How to Choose a Spice Rack That You'll Love

Today you have almost as many choices of spice racks as you do of the spices they contain. Spice racks are wonderful kitchen cooking accessories and home organization gadgets. And a spice rack is a wonderful gift too for a cook. In our household, my husband is the chef. But I'm the shopper. And we own three functional and handsome spice racks that are in use every day. Before you buy your next spice rack for yourself or as a gift consider these factors about how to choose a spice rack:

1) WHERE WILL YOU PUT IT? Naturally, you want your spice rack in the kitchen so it's handy for cooking. The only caution here is that some people advise not putting your spices too close to the stove or oven for fear that the heat will be harmful to some of the spices' potency. So other than that spot, consider all the available spaces in your kitchen. There are probably more available spaces than you think. Here are some styles of spice racks that should give you more ideas about available kitchen space:

--No counter space? Buy spice racks that are "wall mountable". These spice racks usually have single or multiple vertical shelves.

--Hard to reach counter space? Put a "carousel" spice rack in the corner. Think of a carousel spice rack as one that spins on a circular-shaped Lazy Susan. You can make use of that hard-to-reach corner countertop space with such a revolving spice rack.

--Like to view your spices in one glance? By a "slanted" spice rack. Or buy a "three-tier expand-a-shelf" (like a staircase or stadium seating) that fits conveniently inside a kitchen cabinet. You'll triple that cabinet space with this type rack too.

--Got a free drawer? Some stores are now selling a "spice rack drawer liner". It lays flat in your drawer much like the flatware drawer liner that holds your forks and spoons. You lay the spice jars or containers on their sides in slots (lay with labels upward for quick reading).

--Not utilizing the bottom of your kitchen cabinets? Buy an "under-cabinet spice rack", also called "undercounter spice rack" or "pull-down spice rack". Much like electric can-opener gadgets that attach to the underside of kitchen cabinets, so does this under-cabinet spice rack. It swings down for easy viewing and picking. Otherwise, keep it folded upward underneath the cabinet for its space saving attribute.

--Is the inside of your pantry door empty? Use a "door-mounted spice rack". Just a few screws and you can hang a multi-shelf vertical spice rack here. Also, some stores are selling racks that have slots that individually adjust to the jar size. The rack adheres to the inside of the door with double-sided tape.

--Lots of kitchen counter space or open shelf space? Get a "free-standing spice rack". You can buy a countertop spice rack that spins or one planted firmly on a solid base. Some of these come in tapering shapes so that they're narrower at the base but flare out at the top.

Also consider....

2) HOW MANY SPICES DO YOU USE? If you use a lot of different spices, would you like one large single-level or multi-tiered shelf spice rack that holds all of them? Or like me, would you like a few different spice racks clustered in one area of the kitchen? If you only keep a few spice jars, then perhaps a spice rack that holds six to eight spice containers is sufficient (especially if your space is limited to a small area of the kitchen). And if it's a gift for someone else, visualize the available space they have in their kitchen. You don't want to give someone a gorgeous spice rack that they have to stuff in a closet for lack of a place to put it.

3) CAN YOU CONVENIENTLY ACCESS THE SPICES? For instance, if you hang a vertical double-shelf spice rack on a wall underneath a kitchen cabinet, you need enough room between the spice containers on the top shelf and the underside of the kitchen cabinet to be able to easily remove and replace the spice containers. You don't want to keep scraping your knuckles against the wood on the underside of the cabinet. Wherever you plan to put the spice rack, it's probably a good idea to measure the intended space for it and then compare that to the dimensions of the product listed on its sales box before you purchase it.

4) ARE YOU BUYING A SPICE RACK WITH OR WITHOUT SPICES? Some spice racks come complete with full containers of spices and others come without jars or containers of spices. Some spice racks don't even use typical container or jars; instead you fill them and then turn a dial for the measured spice amount to filter through a dispenser, which is removable from the spice rack.

Remember that you're trying to save space when buying home organization gadgets. So if you buy a spice rack complete with new spices, you'll just have to store the new or existing set of spice jars in the pantry until the spice jars in use need a refill.

And if you buy a spice rack with containers, make sure they're what you want. Some are glass jars; others aren't. Some have corks as lids; others have screw tops. Some come with snap on sifters or shaker ports. Also check to see if the jars come pre-labeled or with an extra set of blank labels.

5) WHAT MATERIAL COMPRISES THE SPICE RACK? You can find spice racks or spice shelving in many types of material: wood, acrylic, metal/stainless steel/wire, plastic or chrome. What matches the style of or colors of your kitchen? Or if the spice rack isn't going to be clearly on view, maybe you're just interested in a durable material or one that wipes clean easily.

6) DO YOU LOVE. IT? Spice racks are very durable products. You'll be seeing your spice rack choice in your kitchen for a long time.

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Is Life Brewing at the Bottom of Your Favorite Cereal Bowl?

"It's so beautifully arranged on the plate - you know someone's fingers have been all over it." -Julia Child on nouvelle cuisine

A few warm summers ago, perhaps 20 or 25 to be inexact, my favorite breakfast cereal manufacturers indirectly gave me that jolting wake up call to the fact that I needed to notice and appreciate more the importance of reading any fine print that they may have painstakingly and boldly typed on the outside of my morning cereal box for my own information and overall protection.

At that time in my career path I did heavy warehouse work and usually teamed up two of my favorite breakfast cereals to provide me with all the vitamins, minerals and nutrients I might require to do my job well and control my hunger pangs. The two cereals complemented one another well and did the job until coffee break.

