Level of difficulty: easy peasy
Posts explaining the process:
Pros:
- spices are easy to pull, which saves time and effort;
- encourages creation of more interesting dishes (spices inspire);
- spices are more likely to be used (less waste);
- easy to see when you're running low on an item by a row-by-row scan of the tins;
- easy to add or remove a spice -- just shift tins around;
- results in a clean, colorful, uniform look; and
- it's just cool. We open the door and guests gasp. Kid you not.
Cons:
- takes a little time to pull all the materials together
- not the cheapest project ever
Cost:
- magnetic sheets: $94 (two 30" x 24" sheets, including shipping)
- plexiglass: $35
- screws: $2
- tins: $65 (seventy 4 oz clear-top tins, including shipping)
- labels: $5 (for a pack of 25 sheets, 2000 labels total -- which turned out to be perfect for canning labels later)
* note this doesn't include the cost of the spices themselves, which was tough to estimate since we already had most of them
Recycling Ideas(or "what to do with leftover materials"):
- clean and re-use store-bought spice jars (we make an awesome herbs d' Provence mix and give it away as presents)
- make your own magnets by cutting leftover strips to the size of the object. Just peel and stick.
Spice List:
| Allspice - berries |
| Allspice - ground |
| Basil |
| Bay Leaves |
| Caraway - seeds |
| Cardamom - ground |
| Cardamom - whole |
| Cayenne - powder |
| Cayenne - whole |
| Celery Seed |
| Chili Pepper - flakes |
| Chili powder |
| Cilantro |
| Cinnamon - ground |
| Cinnamon - stick |
| Cloves - ground |
| Cloves - whole |
| Coriander - seeds |
| Coriander - ground |
| Cream of Tartar |
| Cumin - ground |
| Cumin - seeds |
| Curry Powder |
| Dill Weed |
| Dill Seed |
| Fennel Seed |
| Garam Masala |
| Ginger - crystalized |
| Ginger - ground |
| Herbs d'Provence |
| Lavender |
| Lemon Verbena |
| Mace |
| Marjoram |
| Mustard - ground |
| Mustard - seeds |
| Nutmeg - ground |
| Nutmeg - whole |
| Onion flakes |
| Oregano |
| Paprika |
| Parsley |
| Pepper - ground |
| Pepper - white |
| Peppercorns |
| Peppermint |
| Poppyseed |
| Rosemary |
| Saffron |
| Sage |
| Savory |
| Sesame - black |
| Sesame - white |
| Star Anise |
| Thyme |
| Turmeric |
| Vanilla Bean |
| Wasabi |
Posts
Why have I not seen this when I've been at your house? And most of the visits have been in the kitchen, hmmm. Anyway, this is awesome! I don't think it makes sense for our kitchen, but I'm going to file this away in my brain for our dream house. One question--why the plexiglass? I'm guessing you didn't want the magnet sheets directly on the cabinets, but I'm wondering why you chose plexiglass over other (less expensive) materials.
ReplyDeleteCheers!
Cindy M
Thanks! I can't believe you never saw this, either...you'll have to come over again soon :)
ReplyDeletePlexiglass was actually one of the more expensive options, and you're right about not wanting to stick it directly to the door. If we move, we're absolutely taking this with us and it gives us flexibility. We might frame out the panels and mount them on a kitchen wall if we don't have the right kind of door, for example.
Plexiglass also had a few other things going for it:
1) it's thin - the depth of the recessed panel meant our options were limited because we didn't want the rack to stick out
2) you can drill holes in it - that was our preferred mounting method
3) it's strong - the magnetic sheets are heavy. Add spice tins on top of that, and it's a lot of weight. We needed something that wouldn't warp or bend much over time.
4) the surface takes adhesive well - we didn't want the magnetic sheets to detach
5) it's (mostly) shatterproof - glass would've been cheaper and fits most of the above criteria, but if it ever came loose from the door, we'd have a mess