You may be wondering what the essential spices are that every spice rack should have. Or are planning to order a spice rack online that claims to come with spices and are wondering whether that’s true and if yes, what the spices are.
This article will answer all your questions concerning spices that are in a spice rack, and also reveal to you the best spice rack out there that comes with spices.
What Spices Are Included In A Spice Rack?
Many store bought spice racks come with prefilled jars of spices, but the type of spices provided may vary based on season or what’s available to the manufacturer at the time of order.
Even with that, you can always expect to have some of the following staples included in your spice assortment.
- Basil
- Fennel seed
- Seas salt
- Coriander
- Crushed mint
- Chives
- Bay leaves
- Pizza seasoning
- Rosemary
- Thyme
- Season salt
- Italian seasoning
- Dill weed
- Celery salt
- Cilantro
- Mustard Seed
Some brands even welcome the idea of registering the rack you purchased with them and receiving lengthy duration of spice refills with the freedom of choosing your own spice assortment, but this would of course depend on what’s available to the manufacturer at the time of order.
What Spices Come With The Kamenstein Spice Rack?
Kamenstein is popular brand and manufacturer of spice racks. They are one of the many brands that produce spice racks that come with spices and also offer the spice refill program which lasts for up to 5 years (but subject to their terms and conditions).
Last I checked, the agreement was that the customer gets free spice refills but has to pay for the delivery of these spices.
When you buy a Kamenstein spice rack online or in a local store, you can expect to always find the following spices included:
- Basil
- Garlic
- Salt
- Rosemary
- Oregano
- Thyme
- Bay leaves
What is the best spice rack with spices included?
The revolving tower spice rack from Kamenstein is easily the best spice rack that comes with spices included. It clinches this title for the following reasons actually.
It’s compact
The spice rack is small and compact when compared to other spice racks (at 9.13 inches wide and 8.8 inches tall) which means it can blend smoothly into small spaces in the kitchen.
You can also have it placed on the countertop and it won’t take up much space. Instead, its silk design will in fact serve as a focal point for visitors coming into the kitchen.
Revolves
The spice rack is also built with a revolving functionality, and this helps with two things actually. The fact that it revolves means that it can accommodate a lot more spice jars (up to 16 if I’m not mistaken), and finding spice bottles becomes a whole lot easier.
Comes with spices and is eligible for the refill program
This of course must not be forgotten. The Kamenstein spice rack comes with a host of spices both essential and rare, and is also eligible to be registered for the free refill program which lasts for 5 years.
For the free refills, purchase a specially marked Kamenstein revolving rack from an authorized seller like amazon and register on the Kamenstein website to get started.
You’ll get free spice refills for 5 years on the condition that you pay for the delivery of the ordered spices.
The labels are readable
The jar also comes with caps that have permanently printed labels on them which are easy to read when compared to hand written labels. While this is of the implication that you may not be able to customize the labels, you still have the option of placing labels of your choice the permanent container to mask it, so you can use the bottles to accommodate a different spice entirely.
It’s affordable
Another thing about the rack is that it is affordable for the quality and functionality that it brings. At $35.00, you can get the rack plus the spices delivered to your home.
The revolving rack may not be for everyone though
Despite all the good, the rack may still not be for everyone. There are sometimes when you need a much bigger rack, because you have many more spices to organize, or don’t have much space on your countertop to keep the rack.
In that case, there are other types of racks you can go for that will suit your need. We have discussed the types and their worth in previous articles and you are free to check them out below.
Can you choose the spices that come with your spice rack?
Most at times, you won’t be able to choose the spices that come with your spice rack. But often times, you will have the freedom to choose the spices that come with your refills when the brand of your spice rack offers such program. That would still be subject to the spices available to the manufacturer.
One specific brand called Orii, allows customers to choose the spices that should come with their racks from a wealth of spice collection, and not just that, they also allow customers to choose their style of rack as well the jar lid. The amount of spices you’re able to choose however, would depend on the type of rack you selected.
If you want only rack without the spices, or jar without rack or spices, Orii still have your back. You are free to choose from the varied collection of rack designs and jars and have it delivered to your doorstep.
What spices should be in a spice rack?
Let’s say you have a spice rack that doesn’t come with spices. The next thing you’d wonder is what spices to stack up on the rack!
