See these artfully arranged spices from Dean & Deluca? Aren't they pretty? They were a wedding gift. From 2005. In the spirit of our February Jumpstart Project, we're vowing to deal with these...
OK, we don't really use these spices. The test tube-like bottles are especially annoying, and we think this set was created more for eye candy than for actual cooking (there are solid pebbles of Fenugreek in there). And we know that spices lose their potency, that these things are pretty useless, and that they take up valuable space.
But it pains us to toss old spices for some reason. We have a hard time believing that they can't be used in a pinch. What if we need fenugreek pebbles?
Here's what we're promising:
• Throw out the dried herbs and spices that we know are dead. Maybe keep some of the cool peppercorns or colorful seeds, since they're visually appealing and actually don't lose strength as readily as ground spices or leafy herbs.
• Go through the rest of our spice collection (it's much, much more than this set). Toss what's really old, even if it's never been opened (yep, we have some of those, too), and not feel bad about it.
• Make a list of what we use most often: cumin, red pepper flakes, cinnamon, etc. and make sure those are fresh.
• Wash empty jars, gather the ones we like that look similar, and use those only, consolidating half-empty jars into one. Peel off old labels and make new ones, if we can. Or just buy new, uniform jars.
• Try to buy spices in bulk. Our Whole Foods doesn't offer bulk bins of spices, but we're looking for a convenient source.
• Find a use for the cool test tube holder. Anyone have an idea?
More spice advice:
Weekend Project: Stocking the Spice Cupboard
Look! Spices Stored in Jam Jars
Two Thumbs Up: Spices in the Drawer
Keep Spices in the Dark with a Spice Drawer
Good Question: Storage for Spices
Spice Jar Labels in January Slinks
(Images: Elizabeth Passarella)
10 Low-Budget Pantry Items Everyone Should Have
Summer Recipe: Gluten-Free & Vegan Strawberry Shortcake
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
TW Salt Mill by Wil...
Which Wall Color Gives the Best Sleep?
Marisa and Peter's Playfully Eclectic Home
Don't dump the whole cloves, pop them into an orange and enjoy the smell.
Have a cat the uses your garden for a litter box, sprinkle the red peppers around the garden and it will keep them out.
Put some into a muslin bag and hang them in the closet? Never tried this may attract pests, so consider this with care. Sorry the tubes were a pain.
Marinda S.
If you are into clothing embellishment (or know someone who is), test tubes make great containers for beads or sequins (not the big ones, obviously).
This post reminds me of my parents' pantry. My earliest attempts at baking from scratch didn't go so well, I got laughed at for it, and it turned out that their can of baking soda was older than I was. I'll never let them live that down :)
The test tubes would make a great vase for the table. Just grab a few flowers and plop them in.
Glad to hear you're doing something about your spices - that was my new year's resolution for my kitchen. I've put them all in one overflowing shoe box but need to find permanent jars to store them in....
This is timely as I nneded a kick to do the same. Spices would be a good thing to buy with a couple of friends as even the small sizes are often too much for a person or two. I might look into this - one could have a spice evening when people each bring one or two spices or herbs and some empty containers.
Whole spices should be ok for a couple of years, but yeah, 4 is probably pushing it.
I'd put flowers in the test tubes, or use them for shots of liquor at your next party.
Stiletto, I hope you mean baking powder because baking soda doesn't go bad!
Ha. The spices in mine are from 2002. But we've stopped using them and just enjoy the colors...
penzey's is where I get my spices; plus try your local food co-op
I just refilled my jar of cinnamon at my local co-op from the bulk jars - it was organic, and cost me all of $0.35. It's worth checking if you have SOMEWHERE to get bulk spices, they are a screaming deal compared to buying a jar at the grocery store.
I just buy all of my spices from the bulk section whenever I need them. Saves space and keeps them fresh.
Instead of just throwing them away, you could use them to create another decorative display away from the kitchen. This is a photo of a decorative tray of spices that I saw in an Indian restaurant: http://www.flickr.com/photos/suavehouse113/2311943365/
I think something similar would look beautiful on a coffee table.
I kid you not, in my parents' house are spices that have GOT to be 20 years old. My parents never cook with spices. Let's just say I had a rather bland upbringing.
There's a great place for bulk spices in Greenwich Village on Bleeker Street... the name is escaping me at the moment.
VW
www.margincomments.blogspot.com
I think the problem with those spice containers is that they look cool but are inconvenient to grab with one hand while stirring a pot, etc. So you need a use that is more leisurely and not so high-traffic.
I'm still intrigued by the wine-sold-by-the-test-tube you linked to a few days ago. Maybe fill them with homemade liqueur, seal with wax, and give to friends? (Or keep in the wire basket as pre-portioned liqueurs for yourselves.)
