• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About
    • Contact
    • Subscribe
  • Recipes
    • Easy Dinners
    • Dessert
    • Breakfast and Brunch
    • Thai
    • Gluten-free
    • Vegetarian

Inquiring Chef

menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • Easy Dinners
  • About
  • Subscribe
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home > How To's

    How 4oz. Ball Jars Saved My Spice Drawer

    Published: Jun 13, 2012 · Modified: May 28, 2020 · by Jess Smith · · 19 Comments · This post may contain affiliate links.

    I reached a tipping point with my spices a couple weeks ago. One day all of my spices were neatly packed into a high-walled drawer organizer in the kitchen and the next they had crept out and started encroaching upon every available corner of the kitchen.

    I had sesame seeds tucked behind the tea bags and cinnamon sticks next to the chickpeas. I knew it was bad when I was flipping through recipes online and realized I was skipping right on over those that would require I forage for unusual spices hidden in my kitchen.

    I realized I had to find a solution. I eyed these little beauties Libbey 4-½-Ounce Spice Jars on Amazon and ordered a couple. They are every bit as cute as they are online, but they turn out to be fairly useless fo most spice storage. They are too small to hold the contents of a normal jar of spice and they don't stack. I'll find another use for them, but for spices they weren't the answer.

    Then Bangkok got an Ikea (!!!) and I came across these Rajtan jars which I've seen others use around the web. I bought a pack of 4 and brought them home, but they just weren't quite right. The lids are challenging to screw on and don't form a seal tight enough that I trust it not to fall open if I knock the jar over. They also stack rather precariously and take up lots of space. They weren't a total loss, because they turned out to be perfect for a select few items for which I need a bit more space like sesame seeds (I use tons of these) and bay leaves (which I appear to have purchased many times despite having jars at home - evidence below).

    I was starting to think that I was going to have to drop a bunch of cash and invest in something fancy like these magnetized containers or cave to keeping my spices out on the counter. (I've stayed away from this, since keeping them in a cool, dark space helps most spices to hold their flavor longer.)

    But then I had an a-ha moment about the excessive number of 4 oz. Ball canning jars I have in storage for canning projects.  (Canning projects which have been living in a fantasy part of my brain since we moved to Bangkok.  No one wants to hover over a bubbling caldron when it's 100 degrees out.)

    So far, these canning jars are a dream. They're sturdy, stackable, and seal nice and tight. When I opened them to take the pictures up top, the aroma of the spices inside filled the entire apartment, but I can't smell a hint of spice in the drawer where they are stored and sealed up tight.

    The cost for any of the options that I was considering would have been pretty reasonable, even if I had to purchase all of the canning jars.

    Libbey 4-½-Ounce Jars (12 jars for 20.99) - $1.75/jar

    4oz. Ball canning jars (12 jars for 15.64) - $1.30/jar

    5 oz. Rajtan Ikea Spice Jar (4 jars for 3.99) - $1.00/jar

    (Note: The measurements listed above are mis-leading.  The Ball jars actually hold much more than the Libbey jars.)

    But at the end of the day, the convenience and fit of the ball canning jars made them worth a bit more per jar.  Not to mention that they are easy to find, so  it won't be hard to expand the collection later.  Some day I do actually hope to have a larger kitchen with, say, an actual pantry.

    I have a feeling this will be my spice solution for a long time to come.

    Related

    « Soft Wheat Sandwich Bread
    Koh Lanta: And Then There Were Two »

    About Jess

    Hi! I'm Jess. I am the recipe creator and photographer behind the 900+ recipes you’ll find on Inquiring Chef. As a mom to three young kids and professional cook, my mission is to make every moment in the kitchen and around the table count. If you’re looking for easy, flavorful, family-approved recipes, you’ve come to the right place! Learn more about me here.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Eliot

      June 14, 2012 at 8:10 am

      Great idea. I am loving all those exotic spices you have!