A smiling, older gentleman (the Quaker cereal man) was colorfully depicted on the front of my oatmeal box. He was dressed in a navy blue hat, white powdered wig and welcoming smile. I suppose this gentleman has graced many a breakfast table for a long, long time.

My favorite flavor at that time was maple and brown sugar. It provided the flavor, sweetness and all around bulk content my tummy needed to face the work day.... at least until coffee break. Add a splash of milk, a few slices of banana and two slices of toast and coffee and you have started your work day in a healthful manner.

The contents listed on the side of the box described it as being whole grain rolled oats. The cholesterol count and calorie count suited many a weight watcher's stringent dietary requirements. A list of additives and other ingredients were also printed on the side of the box.

My second cereal of choice was wheat germ. It was packaged in a vacuum sealed jar and warned a person to keep refrigerated after opening. The cereal had a tasty, toasted flavor and it contained vitamin E - one we all needed every day.

One extremely warm summer day I had the misfortune of waking up late for work. My usual breakfast ritual would be disrupted I thought as I quickly drank my orange juice and placed the oat meal and wheat germ in my cereal bowl.

I added one half cup of water to the mix and microwaved it in the oven for the recommended three minute interval. After doing this I showered and shaved and left for work. I totally forgot about the cereal brewing in the microwave.

The next day, at breakfast time I opened the microwave oven's door and discovered hundreds of little black flies flying, flitting and feeding on the dried oatmeal and using the dried out cereal's remains as a makeshift landing strip.

I quickly closed the oven's steel door and then realized the importance of reading storage instructions for all the merchandise a person buys. The oatmeal and the wheat germ worked together with the warmer temperature to create this micro metropolis of insects, cereal and larva eggs.

That incident did not dissuade me from enjoying my early morning cereal. It did however help me appreciate the fact that reading printed instructions can only save you a truckload of headaches in the long run.

Needless to say I threw out the oven but still enjoy eating my double mixed breakfast cereal.

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Firgelli Actuator with Arduino

Robot steering actuator running with H-Bridge Controller and Arduino Microcontroller.

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Making the Best Home Made Pizza

If you haven't tried making a homemade pizza yet, what are you waiting for? It's a fun way to involve the kids in cooking, and you get to try something different from frozen pizza or delivery. It can also be very inexpensive, since you can most likely make homemade pizza just using ingredients you have sitting around the house.

All pizzas are composed of three important parts. Focus on getting these parts right and your pizza will probably be quite good.

Crust - You can use a variety of products to make the crust of your pizza, so it pays to be able to consider a variety of options here. Many people find it convenient to make personal mini-pizzas using English muffins. Others like to use the dough from a pack of crescent rolls. If you're short on other options, you can also use normal white bread in a pinch.

If you're planning on going to the store to grab some ingredients, be sure to pick up a ready-made crust. They're designed for homemade pizzas and they make things much easier. They also make for a better pizza than some other types of crust.

Sauce - Any jar or can of spaghetti sauce that you have sitting in the pantry can be used as the sauce for a homemade pizza. If you get the chance to pick up ingredients at the store, you can get a jar of pizza sauce while you're there, which will work great.

Toppings - Choosing your toppings is where you get the chance to really personalize your pizza. Make something unique that you've never seen before.

The great part about making your own pizza is that you have access to a variety of toppings that you couldn't get at a restaurant. Combine your favorite foods to make something that's uniquely yours. Making a personal pizza for each family member is a good idea since everyone will be able to have just the right toppings on their pizza.

There's no wrong way to make your own pizza, so feel free to try ingredients that you wouldn't normally see on a pizza. Your kids will love choosing their own toppings, and if their choice of toppings ends up being less than perfect, you can always start over with different ones.

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Battery Operated Can Opener and Universal Jar Opener Set

For More Info or to Buy Now: www.hsn.com Easily open your next can of green beans with the Battery Operated Can Opener and Universal Jar Opener Set. The openers make it simple to open all of the hard-to-grip lids.Battery Operated Can... Prices shown on the previously recorded video may not represent the current price. View hsn.com to view the current selling price. HSN Item #347544

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Culinare one blow jar opener - amazing!

www.anythingleft-handed.co.uk Hands free jar opening even for the stiffest lids. Just put it on the jar and press the button. Anything Left-Handed have the best gadgets and left-handed items.

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Cherry Cans For the Winter

Winter can be quite difficult if you want to taste different things, but you can't find them on the market because the season has passed. However, if you know that something like this is very likely to happen to you, you can now choose cans to satisfy your needs during the winter. You can choose to make your own cans with fruit or vegetables and the work you have to do for this is not at all hard.

For instance, if you want to go for cherry cans for the winter, all you need is cherries, sugar and some salt. Once you have these cans, you can always add them to different cakes, pies and so on. To be more exact, you need one kilogram of cherries, half a kilo of sugar and some salt. Once you have the ingredients, here is what you have to do.

You wash the cherries, remove the seeds in the middle and then you let them dry. Then, you put them in a four or five litre bowl and boil them. Then, you add the sugar, you continuously mix until the cherries start boiling again. You put the content in different jars and you put a bit of salt in each jar. You sterilize all of it and then let it rest somewhere in a colder place. Once they are ready, you can use these cherries for all kinds of cookies, pies and other desserts.

Therefore, if you know you like eating all kinds of stuff after the season has passed, you can go for the cans and then you will be able to eat whatever you want whenever you want.

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