Whew! Last week we had the largest spring cleaning assignment- cupboards. I hope that you were all able to accomplish the task without too much stress! Now this week, our last week of the challenge, we end with a lighter assignment, spices, herbs and utensils.
If you have been with us for all of the challenges this month after this task is completed, you will be left with a well organized and cleaned kitchen! What a wonderful feeling.
Here’s a few tips for cleaning this week from me and please leave yours in the comment section!
Spices & Herbs
*Any spices that are older than 6 months, replace. Spices and herbs start losing their flavor after 6 months so if you want full flavor, don’t hold on to herbs and spices too long. I buy mine in the bulk section of my health food store. I find that it always tastes fresh and it’s considerably cheaper than buying spices and herbs in the little glass jars.
*If you haven’t used a certain seasoning in the last 6 months, perhaps you don’t really need to replace it. Consider whether or not this is a spice that you use on a regular basis. Because I enjoy cooking such a wide variety of foods, I do personally find that I have a lot of variety in my spice cupboard. But the less you own, the easier it is to keep organized.
*While I break this rule myself, it’s better to store your spices and herbs in a container that doesn’t allow light to come through for better keeping. Keep in a cool place.
Utensils
*I think that Mandi’s advice for decluttering your kitchen is especially helpful as you sort through your utensil drawer. Consider what items you really use. There are so many one use utensils that wallow in self-pity in your drawer with little use. You may want to clear out utensils that you don’t use on a regular basis.
*I have a pottery jar near my stove that holds my utensils I use when I am cooking at the stove and another container for utensils I use when baking over by the counter I use when baking. I love having two different places for different projects.
So there are a few of my ideas (and feel free to share yours!). You have a week to complete this challenge (until next Monday). When you finish this challenge leave a comment letting me know that you have completed it and I will enter you into our six giveaways!
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I actually did this last week along with the cupboards and wow! 101 little baggies of bulk spices does not a clean herb cabinet make.
since we haven’t ventured into very many spices we didn’t have many to organize. what we do buy, we buy in bulk and laziness had taken over so we had our spices still in bags-very inconvenient. we got all our spices into their little homes in glass jars and it is so much more organized.
as far as utensils, we let go of not only all the ‘we’ll use someday but we never do’ utensils but also found our drawer overflowing with ones we do use, like the forks and spoons. with only two people we realized we just didn’t need a zillion spoons that didn’t even fit in the silverware tray… it is so nice now.
thanks for this challenge…
I buy all my spices and herbs in bulk and transfer them into small jars and label them as soon as they enter the house. They are on three small lazy susans in my cupboard, easy access and easy to see what needs replacing or refilling. The utensil drawer was actually very easy – have I used the item in the last six months? If no, then out it goes. I am finding that simplicity and organization in the kitchen make for quick baking and meal preparation. With all the soaking, sprouting, fermenting and etc. happening in the kitchen being organized is a must! Thanks again for another great idea.
I posted on last week’s – because I had done cupboards – but it was spices too – as they were in the cupboard & I weeded through my utensils already in the process – so I am done. 🙂
Though I have declared that there are some additional assignments I want to do in my kitchen. First clean the oven!! A task I almost never do. I have been searching for some nontoxic ways to do this & feel good about moving ahead on this. The other is to scrub (on hands & knees) the floor – rather than mop. I moved into this house a little while ago & thought that the floor was discolored a bit because the vinyl was old – but I am now realizing that dirt is in crevices in the tile. So I think a good scrubbing will be helpful.
Done. My spices are exposed too, but I can’t help it, my kitchen has a built in spice rack and they so good displayed. If I hid them in a cupboard somewhere I probably wouldn’t use them as much.
As far as the utenstil drawer goes, I did my best. I discovered that I have a cheese slicer.
