Organize #002: Know Your Herbs & Spices

Throwing out all those McCormick bottles (see previous blog) also meant getting rid of the usage guide included with the labels. If you want to use all those dried herbs and spices before they expire, you better know how to make the most of them. Fortunately, we have the internet to help us with our research (now don't we all love Google.com?!).


I made a list of all the significant herbs and spices, compiled all the data, and then printed everything on 3 sheets of A4 photo paper so that everything could be seen at a glance. I laminated them on my own laminating machine (which my 6-year-old daughter calls the "eliminating machine"), but if you need it done professionally, it would probably cost you around $2 per page. Lamination makes it sturdy and smudge-proof. You don't know how glad I am that I didn't skip this step -- I found lizard poop all over my list this morning (wiping it with a damp cloth made it squeaky clean again)!


For added convenience, cut up some strips of magnet (buy the ones that have adhesive already, usually found at a hardware store), stick them to the back of your list, and post it on your refrigerator. Ta-dah!


I must say my favorite spice is the mustard seed. Jesus made it famous in the Bible:

Matthew 17:20 "It was because you do not have enough faith," answered Jesus. "I assure you that if you have faith as big as a mustard seed, you can say to this hill, 'Go from here to there!' and it will go. You could do anything!"

A popular seed it is and rightly so! These tiny mustard seeds can do wonders to your cooking. Add 1/2 teaspoon to water when cooking carrots, potatoes, cauliflower, and asparagus. Add to meat, poultry, cheese, eggs, sauces, and gravies. I use this with Bragg's Liquid Aminos (in place of salt), black pepper, and brown sugar (no need to put MSG, or broth cubes that contain artificial flavors and colors). It's all natural, healthy, and it even tastes better.

Be adventurous in the kitchen. Use those herbs you've been keeping for so long! And don't forget to spice up your life.

Organize #001: Suspended Storage

My husband, Doy, has innate cooking abilities ever since he was a little boy. Having been born into a family with extraordinary culinary talents, it is no surprise that he is the king of our kitchen. For this reason, he has quite a stockpile of ingredients to complete his personal pantry.

On the bright side, I am very blessed to have a husband who loves to cook for me and my kids. On the not-so-bright side, I have to deal with a cluttered kitchen counter all the time (and I have a teeny tiny kitchen). Small plastic bags with baking powder, opened packets of cinnamon, spilled brown sugar, oyster sauce drippings, and sprinkles of flour are everywhere.  Sometimes it drives me crazy!

Recycled Salsa Jars

So I came up with a solution to keep my sanity intact: suspended storage. I gathered empty wide-rimmed salsa jars, scrubbed them clean, screwed them onto the bottom of my kitchen cupboard, and labeled each of them.


Labeling is important (I once used icing sugar to coat my meat instead of all-purpose flour -- bummer). If there are instructions to follow (such as cooking time for pasta) or expiry dates, I put those down as well. These jars under the cupboard now contain rock salt, black pepper, McCormick chicken & pork powder, cornstarch, and coffee creamer.


On the opposite side of the sink, I have six feet of unused space under my cabinets. Since I ran out of reusable jars, I bought some clear canisters at the mall (for a dollar or less each), stuck them under there, and filled them up with pasta, oatmeal, bread crumbs, brown sugar, all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, etcetera. Even my cake decorating tips, couplers, gum paste molds, and what-nots found a home.

Clear Canister Collection

And don't you just hate it when you buy those McCormick spice bottles and after a few months, the spices are stuck solidified to the bottom? You have to poke them with a teaspoon to get them out. I thought transferring them to smaller canisters would make them more reachable to the fingers. All my husband's dried herbs and spices are now lined up neatly, readily available for the next cooking session. Furthermore, I don't have to lift items one by one before I could wipe the shelf clean, 'cause they're all just hanging there like fruits ready for harvesting.


Now before you start on a project like this, it is important to measure the wood surface you're going to use. You want to make sure that the containers you buy fit just right.

Step 1:  Buy clear canisters
of different shapes and sizes.

Step 2:  Trace the lids on old
cardboard paper and mark the
area where the screws will go
through with a felt-tip pen.
Make sure to put two holes
instead of one so the lids will be
screwed on tightly and strong
 enough to hold the weight of
the canister. 

Step 3:  With a soldering rod,
poke holes through the plastic.

Step 4:  Now that you have two
neat holes, screw them underneath
any overhanging wooden kitchen
cabinet.  Use washers (flat metal
rings) between the screws and the
lid to make it more stable.

Everything in our kitchen is so accessible now. We just twist the canisters clockwise to get what we need, and twist them back on when we're done using them. Moreover, everything is visible, so we don't discover expired, unused products stuffed in the corners of our cupboards (Oh, so that's where they disappeared to!).  Food preparation has become a breeze and the kitchen counter is finally clutter-free.


And what do you know -- my husband is so pleased that he is all the more inspired to cook for me! One organizing task done. Can't wait to move on to the next project. Till next time on Mommy-sphere!