Spice Racks Blog

I was watching the movie ‘Dune’ the other night, and realized, you know what – they just don’t make enough movies about spices anymore. It seems like there’s a bunch of movies about chocolate. There’s “Like Water For Chocolate”. And “Chocolat”. And I’m sure there’s a bunch of others, but you don’t see any movies called “Allspice” or “Tellicherry Peppers”. Get on it, Hollywood. Anyway, ‘Dune’ is a good science fiction movie that also is about the importance of spices. In fact, in the movie you need Melange (the spice) to extend your life, or travel through space, or just to be powerful. Sting is in the movie, which I thought was kind of strange, but it was the 80s! Anyway, I’m not sure how it ended, because I fell asleep, but it seems like a really interesting movie! I give it four Cinnamon Sticks out of five!

Anyway, though they talk a lot about Spice in the movie, they don’t talk about spice racks very much. As you see, I added a picture of a space age spice rack into the the movie still above. But let’s get a closer look at the rack in question:

Look at that beauty! It’s certainly a great spice rack for Paul Atreides (played by Desperate Housewives star Kyle MacLachlan). This Stainless Steel Carousel Spice Rack is a great spice rack for this, or any other universe. It has a patented auto measure dial dispenser that measures and dispenses spices in precise increments. One click for 1/4 tsp., two clicks for 1/2 tsp., etc. The individual dispensers will accommodate the entire contents of a standard spice bottle, and have large openings to accommodate measuring spoons and volume pouring, as well as shaker tops. Great for your counter, or stash it in your cabinet. Or your spaceship!

Here’s a couple of fantastic spice racks I came across at StacksAndStacks.com. These aren’t your traditional carousel spice racks! Not only do they spin around for your convenience, the spice compartments are also dispensers! Here’s the first one. Behold the Spice Dispensing Carousel!

That’s right – you won’t even need your measuring spoons. One click for 1/4 tsp, two clicks for 1/2 tsp and so on. What a great way to reduce the amount of washing up while cooking (which is always a priority for me – I don’t have a dishwasher, and reducing the number of things I have to wash makes me a happy girl).

This spice rack can also be mounted underneath a cabinet. Mounting a spice rack under a cabinet is a great way to preserve both counter and cabinet space. It’s like a whole hidden world of storage opportunities.

Here’s another one I found. It’s a little modern – kinda stylin’. I think it’s because of the steel. Here’s the Stainless Steel Spice Carousel.

Same deal, one click per 1/4 tsp measurement. This would look great on a granite countertop!

So, what do you think? Are you into the self-measuring spice racks? Or are you a traditionalist – devoted to your measuring spoons? Either way, I think we can all agree that there are a lot of great spice racks out there to be found.

Here’s an optimal spice rack for when you have a lot of counter space – but not a lot of cabinet or drawer space. This Carousel Spice Rack can easily be spun around, allowing you to get a good look at the 16 bottles it holds! Each bottle can hold up to 3 ounces of dried spices. What I really like about this spice rack is that the bottles have flip lids – with both a ‘shaker’ side and an open side for pouring the spices. Options – a good spice rack is all about options!

This revolving spice rack even comes filled with all the spices a beginning chef would need! It’s a terrific gift idea for a housewarming or graduation present. Now there’s no excuse for using those (pretty awful) seasoning packets – you’ll be able to custom blend your favorite spice mixes as soon as you get this rack. Here’s a blend to start you off – it’s a Taco Seasoning Mix:

• 1 tablespoon of minced dried onions 
• 2 teaspoons of chili powder.
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt.
• 1 teaspoon of garlic powder.
• 1 teaspoon of ground cumin.
• 1 teaspoon of oregano
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper or hot paprika (depends on how much heat you like).

Usually, after I mix this together, I put it in a ziploc bag (or an empty spice bottle) for future use. You’ve got to try it – it’s so much better than a packet mix, and it takes almost no time to throw together. So really, if you pick up a pre-filled spice rack like this one – it practically will make you dinner as a way to say thanks.