Since I reorganized all of my cupboards when I had to integrate my grandmother’s kitchen into my own, getting into the spices and utensil drawers was my next big project. I have my spices on my stove hood in little containers that are so cool, yet I realize now they’re in a bad spot. It’s sad, because the hood is so ugly and the spice pots so cute, but it means I have to come up with a new home for them (weep). Still…drawers cleaned out, utensils put in giveaway box, and I just need to wipe out the silverware drawer as it always seems to catch crumbs from food preparation since it’s the drawer directly under where I work.
Thanks for the inspiration to get this done little by little!
I use a drawer for herbs (like a utensil drawer that pulls out, handy because it’s close to the stove but then everything is in my tiny kitchen area!). I have small jars that I keep them in and buy in bulk as I need them. I can only get certain organic spices in small bags which I keep on the door of the fridge freezer (I bought a ton because they were recently on sale for 50 cents a small bag, they’re local and I got 5 air miles when I bought 2). Herbs and spices keep a really long time in the freezer.
I have a crock by the stove I keep my most used utensils in. I also have a drawer that has odds and ends that don’t fit in the crock. I also have two sets of measuring cups as sometimes you need a dry and a wet one. I try to only keep what I use and last fall seriously decluttered what I had.
I found some old spices on the rack. 🙂 I buy the ones I use a lot in bulk bags from the health food store. I store them in the fridge or freezer–at the least the bulk baggies.
I am going to try the pot with utensils by the stove. No fun fishing through the drawer when you are in the middle of making a sauce!
We keep our spices in the cabinet above the oven…not so great for my husband’s shorty wife! 🙂 I found a basket and put all my spices inside…now when I need something I can grab the entire basket (which I CAN reach, thanks to the handle on the side) instead of a step stool!
I’ve not really been following the organizing weeks you’ve set up (though they’re a great idea!) but wanted to chime in re: tossing “old” herbs/spices. Some are only harvested once a year, so if you were to buy new of the same spice after 6 mos, you might still be buying from the same harvest. I think I read this in a Penzey’s Spice catalog a little while ago. They’re not an organice source, but it’s an interesting catalog.
An addition to Annie’s comment about spices being harvested only once a year. Also, by purchasing whole ones to grind at home, they will last much longer than the more expensive pre-ground ones. Some will actually retain full flavor for years. Who of us has money to throw out? Herbs, of course, should be replaced more frequently. I like to grow as many of my own as possible and either freeze or dry enough to last through the winter.
I just checked-in to see what you are doing these days and saw the Spring cleaning challenge. I actually washed all my window coverings and swags last week! I need to shampoo my rug next! We have a very old dog and she makes many mistakes. Armed with my trusty Folex carpet cleaner, I am constantly on duty. I am looking at this as an opportunity to be faithful to a dog who wagged and jumped for joy everytime we came home, while she was younger. Now it is our turn to love her back. Blessings on your continuing kitchen cleaning, I will keep it in mind as a possible next step.
I store my herbs alphabetically on one of those circular spinning shelves. (I’m sure there is a proper name for them.) While they aren’t always in order I find it does help me to find what I’m looking for easier and keep things a bit tidier. So even if the rest of my house looks like a bomb went off at least my herbs are organized. 😉
I actually cleaned out and organized my spices and pantry last week. 🙂
WONDERFUL! I actually haven’t read your blog in awhile b/c of time constraints and other busyness. But I’m SO glad that I decided to read today! I took some notes and plan on getting rid of the old spices that I never use and replacing those that need replaced! I feel motivated now!
This is like having girlfriends you chat with about what you are doing at home. We just bought the house my husband grew up in, his parents have lived there since 1956, 87 years old and now in an assisted living residence just 5 blocks away. My point is . . . . . boy is there a lot of cleaning to do. I feel over whelmed and I know I have to go back to work by August. Just wanted to say that this site has reset my focus . . . I can do this even if it is just one drawer or cabinet at a time, THANKS.
All done! Sooo much more room:)
This is my weak spot in organization. I have a million itty, bitty bag of spices and EVERY ONE is necessary. 🙂 We’re in the middle of remodeling our kitchen (a huge organizational project) and I plan on getting all those nifty spice jars and organizers from Ikea.
