We all are well aware of the fact of how important it is to organise our home. But when it comes to our kitchen, everyone in some or the other areas falters at the organisation skills!
What is something we use the most while cooking a dish? Of course, spices! When in the pantry, the most commonly decluttered area has to be our spice cabinets. We have a collection of dried spices like cumin, cinnamon, coriander, and dried herbs like sage, basil, oregano, chilli flakes, and others. But are you able to identify the expired or duplicate ones?
Storing the Spices
It is essential to look at each of them and toss out the waste because spices & herbs add an authentic taste to any recipe. These dried ingredients don’t get spoiled in a short span, but they lose their flavour over time.
While storing, ensure to keep the lids closed and keep them in a cool, dry place. Placing your seasonings over the stove or at a place where they are exposed to direct heat could detriment their freshness & shelf-life, making them flavourless.
Take Care while Cooking
Never pour the spices & herbs directly over the pan. Holding them above the stove will make an easy way for moisture to enter into the jars and create condensation from the steam rising from the dish. The condensation could degrade the quality and taste, making them of no use. Be careful while cooking. Pour the spices & herbs into your dish by taking them in your hand first or through a spoon.
Do you know when the spices are done?
As long as the spices are aromatic and have taste, they can be used for cooking. The ground spices last for six months. The chemical compounds of these spices tend to lose their freshness that makes them such great flavouring agents. At the same time, whole spices can last for three to four years.
Before throwing them off, take a whiff. If spices have the same strong, flavourful fragrance, it means they are in good condition. If they don’t have any scent, they are expired and are of no use.
When coming back after some time, if you want them to smell as fresh as new & retain their flavour potency, get your kitchen organised with jars and labels!
Get your spices Organised!
There is a variety of spices around us. At the time of cooking, it is pretty challenging to find, reach out and grab the spice you want, which could waste most of your time. How long will you keep on untying the bag or shuffle the bottles for finding the nutmeg while making the pie?
To prevent this, you will have to ensure proper spice organisation. There is a lot to be done when organising the vast array of spices and herbs. Make sure you have all the spices right in front of you. As at times, the ones you use the most are placed right in front of your eyes, and others remain on the shelves for years, which makes you believe you don’t have those and go on buying them all over again.
Do you want your spices and herbs tied in a twisted bag? No, right! Get them placed into a clear airtight container for a uniform and neat look. The airtight sealing restricts the air and moisture to enter into the spices for keeping them fresh for a long time. The job is not done yet. How are you going to identify which spice is which? Will you take a moment to look at each jar while the dish is on the stove? That will lead to some spicy disasters!
One of the magical things you can have for your kitchen organisation is Labels! These would guide you to identify and chuck out the spice in a microsecond. Yes literally! Even when the jars get mixed up and disappear from the front, you would quickly grab the container you want by just looking at the spice label, saving a ton of time.
You could even arrange them in alphabetical order, frequency of usage, and categories to make it easier.
Kitchen Organisation Labels at Pretty Little Designs!
Don’t know where to choose from? We at Pretty Little Designs are here to organise along with you. We offer a wide variety of organisation labels that would make your pantry even more functional and pretty.
If you don’t know where to start from, we have curated everyday essential pantry label packs consisting of commonly used labels for items. Another option is printed pantry label packs ‘From Great Beginnings’ that comprises pre-printed transparent labels.
For an organised array of spices and herbs, label it with Pretty Little Designs!