      Reply
    2. Katie

      June 14, 2012 at 1:32 pm

      Our spice collection was driving me bonkers too, because when we moved from Vancouver to Stockholm Paul insisted we bring all the spices, so we transferred them out of the jars they were in and into ziploc baggies. Yes, I flew to Sweden carrying a bag full of baggies of random green herbs and powders. Then the baggies ran amok in our cupboard for a while as I searched for spice jars. I wanted something that looked nice, was affordable, would hold an entire refill bag of spices, and, most importantly, that I could get my measuring spoons into. One day while I was taking the recycling out I realized I had the answer in my hand; lucky for me, Paul has a 2 jar a month Dijon mustard habit, and turns out those little Grey Poupon jars fit all the above criteria perfectly! Once I've taken the time to get the label off and re-label them, they're sleek looking spice jars, they fit an entire bag of spices, and I can fit even my Tablespoon through the mouth! It's taken some time to transfer everything over, especially since we keep going on trips and bringing back armloads of spices, but all of the essentials are long in jars and now it's a funkier, rarely used spice that get a new home every two weeks or so.

      Reply
      • Jess

        June 17, 2012 at 3:33 pm

        Katie - I love this AND love that Paul goes through 2 jars a month of Dijon. I love the stuff, but we eat about one a year! 😉 What a great way to recycle them.

        Reply
    3. Corey @ Learning Patience

      June 14, 2012 at 7:14 pm

      Oh....I love that idea..ordering some now! Thanks!

      xoxo from Trinidad

      Reply
    4. Karista @Karista's Kitchen

      June 17, 2012 at 2:07 pm

      Fantastic idea! Love the canning jars. I buy my spices in bulk at our local coop market. A great way to store all my bulk spices.

      Reply
    5. omeletta

      June 18, 2012 at 4:14 am

      I love this idea! I've been going crazy with my lack of organization for my spice jars too. I had also tried the label machine labels on lips, all the containers in a box- but they were all different shapes and sizes and didn't fit neatly, no stacking, etc. The Ball Jars are am excellent idea, I'm off to Amazon to buy a case 🙂 Thanks!!

      Reply
    6. Barb

      April 13, 2013 at 6:32 am

      After much juggling similar to comments above, I found a valuable added bonus using the Ball 4 oz. jars. I keep spices in a drawer and the drawer isn't deep enough to stack 2 of these jars on top of each other and I don't want to use my upper cabinets so I went back to the drawing board for ideas. I labeled each lid and stood them upright which fit beautifully but just a single level seemed to take more space than what I was willing to sacrifice to have those odd shaped tins some things come in. I saw some of those long, narrow, white plastic drawer organizer trays at a local 'everything' store and they were under $2 each so I bought several. I fit 4 in the drawer side by side, put a label on the side of each jar and found they not only nestled perfectly in a row on their sides but I was able to get 2 additional jars in the same area as before. Those trays hold everything in place so I can easily see the labels and things don't go rolling all over the place like before and I couldn't be happier. Amazing what good things come out of sheer frustration LOL. I've never been one to take up counter space with spice racks because I need the space plus light isn't good for spices. I dehydrate many of my own herbs each season so I want fresh. Now I can separate my spices according to the type of recipe I'm using: Indian spices, Oriental spices, baking spices, herb, salt free seasonings. I know I'll use everything more since I can find each so easily now. Hope this helps someone with an idea.

      Reply
    7. Conny

      May 13, 2013 at 4:36 am

      I also was saved by 4oz canning jars. I however, affixed neodymium magnets to the top of the lids. They are super strong, so keep them out of the hands of children.
      I then screwed an old worn out cookie sheet to the underside of my wall cabinets in the kitchen. Now my new spice jars are suspended under my cabinets, about eye-heights and in plain view, freeing up all kinds of space INSIDE my cabinets. 🙂
      Looking for a pretty label idea for my printer yet, though.

      Reply
      • Jess

        May 14, 2013 at 8:54 am

        Conny - wow I love this idea! I have got to look into doing this myself - it must look so neat to have all those pretty spice jars hanging in neat rows from under the cabinets!

