Other People's Pantries #113

From Grace, in West Virginia:

A few months go I saw a spice cabinet on this blog [Other People's Pantries #90]. A woman was sharing the spice cabinet that they had made from an ironing board cabinet that had fit between the studs of her kitchen wall. I had to drag my contractor husband to the computer and showed him what I absolutely HAD to have. This was a NEED and not a WANT.

Mike and I went to Home Depot and I was so disappointed to learn that ironing board cabinets were only 4 feet tall and 12 inches wide and they cost $169. Mike being the genius he is took me by the hand and showed me the clearance section.

We were able to buy a normal size cabinet that is 7 feet tall and 2 feet wide that had he promised me he could adapt to my NEEDS. The best part of this was the cabinet was only $119. I couldn’t get out my debit card fast enough. We came home and put this baby into the wall the same day. It is five inches deep and perfectly accommodates the large containers of spices that I can get at Sam’s Club.

We haven’t put the molding on the top of the cabinet yet but I just had to share. We used all of the cabinet to do this. For the shelves we used the big shelves and cut them down to 5 inches deep. I sized how far apart I wanted the shelves to be. You can see how I organized them below. The first picture is how it looks with the door closed. We added two coats of cherry stain and 2 coats of polyurethane to get the look below. This is also what we have our new kitchen cabinets in as well. It all matches perfectly.

On the top shelves I have spices in large containers. They taper down from there. The small bottles of spices can be two deep. I have tried to keep them alphabetized as well to make cooking quicker. For those shocked by the size of my baking powder container on the bottom shelf, the answer is yes, I really do use a lot of baking powder. Since becoming a diabetic I do all of my cooking and baking from scratch. I love to cook.

The drawers caused a bit of a problem. With them only being 5 inches deep, I couldn’t have drawers pulling out of the wall. I had to use hinges and have the drawers flip down. I use the top ‘drawer’ to hold my Jello’s and muffin/cupcake, cookie supplies.

In the second ‘drawer’ I keep small tubs of spices that I get at the local Amish market. Of course I use my labeller to organize them. I also use the labeller to put the purchase date on the back of my spice bottles so that I can tell when I should replace them.

On the bottom two shelves of the cabinet I keep my oils, vinegar, vanilla and mortar to grind my spices. I also store my other bottle items that I use on a regular basis. I love to cook Asian meals, of course making them low carb.

I have additional pantry pictures on my blog that show my 8 foot wide 10 foot tall closet that was converted to a pantry to maintain my stockpile of items.

On Saturdays, we peek into Other People's Pantries.

Come on -- show us your pantry.

*There are nine more pantries to share. If you'd like this feature to continue -- if you've been meaning to send your photos but haven't gotten around to it -- please send in your pantry photos. I'll keep featuring them every Saturday as long as you keep sending them. Watch for a new Saturday feature (one you'll all want to participate in) when we close the doors on Other People's Pantries.

Here's how.

Mike and I went to Home Depot and I was so disappointed to learn that ironing board cabinets were only 4 feet tall and 12 inches wide and they cost $169. Mike being the genius he is took me by the hand and showed me the clearance section.

We were able to buy a normal size cabinet that is 7 feet tall and 2 feet wide that had he promised me he could adapt to my NEEDS. The best part of this was the cabinet was only $119. I couldn’t get out my debit card fast enough. We came home and put this baby into the wall the same day. It is five inches deep and perfectly accommodates the large containers of spices that I can get at Sam’s Club.

We haven’t put the molding on the top of the cabinet yet but I just had to share. We used all of the cabinet to do this. For the shelves we used the big shelves and cut them down to 5 inches deep. I sized how far apart I wanted the shelves to be. You can see how I organized them below. The first picture is how it looks with the door closed. We added two coats of cherry stain and 2 coats of polyurethane to get the look below. This is also what we have our new kitchen cabinets in as well. It all matches perfectly.

On the top shelves I have spices in large containers. They taper down from there. The small bottles of spices can be two deep. I have tried to keep them alphabetized as well to make cooking quicker. For those shocked by the size of my baking powder container on the bottom shelf, the answer is yes, I really do use a lot of baking powder. Since becoming a diabetic I do all of my cooking and baking from scratch. I love to cook.

The drawers caused a bit of a problem. With them only being 5 inches deep, I couldn’t have drawers pulling out of the wall. I had to use hinges and have the drawers flip down. I use the top ‘drawer’ to hold my Jello’s and muffin/cupcake, cookie supplies.