Now of course this will depend heavily on the region where you live and the kind of cooking you’re engaged in, regardless, there are still some essential spices that you should always have on ground.
These include but not limited to:
- Pepper
- Parsley
- Rosemary
- Cumin
- Paprika
- Curry
- Thyme
- Salt
- Oregano
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Turmeric
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
When you have the essential spices on ground, you can then start experimenting with other types of spices and see if you like them. Check how they’re used and what dishes they’re best purposed for. Buy them in small quantities first and then opt for a much bigger package when you’re satisfied with the spice.
If possible, choose whole spices instead of ground ones, unless you have a special affinity for the latter, or ground spices just happen to make your food taste better.
Whole spices typically keep freshness for a much longer duration than grounded spices because the former lose their aroma molecules to the air less rapidly.
Some more spices you can consider adding to your spice rack collection include:
- Fennel Seed
- Mustard Seed
- All Spice
- Basil
- Coriander
- Spice Blends like African spices, East Asian spices, French spice etc.
- Clove
- Dill seed
- Grains of paradise
- Juniper berry
- Jimbu
- Mace
- Paprika
- Peppermint
- Saffron
- Tarragon
- Vanilla
- Bay Leaf
How do you arrange spices on a spice rack?
How you arrange spices on a spice rack is mostly going to be influenced by your necessities. There are definitely spices you use more than others, and you want these to be your first glimpse when you look towards the spice rack. It makes seeing and accessing them very easy.
With the revolving spice rack I mentioned above, it definitely doesn’t matter how you arrange the spices on the rack, as it’s easy to locate them nonetheless. But for cooking that is varied and diverse, spice collection that is huge, and a rack or rack space that is enormous, you may want to consider how you arrange the spices carefully.
Opt for sorting spices alphabetically, based on category, based on color, or based on type.
Sorting spices alphabetically is pretty straightforward, but make sure to adopt a system that won’t confuse you, and for that, I recommend alphabetizing using the actual name of the spice, and where they occur in variations like red pepper flakes, they should still be sorted alphabetically within that first nest.
Make sure to also have a tag that indicates the position of each letter. Typically, you should start from the top of the rack to the bottom or in a much suitable direction for the type of rack you’re using.
Sorting based on category would also work, so long you define the categories carefully.
Say we choose the sweet and savory mode of categorization, then we group all spices we think as sweet on one side of the rack and use a different side for savory spices, we can also choose to highlight them using different color of labels for clear distinction, so sweet spices will have an orange label whereas savory spices would have, say green labels.
Of course, we’d still have names on the bottles to indicate clearly what spice is contained in a particular bottle.
How long are spices in a spice rack good for?
Ground spices stored in clear jars on a rack are only good for a couple of months (maximum of 6 months) before they lose their aroma and flavoring capabilities completely. This is because grounded spices have an increased surface area which translates to an increased rate of oxidation and evaporation.
Whole spices (meaning spices that are not ground into fine powder) however, keep their freshness for a very long time because they have a much decreased surface area. So they can easily last for up to 2 years depending on the spice in question.
That’s why unless it really calls for it, or you have a specific reason, it’s best to always purchase whole spices for your rack and grind them when needed.
Now whether grounded or whole, all spices will be affected by moisture, air, heat and light, so it’s important to keep them contained in jars, and away for air, moisture, heat and light. This means that you should avoid keeping spices close to the stovetop (in a cabinet drawer below is okay), or close to the window.
In fact, spices will keep optimal freshness and flavor when stored in a tight jar in the door rack of the refrigerator, but you have to make sure you let the spices warm to room temperature before putting them to use, otherwise you won’t get the punch they offer.
Additionally, I would suppose you bought whole packages of some spices and turned only portion of them into the storage jars of your rack. For any left over, store them in an air tight condition too.
Final Thoughts
Some spice racks do come with spices, and most of the time, you can find all your essentials in the promised spice package. Some rack manufacturers even go out of the way to offer options for customers to register with them and get a free supply of spices for a lengthy duration of time.
To be sure your spice rack comes with spices however, make sure to read the product description online or contact the manufacturer or the retail store.
Sources
Freespicerefills.com
Myspiceracks.com