Assorted boxes of spices, open packets of seasonings, new packages mixed with old ones... If you have a cabinet in the kitchen from which all this periodically falls out, it’s time to put the seasonings and spices in their places.
Is it okay to leave salt and pepper on the table? What are the dangers of spice kits? How to preserve the taste and aroma of fragrant seasonings? We have collected common mistakes in storing spices and told you how to avoid them.
Shelf life of herbs and spices
The shelf life of spices is quite long, but each of them has some differences in the rules and storage time.
Sealed factory packaging allows the spices to remain fresh for up to 3 years. Ground pepper, cinnamon and cloves have the longest shelf life.
- Whole peppercorns can be stored for up to 3 years;
- ground spices – up to 2 years;
- whole leaves and stems – up to 2 years;
- dried vegetables – up to 6 months;
- dried roots and seeds – up to 4 years;
- dried nuts – up to 3 years;
- fresh herbs in the refrigerator - up to 5 days;
- open package with ground spices – up to 10 months.
Where to store spices
Proper storage of seasonings will allow them to retain their qualities for as long as possible.
Spices lose their properties under the influence of:
- sun rays,
- daylight and artificial light,
- ultraviolet.
Therefore, they are kept in closed kitchen cabinets , pencil cases, and table drawers.
Some housewives find it more convenient to have the seasonings just on the table or on a shelf, but in this case you need to make sure that they are located far from the stove and other sources of heat and moisture. Also, the spices should not be exposed to direct sunlight.
When heated, spices lose their aroma and beneficial qualities, so temperature fluctuations and high humidity should not be allowed.
Too humid air is detrimental to spices. Spices become damp, which leads to loss of taste. If spices are in factory packages, you need to seal the packages tightly after each use. Many people simply fold the cut corner of the package twice and secure it with a paper clip or clip. There are many ways to fix it, and everyone can come up with their own. The jars are simply sealed with a lid.
In order to store spices for a long time, containers for ground spices with holes in the lid are not suitable. Spices will quickly “fade out” and lose their rich aroma. It is strictly forbidden to use such jars over boiling water. The steam will absorb into the seasoning, causing it to become lumpy and lose flavor. For the same reason, you should not handle spices with wet hands or wet cutlery.
Ground seasonings should only be taken with a completely dry measuring spoon.
It is advisable to sort through the spices available in the house 1 – 2 times a year and check them for compliance with their shelf life. It is better to throw out expired spices - they may appear in an unexpected way in the finished dish.
Wall cabinet
The advantage of the cabinet is that it hides spices from the sun and other harmful factors. You can also place a container with soft packaging on a regular shelf in the closet, and arrange any jars in which you store spices in any order convenient for you.
With this arrangement, it is difficult to discern which spice is in the second or third row. For greater convenience, there are several ways to place jars inside the cabinet. One of them is to install a budget version of a plastic stand inside the cabinet. It allows you to place the jars around the perimeter, and thus each of them is clearly visible.
You can use another method - retractable plastic panels attached to the “ceiling” of the shelf. The spices are arranged strictly in rows and, when the panel is pulled out, are also clearly visible for searching.
A similar system can be made by attaching grooves to the bottom of the shelf.
There are more complex options in the form of retractable, but metal systems.
If cabinet shelves are tightly occupied by other items, use the inside of cabinet doors. The same budget plastic holders will serve a short, but faithful service.
Wooden shelves with limiters that hold the can in its place are more durable and stronger.
Under the wall cabinet
The free space under the wall cabinets is just begging to be used. The two easiest options are to attach the spice jars by their lids to the outside surface of the cabinet bottom. This can be done by screwing the covers with screws. Or you can use a magnet system.
Advice! To ensure that all the jars are clearly visible, place them in a checkerboard pattern.
By the way, you can easily make spice jars yourself. Buy a set of identical jars at any of the “household goods” stores; they are inexpensive. For the stickers, print out the names of the spices on self-adhesive paper, cut them out and stick them on. The banks are ready. Identical and in your same corporate style.
If you don’t like this “clutter” under the closet at all, pay attention to another option. It is more difficult because it will require some investment of money and time. These will be made to order for you - secret drawers: reclining on chains or sliding out with an angle. Made from the same material as the main set, they will look quite organic, and all the jars will be hidden.
Walls
Walls are a fertile area for ideas, although it seems much easier than placing the right thing on the most ordinary hanging shelf.
If we are talking about the wall of the kitchen “apron”, then one of the best ways to place spices there is to install a railing system. Along with the roof rails, you can always buy special containers for spices. The lids of such containers are adapted for hanging on a railing pipe.
The same railing can be used in another way. Buy hanging shelves on which to place your regular spice jars.