In the second ‘drawer’ I keep small tubs of spices that I get at the local Amish market. Of course I use my labeller to organize them. I also use the labeller to put the purchase date on the back of my spice bottles so that I can tell when I should replace them.

On the bottom two shelves of the cabinet I keep my oils, vinegar, vanilla and mortar to grind my spices. I also store my other bottle items that I use on a regular basis. I love to cook Asian meals, of course making them low carb.

I have additional pantry pictures on my blog that show my 8 foot wide 10 foot tall closet that was converted to a pantry to maintain my stockpile of items.

On Saturdays, we peek into Other People's Pantries.

Come on -- show us your pantry.

*There are nine more pantries to share. If you'd like this feature to continue -- if you've been meaning to send your photos but haven't gotten around to it -- please send in your pantry photos. I'll keep featuring them every Saturday as long as you keep sending them. Watch for a new Saturday feature (one you'll all want to participate in) when we close the doors on Other People's Pantries.

Here's how.

Comments

to put the purchase date on the back of my spice bottles
*************************
what a brilliant idea. There isnt one bottle of spice in my kitchen that I could say when it was bought, although every time I put one in it goes with "I'll remember when I bought this" haha From now on I will note the date. Thanks again, and btw nice pantry and nice blog

I love this spice cabinet! I wish I had the space in my kitchen to put one in like it.

Very neatly organized, you took an idea and made it your own. You and your hubby are creative. I like the flour containers, where did you get those?

WOW !!! That is amazing !!!!

Thank you for all of the comments. I absolutely love my new spice cabinet and pantry.

I bought the locknlock containers through QVC. My sister bought some just like it at a Corelle Outlet store here in Flatwoods, WV.

I really like the cabinet (as well as the new blog header). I would be embarrassed to show my pantry to anyone.

I hope to clean out the Lazy Susan cabinets in my kitchen this spring and be happy with that.

This is an excellent example of what is called "Yankee Ingenuity". Great organization of the space.

That is a fabulous pantry!

What a great spice cabinet!

Wonderful, it is the way to go! I visited your blog and noticed all the Franks hot sauce, OMG it must be a very loved item at your house. thanks for sharing.

What a great idea...These are the times I hate being a renter.

I'm on the hunt for those locknlock containers.
They are my new dream

Truly ingenious! what a great use of otherwise unused space! Thanks to the hubby!

The Franks Red Hot Sauce is well loved. I mix it with mayonnaise and put it on low carb tortillas with chicken, cheddar cheese, lettuce and tomatoes. Gives it just the right punch. I also make lots of buffalo wings.

The locknlocks are wonderful. I can't say enough how much I love them. I plan to get more of them to replace the round ones next to them. They were a bit pricey but worth it in the end.

My sister is wanting a spice cabinet as well. She is a wonderful cook and will need two with all of the spices that she has in her kitchen.

Thanks to everyone that came to my blog to look around. I appreciate all of the kind words.

What a lovely cabinet and such good ideas you and your husband
have in common.

I love the 'date the spices' idea. And a labeler just makes you want to organize. Mother's Day is coming up so plant the seed homemakers! Between the stud storage is easier to do than you may think and your husband was ingenious cutting down the full size, price reduced model.

I love your spice cabinet and pantry cupboard. It looks really well-organized and easy to use. Inspiring!

STOP this feature - it makes me lust for other people's cabinets/pantries - organizing techniques. It makes me very depressed! ;-)
Truly this is a gem of a pantry - so organized and smart. One of the best yet (and I think every week - no one can top this...)
Ah - well I will continue to live vicariously through all those who share their amazing pantries! Thanks for hosting them all here!

Really neat!

this is such a great idea and a wonderful spice cabinet-- YOU do not know how blessed you are to have a husband who understands that this was a true "need".

To Nancy: Convince your husband that more organized your pantry is the more wonderful foods you will prepare. My DH realizes that he is eating much better with every additional detail that he adds to my kitchen. He laid new tile in the kitchen yesterday. haha

Lol! We all understand "needs."

I love this idea - just wish I could incorporate it into my kitchen. Unfortunately, there isn't any unused wall space. I have to tell you that I date my spices, but I don't always throw them away. Martha would NOT be proud of me:( I have a bottle of saffron from 1970 that I refuse to throw away for sentimental reasons. I won't use it, but I won't throw it away either:)

Oh I have a space we could convert in my kitchen for more pantry space, and then I'd have more space for other stuff. I hadn't thought of using our wall cavities. Hmmm.

We have the same cupboard! But we kept it at its original depth. I was so surprised when I saw the first photo!