themselves.

Ground spices dry out much faster. Professionals prefer to buy whole spices and store them only in this form. Grind or crush just before adding to the dish. Of course, unless the recipe suggests otherwise. Because during storage, the magical aromas evaporate from the ground seasonings much more actively.

Absolutely all spices are afraid of light. This is about beautiful photos from the Internet. Bright cabinets, original shelves, stylish roof rails and... absolute accessibility of sunlight to jars and boxes. Even containers made of dark glass cannot save the situation.

In principle, there is a way out of any situation. For example, replacing transparent containers:

• wooden
• made of dark plastic
• opaque glass
• made of thick cardboard

Just before storing spices and seasonings, make sure that the jar does not allow light to pass through. Then only beauty will remain, there will be no smell or taste.

Doesn't like any seasoning sharp drop temperatures For example, some housewives manage to store them in the refrigerator, in airtight jars. And for some reason it’s always right at the door. Every time you open it, warm air from the room comes in. Condensation forms inside the jar. This is where the aromatic additives disappear.

The only type of spice that is not afraid of such changes is Bell pepper. It is better not to put all other seasonings in the refrigerator. Ideal place there will be a separate cabinet or drawer for them.

Of course, in most kitchens it is not possible to allocate a separate compartment for spices due to the small space. But remember when everyone used to have a wall-mounted medicine cabinet? It can be very interestingly decorated or used to match the interior of the kitchen. Why not store your supplies in it? It takes up little space, hangs on the wall, and doesn’t bother anyone. The temperature inside is right. Not a bad decision.

Humidity. A terrible scourge of any seasoning. This is especially harmful for those cooks who like to store spices in jars with holes. Moisture gets through and allows mold spores to start working in your supplies. Or even just turns the free-flowing aromatic into a stinking, sticky lump.

Remember! All spices should be stored in airtight jars with sealed lids. Especially if these are very significant reserves. After all, it’s an incredible shame to throw away a precious supplement later.

Advice. Do not pour seasonings directly into the pan or onto your plate from jars with holes. The steam rising from the food will do its insidious work. Take a tablespoon, pour the spice there, and only then into the food. This way you will be sure that moisture has not penetrated into the container. Yes, and it’s easier to dose.

Take a look into the kitchen of the average housewife. What can you see there? That's right, a bag of seasoning packets. Everything is printed, smells are mixed, tastes change. It is clear that our ladies are not all great cooks who will tremble over a cinnamon stick or vanilla pod. But why not do it simpler?

• Let's go to the store.
• We buy a stack of small ziplock bags.
• We are returning home.
• Pour all the printed seasonings individually into the bags.
• We put it in a general bag.

Alternatively, you can put these bags in beautiful box or plastic container. Convenient, always available and smells do not mix.

By the way, we strongly recommend keeping such an organizer on the table next to kitchen stove or on the windowsill above the radiator. Even unground seasonings begin to release their taste and aroma when exposed to heat. Straight into the air. As a result, after a while, you may be very surprised. The additive was poured into the dish, but there was practically no effect. This is the result of your carelessness.

Place the box of bags in a closet or on a shelf. In a word, to any place, away from heat.

Advice. Be sure to sign each package! Preferably permanent marker. Then you won't have to guess what's inside. And you won’t have to open the clasp once again in search of a solution.

Some sources recommend storing seasonings in cloth bags. This option is acceptable if you are going to use herbs and roots in the very near future. Otherwise, your stocks will face a sad fate: weathering, absorption of moisture from the air and loss of taste and aromatic qualities. It would be a real shame if valuable supplies spoiled.

How often, while walking through a market or bazaar, does your nose smell the wonderful aroma of spices? And so, the legs themselves, not listening to the owner, carry you to the treasured tray with seasonings. Your eyes widen, your hands reach for your wallet... stop! Are you actually going to buy this? And even eat it?

Before you buy, consider how many days the seasonings have been exposed to sunlight. How many winds threw gusts of dust into the containers. It rained a lot and the air around was humid.

Now decide whether to add such spices to your dishes or whether you don’t want to anymore.

How to store herbs and spices? Very carefully. Otherwise, all your valuables will lose their taste and aroma. Of course, as in ancient times, empires will not collapse and a war for pepper will not begin. But without proper attention, your personal culinary ruin is guaranteed.

Video: storing spices, seasonings and bulk products

Spices play an important role in cooking: they help turn ordinary and ordinary food into a feast of taste. But this is subject to three rules: choose correctly, use correctly and store correctly.