I, too, keep my utensils in a large crock by my stove. It’s charmingly rustic and easily accessible.
Dear hubby actually just put a bag of seasalt in the cabinet… I love him, but he really should know better at this stage in life that rolling a bag of anything won’t seal it. So, when I went to grab the salt, it went everywhere! Ah, THAT’S why it happened… it’s “clean the spice cabinet” week!
I actually have a couple of lazy susans, and so one has all of my “blends,” as in, I make my own seasoned salt, and herbed pepper, etc. The other one is a two-tier job, so I have the sweet herbs on one shelf and the savory on the other. Alphabetized, of course, and cayenne pepper is under the C! I am so glad to see that I’m not the only one that alphabetizes their spices!
As far as things that don’t fit on the susan’s: I have larger containers for dried garlic and a few other items that we use alot; these guys just live in the margins of the cabinet, and now we can finally find everything (assuming the kids put things back exactly where they got them…).
I always think it’s a good idea to especially point out: you had mentioned to keep them in a cool spot, and preferably in containers that don’t allow light. Problem is, so many people like to keep them right next to the stove. Sometimes, just moving them to the other side of that cabinet will be all you need to “cool things out,” and inside a cabinet is dark, so the shelf-life of the spices can be extended just a tiny bit that way. For the record, I have some whole nutmeg that only grind what I need, and although I’ve had them for a few years, when they’re freshly ground like that, the taste is still amazing! Going to see what it takes to get a good powder from cinnamon next…
Finished – I actually did my spices a couple weeks ago with my “one cupboard” since that’s where they are. But my other drawers and cupboards are finished too!
http://aheavenlyperspective.blogspot.com/2010/03/spring-cleaning-cupboards-drawers.html
Finished! I also did my spices a few weeks back because they were in my cupboard. I didn’t have much to throw out but some utensils I hadn’t used in the year and a half that I’d had them. If it wasn’t for this challenge, I’m not sure how long they would have sat in a drawer before I got rid of them!
Thanks for the motivation!
I am now debating on about throwing out a couple spices that list on the ingredients: spices (includes basil and thyme) since I’ve heard that just using the word spice is a way to “hide” items like MSG or other chemicals in the food w/o having to spell them out. Anyone else know much about this?
Another question: Is there much of a difference is brands of spices when say just buying cumin or basil?
thanks
Thanks for the tips on de-cluttering my utensils. I always struggle with having extra gadgets around that I rarely use. I packed up a bunch and hid them in the attic. If I don’t have any need to get them out in three months then I’ll get rid of them.
While cleaning my spice cabinet I came across one of my most recent cooking failures that I just have to share! I found a one pound bag of dry mustard I purchased from Wilderness Family Naturals in the fall. I wanted to make my own mustard out of it (very easy to do) because I go through a lot of mustard. Alas, the mustard was so spicy that it BURNED all the way down and then made me feel ill for several hours! I tried more than one recipe (since I had plenty of dry mustard to experiment with) just in case that was the issue- but it wasn’t! I don’t know if the mustard is supposed to be that strong or if it was a mistake, but I pretty disappointed! I simply couldn’t use the stuff so I labeled it “REALLY HOT” and took it to work and someone picked it up. Next time I’ll try a smaller bag of mustard to experiment with!
I LOVED this challenge and what its done for my cupboards and drawers! It’s amazing how many things I haven’t really used that have just cluttered and complicated my kitchen life over the last few years! Now it’s clean and simple food, clean and simple kitchen! Thanks Kim!
I clean out my spices the first of each year. Some like oregano and basil I use up quickly; others hardly at all. I also have an alphabetized spice rack on my counter which helps. But have many others in a cupboard over my cooking area. Good idea about keeping only utensils that can serve many purposes. There are so many cool gadgets out there that we probably buy and don’t really need.