Or, in the interest of pre-portioning, fill with different candies, and label the whole basket as your stress-reduction/indulgence basket. ("I am having a grumpy day, and I will let myself have... one tube of M&Ms.")
Fill with different bath salts and keep in bathroom. Can be as colorful as you like and they shouldn't go bad.
Re: The beads: Heh. I bought a whole pile of (ssh!) urine testing tubes from Archie McPhees a couple of years ago and use them to keep beads in. They cost almost nothing and came with little fold-out cardboard test tube holders for use while working on a project. And they seal really, really well, while being easy to pop open with a thumbnail. ::grin::
Which is to say, these would work just as well and be more aesthetically pleasing.
I also like the flower idea.
Sigh. Now I want a test tube rack like yours.
Oh, and for spices themselves:
I'm currently using the round magnetic holders from IKEA, with the glass tops. Pro: Holds lots, can keep right where I cook (on the side of the fridge, near but not right over the stove), pretty enough, big open mouth for access. Con: Lids are not entirely uniform in tightness, easy to spill, no sifter top, glass top means exposure to sunlight.
Oh, and they're much cheaper than the Martha, etc., magnetic spices.
To get even cheaper, order "Watchmaker's cases" from Lee Valley, buy cheap magnets from hardware store, superglue to back of cases: Voila! (And the watchmaker's cases llids are much more stable than the IKEA ones.) (And and if you buy the right size, they come in pretty blue and silver boxes that you can use for other things.) (And and and Lee Valley is an amazing catalog that you should explore anyway.)
I too have herbs in a test tube and they are a real pain in the tush.While eating out of the pantry this year we will be cleaning the pantry as we go to make room for canning in the summer/fall season.My plan for the tubes is to tie them into a summer wreath and fill with fresh flowers or herbs [do I dare go down that road again?]
I have found bulk spices at certain (larger) Whole Foods stores, but the better source near me is a local food Coop. They also have bulk oils, honey, much more selection in the regular bulk dry-goods section, and quite a few options for soaps and detergents! The one thing I really miss and wish everyone had, I've only sen at one place--also a Coop--in Hanover, NH. They had bulk HERBS. Fresh herbs. SO when you need 4 sprigs of thyme you can buy them, for about 30 cents, instead of a whole $4 packet that never gets used up before going brown. (I know, I know, pots of herbs in the kitchen, but....I kill plants. It's very sad.)
You can use empty tubes to serve soup as a hors-d'oeuvre, or something prepared molecular gastronomy-style.
I had this at Alinea in Chicago:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/allabouteve/2656543029/in/set-72157606099344679/
The central-Ohio Amish communities have country stores that sell amazingly-priced spices, herbs, and baking supplies. This is only helpful if you live in the right part of the U.S. where there are Amish people, I guess.
In Kansas City at the City Market there is a man who sells large scoops of spices for $1 a piece, I love it!
For the spices that have lost their potency, you can use them as mulch in your garden. But since they are really pretty, you can take styroform balls and glue the spices on to it and place the different spice balls in a bowl as a centerpiece.
For the test tubes, I agree with caw261, they are great as a flower centerpiece. Also at your next dinner party you can place a single flower in it and write your guest's name on it and use them as place cards.
The test tubes are also good pen holders on your desk if you have the rack to hold them up.
I love the idea of serving liquor shots in the test tubes.
I'd keep the rack and either use with the tubes to hold flowers (as proposed earlier) OR remove the tubes and add candlesticks (if the rack would hold them upright). I'd set the whole thing on a tray to catch wax and make it a centerpiece.
My boyfriend's mom has a creative use for test tubes. She drops them into random containers (vases, tea pots, etc.) and uses them to hold single flowers or a few decorative leaves. Water in the test tube means no water in the container -- good for nicer containers that you don't want to muss up.
I'd use the test-tubes to make a funky flower display as others have suggested.
If you dab a spot of hot glue on the inside lip of the test tube and then attach a micromagnet, you can stick them to the fridge (or other magnetic surface) and use them as bud vases. I second the vote for Penzey's spices. Their cinnamon is hands down the most aromatic cinnamon I've ever cooked with!
Con Yeager in Pittsburgh, PA, sells spices in small to very large quantities and their prices are much better than most retail venues. You can order via their website: www.conyeagerspice.com
Just in case you haven't already thrown these all out, I have a great recipe for taco hot sauce that uses those little red peppers in your photo. Those things pretty much never lose their potency.
Here's a link to the recipe: http://myblessedlife-lora.blogspot.com/2009/01/chicken-enchiladas-homemade-taco-sauce.html
I use old spices in non-edible uses. Cinnamon, cassia, ginger, cloves and sometimes even chili powder goes into my henna hair treatments. You can also boil them on a stovetop for a nice fragrace.