My Spicy Solution

I solved all of my life’s problems in the bulk section of the grocery store the other day. Okay, not quite, but as I exclaimed on twitter recently, I am at war with my pantry and the myriad spices that it houses. I have too, too many spices and they are taking up too much room and they are also going stale, which doesn’t do my cooking any good now does it.

But like all of the thrifty women on Grandma P’s side of the family, I have an aversion to throwing things out. One tip, if you’re in my situation, is to freeze your spices. So I’ll be doing that in the future when I have too much of something. But what about those odds and ends that I rarely use and don’t want taking up my freezer space?

For example I rarely use onion powder or garlic powder in my home cooking, but there are times when I am recipe testing and need a bit of it here and there.

It’s never too late to change my friends, and here is my new way:

The bulk section of the grocery store is my new best friend.

While recipe testing recently I got just the amount I needed. See?

No more plastic or glass containers taking up space and full of herbs and spices growing stale. I can just stack these neatly in a little basket and be done with it.

And look at what it costs? 10 cents here, 12 cents there… and because you’re rotating them at a faster rate, life and food is sure to taste fresher.

That’s my tip ‘o the day, my friends. My spicy solution. Find a bulk section near you and you won’t be crushed my an avalanche of spices no more.

Over ‘n out.

p.s. Tip #2: It’s of course best to buy spices whole and grind them yourself for added freshness! Especially ones you’re storing for a long time… in the freezer of course… in bags from the bulk section… okay, over n’ out.