Spice Racks Blog

Can you believe it’s St. Patrick’s day already? It seems like Christmas was just last week. And Valentine’s Day seems like it was only yesterday. But here we are - it’s another holiday already!

One of my favorite things about St. Patrick’s Day, besides Shamrock Shakes from McDonalds, is Irish Soda Bread. Irish Soda Bread is a great way to get your DSU on! (DSU stands for Daily Spice Use. I’m trying some new acronyms, like Rachael Ray does. Let me know what you think!).  Traditionally, Irish Soda Bread uses caraway - and I certainly don’t want to break with tradition, but I can’t help adding some extra spices TTM (to the mix!). Here’s the recipe I use:

Irish Soda Bread with A Kick

2 c. all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp. baking soda

3 tbsp. sugar

1/2 c. currants

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1 tbsp. caraway seeds

1 c. buttermilk

Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar together. Add spices and currants. Stir in buttermilk to make a soft dough. Knead dough on a lightly floured board for about 1 minute (it’s a loose dough, so don’t feel that you need to add extra flour). Then shape it into a round loaf and put it into an 8 inch greased round pan. Pat flour lightly over the top surface. Then cut a cross shape into the top. Bake at 350 degrees in oven for 40 minutes. Bread should have hollow sound when you tap it.

Irish soda bread is tasty whether you serve it with dinner, or have it toasted with tea. Or, with a neat glass of whiskey. I don’t judge.

So, all the internet seems to be abuzz about some video called “Married To The Eiffel Tower“. It’s about these people that are in love with inanimate objects, like the Eiffel Tower, or the Golden Gate Bridge. Yep, that’s right - people in love with things that just sit there. Sounds like my ex-husband. Just kidding! Not really.

Anyway, the documentary video is pretty interesting. Some people think I love spice racks - but I don’t want to go on a date with a spice rack. But if I did, I would definitely see if the Alder Spice Rack wanted to go get dinner and movie.

This handsome Alder Spice Rack from StacksAndStacks features a smooth lacquer finish, and will accommodate standard sized spice jars and bottles. This spice rack can be either wall mounted, or left on a countertop. It’s sturdy and versatile, the kind of rack that you can take home to mama.

Sometimes though, you don’t want to start a long term relationship with a spice rack. You just want one that will get the job done at the time. Mr Right Now as opposed to Mr Right.That’s why there’s spice racks like the Wall Mounted Wire Spice Rack. This rack isn’t anything flashy or fancy, but if you just want your spices held, it’ll do.

Have you seen any spice racks lately that remind you of an ex? If so, let me know! As soon as I find a spice rack that doesn’t work half the time, and has a wandering eye, I’ll tell you more about my ex-husband.

It’s a vegetable, an herb and a spice. It’s a food and a medicine.  It can ward off vampires, as well as your date if you ate too much at dinner. Garlic is truly one of nature’s multitaskers.

Garlic is believed to have originated in Southeast Asia. Today China produces 77% of the worlds garlic supply. In the United States, garlic production is centered in Gilroy, Ca. Gilroy takes a lot of pride in their crop, and calls itself the “Garlic Capital of the World” . They have an annual festival with all sorts of garlic treats - even garlic ice cream!

Over the years, garlic has been part of the diet of the laborers of ancient Egypt, used to treat the sunburns of field workers in the Middle Ages, and used to combat tuberculosis and infections during the 19th century. Today, garlic is used to lower cholesterol, as well as promote better blood sugar levels. And of course, it’s delicious!

When you’re cooking, keep in mind that 1/4 of a teaspoon of dried garlic is the equivalent of one clove. Garlic is used in many different cuisines, and cooked many different ways. Roasting garlic brings out its sweetness, and you can spread the roasted cloves on bread - it’s like a luxurious, rich garlic flavored butter. You can slice it thinly and quickly fry it in some olive oil. That produces tiny garlic ‘chips’ that you can use on a salad instead of croutons. You can even pickle cloves of garlic in a mix of spices and vinegar - pickled garlic is a great way to garnish cocktails like Martinis and Bloody Marys.