        Reply
    8. Anonymous

      May 30, 2013 at 7:24 am

      Holy cow--DO NOT use the neodymium magnets in your kitchen or anywhere else, until you read this horrendously scary warning:

      https://www.magnet4less.com/magnetsafety.php

      The magnet idea sounded great til I read that...dozens of children dying from these magnets, and electronics such as tvs and computers damaged by them, and pace makers messed up by them. Yikes!

      Unless you never have children in your home, and have no electronics in your kitchen, I'd skip this idea. Heck, imagine the liability if a relative came over, or a neighbor, and their tablet computer in their purse got wiped of all their urgent work data, or their pacemaker went kablooey? Just from standing next to your spice rack full of dozens of these magnets? Eeek.

      Reply
      • Matt

        January 29, 2014 at 11:10 pm

        If a neodymium magnet is small enough to fit down an infant's throat, it isn't strong enough to damage your hard drive. These magnets would have to be much more powerful. If you crack open an old hard drive you don't need (or one you do need but you don't want to take them apart), you'll find that there are actually neodymium magnets on either side of the platters.

        Reply
    9. Donna

      August 31, 2013 at 9:59 pm

      Ball 4 oz jars turned spice jars fit neatly int plastic three drawer storage container. 12 jars fit into each drawer without stacking. Label jars on top of lid, so that you can pull drawer out and read the labels without pulling jar out of drawer. I arranged jars in each drawer according to my favorite recipes baking spices vs cooking spices. Now if we could only order the Ball Dry Herb Spice lids separately!

      Reply
    10. Erin

      March 30, 2015 at 5:37 am

      Don't bother buying the more expensive "herb lid" version for the 4oz ball jars. I got really excited and bought a couple of 4 packs thinking they would be perfect, but they are not 🙁 I can smell my spices from outside the plastic tops and I feel like it also really dried out my already dried herbs. I went back to the regular 2 part lids due to odor and I think by herbs will actually stay better longer.

      Reply
      • Jess

        March 30, 2015 at 7:54 pm

        Erin - that's so good to know - thanks for the tip!

        Reply
    11. Katherine

      September 22, 2020 at 10:09 pm

      Love that idea. I'm looking at doing something similar and I just discovered these: https://www.etsy.com/listing/691622140/200-quick-find-spice-jar-labels-stickers?ref=user_profile&pro=1&frs=1

      I'm so excited. I'm super visual (my fiance likes spices alphabetized) and I can never find anything! I'm hoping the color coordination will be game changing.

      Just thought you might be into it too. I searched everywhere for a "dewy decimal system for spices" apparently no one has invented one, but I think someone should! 🙂

      Katherine
      TotallyKO.com

      Reply
    12. Ben

      October 10, 2020 at 10:36 am

      I bought a couple of 12 packs of Ball 4oz quilted crystal jars for spices (these jars a scarce during this pandemic where I am so that was the only type I could grab before they were sold out again). One thing I noticed was that the lids come in 2 pieces so opening is a 2 step process of unscrewing the rim and then removing the cover. Has anyone tried to glue them together or do something so that opening is a one step process? Idea?

      Reply
      • Heather

        November 05, 2020 at 7:52 pm

        I bought metal covers on Amazon that fit regular mouth mason jars. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B085ZCZR2D/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_cWkPFbKPZFWD9?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

        Reply
      • Beverly Wagner

        January 31, 2021 at 6:40 pm

        I saw a youtube video today showing them hot glued together.

        Reply
    13. ustiward09

      January 01, 2022 at 11:13 pm

      Thanks for this blog, I really enjoyed reading your post.

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

    Welcome! We're Jess and Frank. Since 2010, we have been serving up easy, original recipes here on Inquiring Chef.

    More about us →

    Latest Recipes

    • Cashew Cream Sauce
    • Vegetable and Rice Stuffed Peppers
    • Lasagna Bolognese
    • Falafel Sandwich

    Trending Recipes

    • Crispy and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
    • Honey Ginger Chicken Stir-Fry
    • Mason Jar Overnight Oats
    • Beef and Broccoli Ramen Stir-Fry

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Us
    • Privacy Policy

    Connect

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates
    • Follow us on Instagram and Pinterest

    Contact

    • Email Us

    Copyright © 2023 Inquiring Chef