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My cabinets are

exploding with spices.

How do I organize them?

Which are worth

keeping?

Hi Maria, My cabinets are exploding with spices and I don’t know how to organize them…or which are even worth keeping. I do a lot of cooking, but I can never find the spice I’m looking for. Then, I run out to buy it when I can’t find it, just to come home and discover I already had a jar of it. Help! Angie, Louisville, KY Response from Maria Gracia Hi Angie, Here’s an easy plan for you and your spices... 1. Rally your spices: Clear your kitchen table. Gather all of your spices from everywhere you have them stored and put them on your kitchen table. 2. The deciding factor is the smell: To decide which to keep and which to pitch, unscrew each jar and give it a good whiff. If you can’t smell the wonderful aroma that goes with the spice, pitch it. 3. Line ‘em up: Organize your spices alphabetically, just like they do at the grocery store. You should have one of each. Gather the “duplicates” and place them in a dry cabinet in a container. Before you run out and buy a spice you run out of, check your duplicates container first. 4. Make a spice home: Place your spices, again alphabetically, in an upright spice organizer that sits on your counter, or a spice organizer that lays flat (slight angle up so you can see each spice) in a kitchen drawer. Use these tips, and you’ll never have spice-woes again! -- Maria Gracia Back to Ask Maria Index