Often time, recipes ask for grated garlic. Have you tried grating a clove of garlic on a traditional box grater? What a pain - literally! You could lose a finger! I picked up the Garlic Card a few months ago, and I’m loving it! This is a plastic card, that’s very rough - rougher than the toughest sandpaper. All I have to do is rub the clove on the card, and in less than a minute I have a pile of freshly grated garlic. This thing is so much easier to clean than my old garlic press - all I have to do is wash it in hot water - no fiddling around with the holes of a press!

What are you going to use garlic for today? Let me know!

I’ve never had a maid. It seems like it would be nice, but it’s always been a little out of my price range. But I was poking around online, and I found a maid that would fit my budget. It’s the Spice Maid.

The Spice Maid is a sliding spice bottle holder that fits inside any cabinet. It has a deep, bucket style tray that slides in and out of your pantry.  This spice holder is great for bottled spices, as well as packet spices!

This is also a great spice rack for RV cabinets. When you’re on the road, you should still have all of your favorite spices with you.

You know what would be cool - if you had a couple of these installed in your cabinet. Then you could organize your spices according to type, or global region, or however you’d like. You could put all of your Italian style seasonings in one, and Chinese style seasonings in another!

Sometimes, you crave simplicity. Like the pleasure of freshly washed and ironed cotton sheets. Cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudel. Or even brown paper packages tied up with string. Of course, simple things are all the lovelier when they are also useful. So I hope your next brown paper package contains these Unlabeled Spice Bottles.

Plain spice jars are a terrific idea if you’re starting to build your spice collection. You can go to your local store that sells spices in bulk, pick up  a few different ones, and bottle them up at home. If you like your new spice, you can create a label (or just Sharpie the top of the jar!), and add it to your permanent collection. And if you don’t like your new spice (I’m looking at you, chipotle-carraway blend), just wash out the jar and get ready to try a new herb or spice.

Besides storing spices, these unlabeled jars have many other household uses. 

• They’re a perfect way to store glitter for kids art projects. The shaker style tops help to reduce some of the mess from glitter art projects.
• Are you a beader? These jars are terrific for organizing all sorts of beads. From seed beads to hex cuts and faceted beads, these glass jars can keep them sorted. Don’t feel like you’re stranded without a craft organizer - just get some jars.
• These glass jars are also a nice way to display any sort of small collection. I know of people who, during each trip they take, collect a little bit of dirt from the area they’re in. It’s a perfect way to display collections of sand, or small pieces of beach glass. 
• You can also add a little pizazz to your desk by using these jars (with the lids off) to hold small office supplies like paper clips or staples. Sometimes you just need something a little unusual to lift your spirits, and using uncommon items to store common things is a great way to cure the blues.

What would you put in these spice jars? And yes, you could always fill them with spices and put them on your kitchen spice rack!

Growing up, salt was salt. But then sea salt started gaining popularity. Kosher salt started being used more frequently in home kitchens. And now, it seems that the traditional, iodized table salt is being left in the wake of the gourmet salt revolution!

Flavored salts, once considered a weird gimmick, are taking the culinary world by storm! Secret Stash Sea Salts, out of Seattle, are one of my favorite purveyors of unique salts. They take all natural sea salt, craft unique salt flavors using reduced sauces, spice mixes, and more. The result is hand crafted, artisan salt in flavors like Almond Orange Cardamom, and Lavender Rosemary. They also have a Pineapple Cumin Chili Salt, which I can’t wait to try!

Another fantastic salt is Hawaiian ‘Alea Sea Salt from Hawaii Salt. This sea salt has been enriched with the mineral rich ‘alea clay from Hawaii. ‘Alea Sea Salt has a mild, smooth flavor, and a distinctive reddish color. It’s one of my favorite salts to use while grilling meats.

And if you think that flavored salts are too ‘froo-froo’ for you, may I introduce you to Bacon Salt? Bacon Salt is exactly what it sounds like - salt with the delicious taste of bacon. I tried it on a baked potato - and it was pretty delicious. It’s also vegetarian, so if you or someone you know is a vegetarian who misses the pleasures of bacon, it’s a great gift.

Have you seen any great salts out there? I’m definitely looking to expand my collection!

