What You Should Look For In Your Next Spice Rack

One of two things inevitably happens when you try to keep your kitchen well-stocked with spices. Either you stick them in your cabinet and forget about them for years, or you use them all up and forget which spice to restock when you're back at the store. Thankfully, you can now purchase spice racks that will help you avoid either one of those scenarios: They come with five years of free refills.

Both Kamenstein and Orri Kitchen make countertop spice racks that come with the free refill offer. In addition to racks sold under its own name, Kamenstein also offers the deal with spice racks made for Copco, Farberware, AllRecipes, and KitchenAid. Whatever brand you choose, once you've purchased a rack, you can register with the manufacturer and order spices as needed.

You do need to pay for shipping and that can be costly. Kamenstein charges $5.25 for one to four spices — similar to what you might pay for a jar of a popular spice brand's cumin. Orri charges a bit more at $6.25 for one to four spices. Keep in mind that you need to replace ground spices every two to three years. After that, they tend to lose both their flavor and aroma. You have a little more time for whole spices, which tend to keep for two to four years. So, depending on how often you use your spices and how much you use at a time, you may only need to refill your jars once or twice in the five-year period.

Make sure you know how to store spices for long-lasting flavor. Although many home cooks tend to keep all of their spices together, each spice has its own storage requirements. In fact, a countertop rack may not be the best place to store your spices. In general, you should keep your spices in a cool, dry space, away from sunlight, as well as the heat of your stove. Heat and light can cause you to lose flavor and aroma even faster. It's best to keep them in a pantry, cabinet, or drawer. You can also use amber-colored jars that don't let in light.

On Reddit, people who have purchased the racks and refilled the spices have complained about the quality of the spices. Some have also said the spices were sold out when they went to replace them. Others noted that it's cheaper to buy spices at bulk supply stores. As with any free refill deal, you may be trading convenience for quality and price. Make sure your read the fine print so you can get busy seasoning your next dish.