I'll tell you how I do it. Perhaps some of my experience will be useful to you too.

How to choose

I use spices a lot and often, but I never buy them for future use. This is a product whose quality suffers over time. When buying spices in bags, you need to pay attention to the packaging date and shelf life, but, unfortunately, our stores often sin by selling obviously low-quality or expired goods. Sometimes you can feel through the bag that the spices have already clumped into clumps. Such spices will be of no use, and the taste of the dish may deteriorate.

In the store I buy both individual spices, such as oregano, basil, etc., and mixtures of spices for fish, salads, and other things. But more often I still choose spices at the market, where you can look and smell, and make up the mixture yourself, and ask the seller to do it.

How to store

Spices like: darkness, dry and cool air.

They don't like spices: humidity, sunlight, temperature changes and heat.

For my spices, I selected one wall cabinet. Even at the stage of designing the cabinet, I divided it not into two traditional, but into four shelves. Most of my spices are in identical jars that were sold in the tea section. They have a cork lid, they close tightly, the aroma does not erode, but the spices breathe. I put spice stickers on each jar so I knew where everything was. I have jars on 4 shelves in the foreground, behind them there is everything that I use much less often. So, all the spices are in front of my eyes, they are easy to get, and I don’t forget about the presence of this or that spice, as it was before, when I had to look for them on all the shelves.

Why don't I use jars specifically for spices? They just didn't suit me. I originally purchased this set.

Some people may find it convenient, but for me these jars are too small in size. The inscriptions were erased during use, so I had to sign with a marker. And besides, such a shelf is supposed to be hung in a visible and accessible place, and spices, as you know, do not like light. Being on the wall near the stove, the spices were heated, and after a while they lost their color and quality. I decided to abandon this idea, poured the spices that I use least often into jars and hid them in a closed cabinet.

As I already said, I don’t buy spices in advance. I only do this if I see that something will end soon. I store the spice packets that I haven't opened yet in these two baskets.

In one I have sealed spices, which I will pour into jars as needed, and in the other - spices for sweet dishes and baking (vanilla, spices for gingerbread, for mulled wine, baking mixes), as well as bags of icing and gelatin. Even though all the bags are sealed, I store them in different baskets because Even through paper, spices are saturated with each other's smells. I never store opened paper bags of spices. In addition to the fact that spices do not like access to light, they also do not like access to air. For this reason, they should not be stored in wooden or plastic boxes.

How to use

Spices suffer just as much from heat and humidity. They crumple and lose all their qualities. That is why Never pour spices or salt directly into a pan or in a frying pan in which food is cooked. The steam will saturate the spices, the holes will become clogged and it will be problematic to use such a jar in the future.

It's better to sprinkle a little spice on your hand and then add it to the dish. Or use a clean, dry spoon. This way you not only extend the shelf life of the spices, but also see how much you are pouring.

Secrets

In fact, I keep all my spices covered. In the public domain, I only have fine salt in a salt shaker with holes (I use it for salads), an open salt shaker with regular salt and vegetable seasoning for first courses. It is granular and is consumed quickly, so it does not have time to deteriorate during such storage.

Note the open salt shaker. I've tried a bunch different options and stopped right there. In fact, this is a bowl or a portioned salad bowl with a beveled top. This model is incredibly convenient for taking salt from wherever it is, I highly recommend it.

It is better to store spices in their in its original form, namely peppercorns, cinnamon sticks, vanilla pods, whole nutmeg, etc., and chop before use. In a mortar, mill or on a grater - it doesn’t really matter. It is important that ground spices cannot be compared in quality and aroma with freshly crushed spices. Whole spices last longer, about 2-3 years, ground ones about 6-18 months, and leaf ones 6-12 months.

Another way to store spices is in grinders. Now you can buy empty grinders or ready-made spice grinders. They can be disposable or reusable, I try to buy the latter. Grinders can be used to store different types of salt with additives, such as Himalayan pink salt or Italian herb salt. I pour them from bags, and thus save money by not buying a new grinder with seasoning each time. I also store spices for coffee and desserts in grinders, which are very convenient to use when time is short.

I also have bottles of flavorings in my arsenal of spices and seasonings - vanilla extract, rose water and various flavors for baking and desserts. I keep them in their “original” bottles in the closet. You're probably familiar with these little bottles of flavors. They constantly fell, turned over, and I caught them all over the shelf. Until I bought a small tin jar for tea. It’s very tiny, but a lot of flavors fit in there, and I can see which is which by the color of the caps. Very comfortably.

