Just over a year ago, my wife and I decided we were tired of digging for spices while cooking or, worse yet, discovering at the last minute that we didn’t have what we needed. It was time for some serious organization. I let my obsessive compulsive nature take over and worked up a pretty good system. In the process, we freed up a lot of valuable kitchen cabinet space, but as time passed, we decided my first attempt at a homemade spice rack was a bit too cumbersome. It was a great learning experience and one that I have recently leveraged when I went back to the drawing board for Spice Rack 2.0. Head over to my blog to read more about my second generation spice rack!

http://vaughnaustin.com/2008/01/09/spice-rack/

I'm finding this a little late, so I hope you catch my questions:

How does the capacity of the watchmaker tins compare to the average spice jar size?

Can you tell us more about those metal strips? I'm guessing because of the knives that they are magnetic, too. Where might one find them?

Thanks for sharing this idea! :-)

yeah i had heard that too about keeping spices in a cool dark place.. this site confirms it and even specifically mentions the magnetic spice holders:

http://www.condells.com/articles.tips/store-spices.htm 

I love the idea and so simple.  It could have alot of uses for other items too.  Yes, spices are best stored in cool, dry & dark places to maintain freshness longer but maybe a compromise is do this w/ your most often used spices.  Maybe hang the others on a metal slab somewhere else like inside a cabinet door.

Regarding the concerns about hot glue melting, use some 5 minute epoxy and you should have no worries.  I also wondered about Steve's comment, but since I store all of my spices in a cabinet right above the stove--and hardly use them--this would at least promote active use (and it just looks damn spiffy to boot).

As for Amber's apparent fascination with all things magnetic, I'd like to point out that this is the second such post in a week.  I, therefore, think a new title title is in order for our friend: Magnetea, queen of the DIY.

Keep 'em coming, Amber.

Awesome idea! Digg it: