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Some Spicy Ideas
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Lea Schneider is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers and the Association of Food Journalists. Professional Organizer Lea Schneider’s advice has been seen in Woman’s Day, Natural Health and Better Homes, and Gardens Kids’ Rooms magazines. She is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers and the Association of Food Journalists and a freelance writer. The author of an E-book, “Growing Up Organized: A Mom-to-Mom Guide,” she provides hand-on organizing and organizational consulting through her company, Organize Right Now LLC in Pensacola, FL., www.organizerightnow.com
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Some Spicy Ideas Last month found me out-of-sorts over being out-of-date. I’m still laughing and showing my friends my 15-year old spices. When organizing anything, the first step is to clear out the clutter. In the spice cabinet, that means getting rid of those out-of-date, old, yucky spices. You wouldn’t eat 10-year old food so why would you add 10-year old spices to your pot? If you missed out on how to detect if you’ve got some really old spices, check out last month’s column You Couldn’t Possibly Be Outdated. Could You? Once those old spices are purged, just replace those you actually use. Now you’re ready to come up with a new organizing plan. Don’t plop them back in the same old cabinet to get pushed to the back and disappear. Instead, rethink that kitchen space and see what works for you.
Decide Where Spices should be easily accessible to the stove yet putting them over the stove isn’t ideal. That means stretching over boiling pots or sizzling pans to reach that oregano. Clearly, the danger involved in that move isn’t the kind of spice you want to add to your world. Good options include adjacent cabinets, insides of cabinet doors or pantry door, in drawers and inside something set on the countertop.
Check to
see if the space you picked is easily reachable and viewed without
climbing up on anything. Count How Many
In cute
kitchen shops or catalogs, we often see fun spice racks. Based on
the size of those, I’ve often wondered if normal people only have a
dozen spices. Perhaps, I am the weird one. (Don’t ask my kids. I
don’t want to know!) Seriously, who only has 12 spices? Count your
containers. You do need an idea before you purchase any organizing
products. Divide by Use Make storage and use simpler. Divide by use. Grab all the baking spices, such as vanilla extract, baking soda, baking powder, sprinkles and so on. Put them with your baking supplies. Do you have dry rubs, barbecue spices, grilling marinades and the like? Create a container just for your outdoor cuisine. If you have any spices you identify for special cooking or only for certain ethnic cuisines, separate them into their own basket. Be sure to label all the containers.
It really
isn’t best to buy in bulk, as spices need to be used when fresh, but
if you already own some then they may require a different area. If
you have very large containers, fill a small one to keep with your
spices and place the large bulk one in the back of your pantry. Think About Pros and Cons There are multiple options for storing spices. You can purchase spice racks, turntables, step organizers, drawer organizers, and ones that mount on the inside cabinet or pantry doors.
Arranging the Goodies Organizing is supposed to make life easier and simpler. The moment you find something makes you frustrated, it might not be the method right for you.
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