| I recently organized my spice jars and documented | | | | back, and swoon over spice jar utopia. If you need to |
| my process. Hopefully, it is of benefit to others | | | | build a custom storage rack, continue reading for some |
| suffering from the spice jar stranglehold! | | | | potentially useful tips. |
| Spice Jar Standardization | | | | Building a Spice Rack |
| 1. Obtain a set of uniform containers. I opted for this | | | | I couldn't find any reasonably priced spice racks for our |
| set by J. K. Adams. They are made of glass, come | | | | space, so I designed and built one. |
| with two styles of shaker inserts, and have sturdy, | | | | 1. Make measurements. Measure the height, width, and |
| white screw-on lids. The jars are also without an | | | | depth of your space. Take into consideration any |
| obstructive label. The jars measure 1 3/4" in diameter | | | | uneven surfaces. Our cabinets had unequal sides, so I |
| and 3" in height. Some shaker inserts from store | | | | allowed for a 1/4" buffer on each side. |
| bought jars will snap onto these jars. I found this useful | | | | 2. Design a plan. Take into consideration the space |
| for spices that I often pour rather than shake. For | | | | available and the diameter of the jars to be used. To |
| smaller sized jars, I found some plastic ones made of | | | | make use of vertical space, consider designing a rack |
| natural polypropylene that measure 1 3/4" in diameter | | | | with multiple levels like stairs. |
| and 2" in height. Unfortunately, they are only available in | | | | 3. Buy wood. Lowe's had inexpensive pieces of Poplar |
| bulk and shipping is fairly expensive. I did however find | | | | of varying widths and depths. After much time making |
| a seller on ebay offering them 10 for $10.99 with free | | | | my calculations, I walked out with 2 pieces of wood of |
| shipping. The jars had red caps instead of white, but | | | | differing widths. All I had to do was make sure I cut the |
| they provide a nice contrast to the jars with white lids. | | | | lengths properly. Tip: Bring a measuring tape to make |
| 2. Transfer spices. I recommend a funnel to keep from | | | | sure the wood is the proper size. I bought a couple of |
| spilling too much. I did not have a funnel available, so I | | | | packs of flathead wood screws as well. |
| gently rotated the spice jar back and forth to control | | | | 4. Build the rack. I used a circular saw to trim the wood, |
| the outflow of spices. Spilling is minimal, but do it over | | | | a sander to smooth the edges, a drill to make a pilot |
| the sink for easier clean-up. I used this opportunity to | | | | hole for the screws, a level to make sure the surfaces |
| discard old spices, which included a 10-year old jar of | | | | were even, and an electric screwdriver to assemble |
| oregano! | | | | the unit. Tip: You can use a drill bit the size of the |
| 3. Label jars. Jars can be labeled with a marker by | | | | screw head to create a countersunk hole so that the |
| writing directly on the jar or the cap. I opted to use | | | | screw head is flush with the wood. |
| adhesive labels. Printer labels or any type of sticker will | | | | 5. Paint, stain, and/or decorate. I used extremely old |
| do. I bought a label maker, the Dymo LetraTag from | | | | white paint that I found in the basement to paint the |
| Wal-Mart for under $30. It should be useful around the | | | | spice rack. |
| house too. I bought a roll of plastic tape with the theory | | | | 6. Install. I designed our spice rack to maximize the |
| that it will withstand moisture. Be sure to consider the | | | | space within the cabinet. Because the cabinet has a lip |
| storage location before labeling the jars. For example, if | | | | on the front sides, I could not slide the pre-assembled |
| they are going to be stored in a drawer, it would make | | | | unit into the cabinet. Instead, I had to place each piece |
| sense to label the jars on top of the lid. | | | | into the cabinet and assemble it from within, sort of like |
| 4. Reserving jars. Consider labeling empty jars as a | | | | a ship in a bottle. Take assembly into consideration |
| reminder to purchase new spices that you may want | | | | when designing, building, and painting your spice rack. |
| to try after watching your favorite cooking show. | | | | 7. Cheer! After your spice rack is installed, place your |
| 5. That's it! Place the jars in your storage unit, stand | | | | beautiful collection of spice jars upon it. |