Spice Racks Blog

I admit it, I’m kind of clumsy. I go into craft projects with the best of intentions, but if my fingertips don’t end up getting glued together at least once, well - it just hasn’t been a full day! Also, that whole ‘measure twice, cut once’ advice - that one just doesn’t seem to sink in.

And that’s why I love these Hardwood Spice Racks. They’re hand crafted - and my hands had nothing to do with it! They are so simple, and have a timeless charm. They can either sit on a countertop, inside a cabinet, or you can even mount them to a wall. I found these at Stacks And Stacks, and they’re available in two lengths - 16 or 24 inches. So, until I take that remedial wood shop class, I’m going to take pride in these racks!

Plus, there’s something so nice about the natural beauty of hardwood. It seems like there’s a big push these days for chrome, or metal, or stainless steel, or aluminum kitchen accessories. And all of those are nice, but sometimes it’s nice to get back to nature. After all, we’re not robots! Why should we feel like our kitchens should look like some sort of robot emporium? All that metal can be so cold!

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!

Have you ever had to stash your spices away? You know how it is, sometimes you have people with food allergies who come over, and you have to be sure to hide away any possible allergens. Also, you know how some rude people go to other peoples houses and rummage through their medicine cabinets? Well, I’ve had that happen - but instead of my medicine cabinet, people are going through my spice rack! I’m pretty sure my friend Missy sneaked off with a bottle of fennel pollen that I had! Just kidding! (Not really - give it back, Missy!).

Anyway, sometimes you need to be able to secure your spices. One way to do that is to have a spice rack that can go from counter, to drawer, to even under your bed if you need to. That’s why I like combination Drawer/Counter Spice Racks. This 20 Bottle Magnetic Spice Rack is ready for any location!

The versatile design of this wooden spice rack allows you to use it inside a drawer, or standing on the counter!  The spice organizer includes 20 bottles with clear tops for easy viewing, and magnetic backs for sturdiness when standing.  The free standing spice rack converts easily to a slide out spice rack, so you can change it up depending on your kitchen’s needs.  Made from eco-friendly bamboo, the drawer spice rack features a modern steel front for great kitchen aesthetics!

So, as you see - just because you’re feeling paranoid about people getting at your spices, it doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice style! What ways do you have to ensure that your secret blends of herbs and spices stay a secret? Let me know in the comments!

Hey everybody! How have you all been?  I recently took some time off, and went to Greece for an extended vacation. I figured that going to Greece would be a great way to get over my  divorce, and I was right! Now I’m back, recharged and ready! Now I’m ready to get back to telling y’all about the latest and greatest in spice racks.

One of the most famous things in Greece is the Parthenon! I saw the Parthenon, and I could only think of one thing when I saw it (No, not Gerard Butler’s abs in ‘300′!). First - take a look at the Parthenon:

Now, take a look at this Wall Mounted Magnetic Spice Rack:

The resemblance is totally there, right? That’s why when I saw the Parthenon, I thought of this Wall Mounted Magnetic Spice Rack - and I knew I was ready to go home. This spice rack is pretty much a full set. It comes with twelve bottles, labels, and the rack! You know how some spice bottles flip open, and you spill everything? Not with this one - the canisters have locking mechanisms, which keep your spices inside! You can mount the spice rack to your wall, and the magnetic canisters attach to the rack. It’s a great way to keep your spices organized, that’s for sure.

Travel is a great way to clear your mind, and remind you of the important things in life. Plus, it can inspire you to see your spice racks in a different way when you get home. Like Mark Twain said “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow mindedness”. It’s also fatal to taking your spice racks for granted. It was nice to get away, but it sure is nice to be home again!

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!

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!

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.