Spice Up Your Life
Monday, January 28th, 2008
While my apartment is much more spacious than the last one, the kitchen is quite tiny by comparison. One thing I love, however, is the built-in spice rack by the sink. I once bought one of those pre-filled spice racks but found myself unhappy with some of their choices. I’d rather collect my own and remember which meal made me seek out each one. Last night I decided to organize the area to make it more accessible. Now the salts (sea, gray, kosher, Himilaya pink, and more) are on the same shelf as the peppers (white peppercorns, multi-colored ones, ground white, and coarse black). The nutmegs are together as are the vanilla beans and extract. And all the dried herbs are grouped loosely according to cuisine (Cajun,Italian, Indian, etc). I’ve tried to organize my cabinets this way, but it doesn’t always last.
And I have to say, when it comes to dried herbs, I definitely keep them longer than recommended. But they can be so expensive! Plus, when you rub them between your fingers before tossing in to whatever sauce or dish, it helps to heighten the flavor.