There, in the area of the “apron”, and in principle on any other wall, a metal sheet with transparent jars on magnets will look clear and convenient. In addition to the fact that the spice located there is visible through the transparent lid, you can also sign it.
If all the walls are occupied or the kitchen design does not allow it, place magnetic jars of spices on the refrigerator door.
The wall holder with a “cosmic” design looks very stylish, where the same magnetic force is used to attach containers with spices. Compact and original.
A metal system like rails with hanging shelves can be hung on any other kitchen wall and the required amount of spices can be placed there.
Decorative shelves
They can be tabletop or wall-mounted, made of wood, metal, antique or modern chrome style. Here you can choose to suit your interior.
Wooden stands that look nice and are practical to use include containers for spices, grinders for grinding them, and a couple more drawers for large spices, for example, bay leaves and cinnamon tubes.
Pull-out horizontal drawer
Spices in such a box can be placed, placed (horizontally or at an angle), and arranged in containers. One way is to place the jars with the lids up, having first signed them. He pulled out the drawer, quickly found what he needed with his gaze, and took it.
If you use identical branded jars with factory signatures, it is convenient to lay them out horizontally.
For a horizontal layout, in which the cans will lie in strict order, the bottom of the box must have either an anti-slip coating, or special recesses, or a system of dividers. Otherwise, when opening and closing the drawer, all the cans will slide inside it and eventually lie in complete disarray.
If we talk about various systems of internal organization of a kitchen drawer, then they are very different. You can use just one, or you can create a combination of different ones. For example, divide part of the box with partitions, and use part of it with mobile containers-baskets.
It is more convenient to use the same containers for spices - the same jars, containers, boxes. They fit best inside the drawer space, save space and just look beautiful.
Pull-out vertical drawer
The vertical storage system is an economical use of every centimeter of the kitchen unit. Only 15-20 centimeters horizontally, but there is a good depth of space and vertically the jars can be arranged in at least three rows.
Tabletop carousel stands
Table stands are good when the kitchen is large enough and there is a place to install such a rather bulky item. As a rule, they fit from 12 to 52 jars with various spices. Carousels can be with horizontal rotation and with vertical rotation, depending on which one is more convenient to rotate the stand.
If you have a deep shelf, you can put the stand there too.
The round rack with 12 spice containers looks super modern. The ergonomic handle makes it easy to move this stand from one place to another. For example, when preparing a dish, we move it closer to the cooking area, and then return it to the designated place.
Is it possible to keep spices in the refrigerator?
Storing spices in the refrigerator is a method that is not suitable for all types of spices. Some of them may lose their qualities. But in any case, spices should be kept in hermetically sealed containers. Only in this case can one count on their long-term preservation.
You should not store dry spices in the refrigerator; the humidity there is too high for them. But fresh herbs, such as parsley, can be frozen. In the freezer it will remain usable all winter.
Balance to taste
When experimenting with seasonings, it is important to maintain a balance. Spices should not overwhelm the taste of the main ingredients of the dish. Of course, harmonious unions have long been known in cooking, for example, coffee and cinnamon, butter cream and vanilla. But still, do not be afraid to combine spices with distant, unrelated tastes and aromas.
Chef tips
The aroma of many spices, such as cardamom, will become even more intense if you first warm them up - in a dry frying pan or in the oven. But spices in powder do not benefit from frying.
The most important rule is to follow your own taste.
How to store seasonings
- Containers for storing spices are sold in a wide range. They come in plastic, glass and metal, transparent and not, in various sizes and configurations. But it is best to opt for opaque ones, made of glass and with an airtight lid.
- Storing seasonings in clear containers and open bags is not a good idea. As a last resort, you need to ensure their tightness and keep them out of reach of light. First of all, this applies to allspice and hot pepper, coriander, cinnamon, vanilla, etc.
- If someone is used to keeping seasonings in transparent containers on a special stand, it is better to move them from the kitchen table to a pencil case, away from high temperatures and sunlight.
- Wooden storage containers are well suited for a certain group of seasonings – culinary. The metal gets too hot in the heat and creates a certain microclimate inside the container, which will certainly affect the quality of the spices.
- Cloth bags with ties retain the properties of herbs and roots well if they are first kept in a concentrated salt solution and dried well. But this method of storing spices is only suitable for a short time: very quickly they will absorb moisture or dry out, and the aroma will disappear.
How to easily check the suitability of spices
There are simple folk ways to check the quality of seasonings. It is necessary to pour boiling water over a small amount of spice powder. After a few minutes, the liquid should acquire a bright, rich color. If the water turns gray, then the seasoning can be thrown away.
It is also recommended to smell the seasoning. If it has no aroma, then there is no need to use it in the cooking process. But if the smell is weak, then you can add 2 times more spices than the recipe.
