15 responses to “Spicing things up”

1. 

   Katie March 28th, 2009 at 20:12

   Those spices look delish.

   Try Bulk Barn. They sell small glass jars suitable for spice storage. Not sure of the latest price, though. Dollar store might be a good bet, too.

   As for a rack, I’m partial to my cheapo lazy susans that I purchased millenia ago for a buck. Great for organizing the cupboard and easy to find the spices, too.

2. 

   Ginger March 28th, 2009 at 21:53

   Dollar store, FTW!

   That’s where I get all of my jars, and fill them from the bulk barn. I keep them in my spice drawer.

   Once I can actually cook I would love to get raw spices like you do! They look fantastic!

3. 

   Amber March 28th, 2009 at 23:04

   You can often find spice racks second-hand at thrift shops and flea markets. Although I haven’t personally found a good solution, because a lot of racks only accommodate 8-12 spice jars, which really isn’t that many, so I just put mine in a pantry cupboard.

4. 

   dinah March 29th, 2009 at 11:31

   i don’t have a spice rack per se…but i store the spices i use most on in little glass jars that i have picked up from Value Village. They are all different styles and sizes. The ones I don’t use very often sit on the top shelf of my cupboard in a plastic basket and I pull the whole thing down when I’m cooking.

5. 

   psychsarah March 29th, 2009 at 11:58

   I too got great spice jars at Dollarama-two for a buck!

6. 

   Sam March 29th, 2009 at 16:30

   I got small aluminum ones with magnets on the back for 1 buck each at bed bath and beyond. I keep them on the side of my fridge. Its convenient and looks cute too.

7. 

   Kate March 29th, 2009 at 17:37

   Agreed on Sam’s comment. I got mine at Canadian Tire.

8. 

   Bente March 30th, 2009 at 09:14

   I got mine at IKEA altough I recognize Ambers problem: I have a lot more spices than could fit in any spice rack…

9. 

   Catherine March 30th, 2009 at 11:06

   I got my one huge jar (Planters Peanuts)for my white flour at Bulk Barn. My sugar one comes from Costco and was full of biscotti one Christmas years ago. The others - brown sugar, icing sugar are in some I have had for years - they sell them at Bulk Barn too.
   I had purchased smaller jars - set of 8 - in a kitchen store in Toronto many years ago on sale for some of my spices.
   When we bought this home in 1975 there was a drawer right beside the stove that smelled highly of spices and so I’ve continued to use it for that - same as the previous owner.
   I got a spice rack when we married and used it for a few years, but, found it cumbersome and so got rid of it.
   I have my Mom’s pantry shelves attached to the inside of our basement door and so store many things there.
   Question: I, too, got some star of anise….do you grind the whole thing…or just the seeds in the magic bullet?

10. 

    Lauren March 30th, 2009 at 12:18

    My father invented a handy little spice organizer for your kitchen cabinet called the SpiceStack. It’s $24.95 with FREE S&H at http://www.SpiceStack.com. The SpiceStack makes it easy to store 18 of your spice bottles in a dark, dry space (where they stay fresh longest) and find the spice you need easily and quickly while cooking. We also sell cheap packs of 12 empty plastic bottles if you order spices from The Spice House or other “bagged” spice houses.

    Happy Cooking! Lauren Greenwood, President, SpiceStack Inc.

11. 

    Saver Queen March 31st, 2009 at 13:33

    Catherine, that’s a good question about the star anise - I actually don’t know the answer but I’ll try to find out!

12. 

    Catherine April 2nd, 2009 at 14:08

    SQ ~
    Found this on the internet!

    Grind the whole star for best flavor, in a sturdy mortar and pestle, grind the whole star anise pods until fine. Alternately you can use an electric coffee/spice grinder to finely grind star anise.

13. 

    Heather April 6th, 2009 at 19:40

    For cheap but great variety of spices check out your local Indian grocery. They have all the spices you had in your post (star anise, cardamom pods, cinnamon). You’ll save on the shipping and they tend to be cheaper than grocery stores. I also find they are fresher because there is such a higher turnover.

14. A recycled kitchen @ Saver Queen May 17th, 2009 at 19:22

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15. Corn & jalapeno soup - SQ’s own recipe! @ Saver Queen August 24th, 2009 at 06:48

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