Vanilla

Vanilla... The aroma of this spice makes baked goods incredibly cozy, but keeping vanilla beans fresh is not so easy. I store them in a stoppered test tube. Vanilla, which is sold in paper bags, I don't buy at all. Most often it is dry before opening the package. I also have a large jar of vanilla sugar in the pantry, or rather vanilla powder.

Cutting a vanilla pod sharp knife, I clean the seeds into sugar, and put the pod itself there. I shake the jar periodically. I pour some ready-made aromatic sugar into a small jar, which I keep with other spices, and a large jar in the pantry. If necessary, the dried pod can be used to flavor some desserts, for example, by heating it in milk.

How to label spice jars

As I said above, I put stickers with the name of the spices on all the spice jars. Such stickers appear in culinary magazines as an appendix, and that’s where I got mine from. But on the Internet you can find ready-made sets of pictures that you just need to print on a color printer. If possible, it is better to do this on self-adhesive paper; if not, then on regular paper. PVA glue will perfectly glue a paper picture to a jar.

If the jars are on shelves at eye level, then it is better to stick the stickers on the side of the jar, but if in a drawer of the nightstand, then on the lid. This way, you don't have to pull all the jars out of your drawer to find what you need.

Spices “to go”

In addition to the basic spices, every housewife has “camping spices.” She takes them to nature, to a picnic, to barbecues or to the country house. Previously, I just took spices and salt in paper bags, matchboxes or ziplock bags, but they still managed to spill out or get lost in the bag. I don’t like to take the main jars out of the house. So I found a way out.

And finally, I’ll show you my shelf above the stove. It is not very deep for me, since the hood is hidden behind it. It is generally not recommended to store spices above the stove, even with a hood, but I store jars there with tight-fitting lids with breadcrumbs, bay leaves, starch, soda, citric acid and baking powder.

By the way, I also like to keep baking powder and dry yeast in jars. Firstly, buying them in large bags saves money. Secondly, storage in jars extends the shelf life of the same yeast significantly. In a bag they erode and lose their properties very quickly; in a jar they are stored for months. But as for baking powder for dough, in many recipes baking powder is measured using measuring spoons.

It is completely inconvenient to pour it from a bag into a spoon, so I pour all the purchased bags into a jar at once, and then use it, measuring with a spoon. If the recipe says “add a sachet of baking powder,” then I add 1.5 tsp, because the sachets come in sizes from 6 to 18 grams. Agree, the spread is big.

This is how I organize the storage of my fragrant jars. I do not claim to be the ultimate truth, but this method is closest to me. It's beautiful, convenient and practical.

How do you store your spices?

It’s a completely different matter when you love to cook and there are so many spices in your arsenal that it becomes difficult to organize them in the kitchen. not an easy task. WANT.ua has selected a few for you non-standard ideas For .

WHAT TO STORE

The simplest and most inexpensive option for storing spices is store seasonings in their original packaging, placing them in a transparent organizer. Install the organizer in any kitchen drawer. Convenient, comfortable and visual.

Another a budget option - pour spices into empty Tic-Tac, coffee or tea jars, creams, jams, yoghurts, baby food or any other previously used.

A non-standard way to store spices - test tubes. This option is suitable for spices in small quantities. It’s also convenient to pour seasonings from test tubes (don’t forget to close the container with a stopper).

The best option is special jars for storing spices(sold in stores like Ikea). They are made of glass, tin, wood, plastic or ceramic. It is better to choose transparent ones (but store them in a place where the spices will not be exposed to sunlight). For convenience, put labels with names on the jars.

It is not recommended to store spices in plastic bags, when opened, they become depressurized and the seasonings lose their properties. At the same time, the spice bags themselves can be stored in a special container.

Linen storage bags will also fit. But before pouring spices into them, the bags are boiled in saline solution.

WHERE TO STORE

There can be many options here. One of the most popular and convenient - storing spice jars in a drawer. Place the jars so that the spices are visible; if this does not work, write the names on the lids. This option allows you to keep all the spices at hand and, when there is no need for them, hide them from prying eyes.

Rails can be used not only for hanging ladle, spatulas and scoops, but also containers with seasonings. Special jars are sold that can be hung on roof rails. It looks neat, stylish and gives the kitchen a special charm.

Ideal for storage drawers. They help keep spices at hand and at the same time hide them when not needed. Labels are placed on the caps if the containers are located in vertical position or on the side parts if they are inclined.

Some furniture manufacturers make special drawers for spices in kitchen sets so that housewives don’t have headaches where to put the seasonings.