The misery that is your spice drawer: you definitely recognize these 6 annoyances
The kitchen is my favorite place in the house. But there’s one spot in there that I simply loathe, and that is… the spice drawer. People, back me up: that drawer is just one big disaster. Stuffed with things you’ve forgotten about, dirty and ugly inside, and I could go on and on. Please tell me you recognize the following six annoyances!
Or better yet: share your secret for getting this part of your life organized. You’ll be a hero forever.
1. Smoked paprika
You’re standing in the supermarket, looking for the ingredients for the recipe on your phone. ‘A generous pinch of smoked paprika,’ it says. And then the doubt sets in. Is there still a jar of smoked paprika in the drawer or not? And if so, is it enough for ‘a pinch’? You have no idea. Leaving it out isn’t an option, because then the entire flavor of your dish is gone. There’s no one at home who can quickly check for you either. So what do you do? You buy another jar. Only to discover that there were already three more jars gathering dust in the drawer. And so you happily keep collecting, until you have a lifelong subscription to smoked paprika.
2. Use up opened jars first? No way!
That brings us straight to annoyance number 2. Because no, don’t even think you’re going to use the jar that still has a quarter of a jar of cinnamon left in it first. You bought a new jar of cinnamon, and you’re going to open it. Nice and fresh, so at least you know that for sure. Well, fresh… Did you know that supermarket cinnamon can sometimes be in transit for as long as two years before it reaches the shelves? That obviously affects the flavor. That’s why colleague Sharon swears by cinnamon and other spices from The Good Spice. Much tastier, and it prevents your drawer from filling up with double, triple and quadruple opened jars that are half-empty. Speaking of cinnamon, also take a look at the differences between Ceylon and cassia cinnamon.
3. RIP nigella seeds
What fun, that recipe with nigella seeds. Or that dish that requires blue fenugreek. Until you never make anything with nigella seeds or blue fenugreek ever again. And there they sit, wasting away in your spice drawer, waiting to see the light of day again. But you know it’s not going to happen. Also consider how much money you spent on jars you needed for one single pinch of spice. Or actually, forget that quickly, because it won’t cheer you up.
4. A drawer that hurts your eyes
A glass jar from the AH house brand, a tin from Euroma (FavorFlav’s Sharon recommends buying the funghi trifolati!), a jar from Verstegen, your favorite spice blend from that charming French supermarket, a bag of spice mix from the market… That ugly collection in the drawer practically gives you eye strain. It’s also impossible to sort everything neatly, because EVERYTHING is made in different shapes, sizes and materials. The only solution is to buy identical glass jars—the Action or HEMA is definitely the place to be in this case—and ‘sprinkle’ all your spices into them.
5. Loose bits of herbs and spices. Everywhere.
Everything is tidied up, but somehow there are ALWAYS loose spices left in that drawer. Spices that flew out of the jar or bag and are now sitting on the bottom and sides of your drawer. And even though you are truly, 1,000% certain, really and truly, that you didn’t sprinkle that stuff around yourself. How?! And why do they seem to follow you everywhere outside the drawer too?
6. A filthy sticky mess
With all those loose bits of herbs and spices, the drawer can’t be anything other than one big sticky mess. If you’re unlucky, there are also bottles of oil and jars of honey in there, making those loose spices stick to everything. And yet you never, ever feel like cleaning that drawer. You simply close it, and then it’s out of sight. Until you open it again and get a painful reminder of the ugliest eyesore in your home. Ah, the misery that is your spice drawer…
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