This is the Mesh Spice Rack. This metal spice rack can be wall mounted, or it can stand on a counter. And you can mount it inside a pantry door. What’s really neat about this spice rack is that because of its basic design - it’s really quite versatile. For instance, you could:

• Mount it on the wall by your stove. Now, I know that keeping spices by the stove isn’t a great idea (the heat makes the quality of the spice degrade faster), but keeping things like salt and pepper, olive oil cruets, and other cooking essentials by the stove is a real time saver. Plus, since this rack has hooks, you can hang your hot pads and oven mitts!
• Running out of bathroom storage? The Mesh Rack is here for you. It’s a great way to supplement the space in your medicine cabinet. You can store vitamins, cosmetics and more! Once again, those little hooks will come in handy for hanging face cloths and wash cloths.
• You can even bring the Mesh Spice Rack to work with you! Mount it on your office wall, and use it as a way to office supplies (notepads, sticky notes, and boxes of paper clips - get them off your desk and on this rack!). Or, another cool idea is to mount this rack in the break room, and fill it with tea (most tea boxes and cans fit on this rack perfectly), hot chocolate packets and other drink necessities. 

And, of course, you can use it for spices in the kitchen, too!

Hi everybody! I asked my pal Nicole to write about her favorite spice racks. Check out Nicole’s blogs - Garment Racks Blog and Room Dividers Blog.

Low on drawer space? This drawer style spice rack is the perfect option for someone who is low on drawer space but wants the convenience of a spice drawer.

This featured spice rack has ample spice storage and it has a convenient size, able to fit in almost any cabinet, counter or shelf. The pull out trays are great because you can see what you are looking for instead of digging around. This feature is great for putting the spice rack on a higher shelf or cabinet out of the way.

 This particular spice rack has three different shelves and can hold up to 50 spice jars depending on the sizes.

 Now if you have an extra drawer that is begging to have spices in it, there is a spice rack that will work for you, too!

This expanding spice rack has many features all in one convenient drawer tray. It is likely this rack will fit in almost any drawer you try it in because it has expandable side trays. If your drawer is large enough, you’ll be able to expand the side trays for extra spice storage or even a few utensils.

This option holds a large amount of spice jars and they are all easily accessible.

 Whether you have drawers or not, cabinets or shelves, none of the above or all of the above, there is a spice rack  for you!

So, we’ve been talking a lot about various spices and spice racks. But there are two seasonings that are universally loved in every kitchen - salt and pepper. 

For the longest time, I would never salt my food. I don’t really know why - maybe it’s because my mom’s cooking was so good, I never felt the need to salt it at the table. Then one day in the college cafeteria, I had a bite of my friend’s scrambled eggs - and they were really good! Amazed, I asked her “whoa! What did you do your eggs?”. She looked at me, in the that ‘are you mental?’ way, and said “Well, I put salt on them”. My life was changed.

Salt and pepper. The wonder twins of the kitchen. Since you use them everyday, it’s best to invest in a nice set of salt and pepper shakers. This here is the Pinata Salt & Pepper Set. This colorful wooden set  has adjustable zinc gears. That lets you control how fine or coarse you want your salt and pepper. Plus - they are very festive! They make me think of laying on the beach in the Riveria Nayarit.

If you’re looking for something a little more high-tech, there’s this Stainless Steel Electric Salt & Pepper Grinder.  This one has push button action - just hit the button and your pepper is freshly ground and sprinkled on your food. Also, this grinder has a light - perfect for romantic evenings with candlelight dinners! 

Have you seen any good salt and pepper sets out there? Let me know!

I have a serious addiction to cookbooks. Not only do I use them as reference materials in the kitchen, but I tend to plunk down on the sofa and read them cover to cover - like a novel. Cookbooks are a window to endless possibilities.

I just found a new one at the thrift store, the Herbs & Spices - The Cook’s Reference Book. This book is put out by DK Publishing. I love DK books, they have the best pictures and clear, concise writing (as a side note, their travel books are great,too!).

If you’re wanting to learn more about herbs and spices - this book is amazing! It has photos of the herb or spice, the history of it, uses for it, recipes, food and wine pairings. Even gardening tips! Flipping through it, I’m getting some ideas for some new spice combinations.

When you collect cookbooks, there’s a vital kitchen gadget that you need. You’ll need a cookbook holder. I’ve got this one, I picked it up at StacksAndStacks. It has an acrylic flap that presses down on your cookbook pages, which holds the book open and protects it from splashes and stains.

Of course, you may need something else! After you start getting into new herbs and spices, you’ll definitely need a new spice rack!