Super Easy (and Cheap!) Magnetic Spice Rack

 Do you hate your spice rack?  Does it take up counter space and get inexcusably dusty?  Does it contain spices that you will never use? (Seriously, WTF is "savory" anyway?)

Then go over to your window, throw it open, lean out and yell, "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take this any more!"

Then follow this Instructable and you'll have your very own under-the-cabinet magnetic spice rack that doesn't require a second mortgage.

Step 1: Materials

 You might be asking, "But can't you just go out and get those magnetic spice thingies at the local bed and bath super box store?"

Sure you can, but it's lame.  And you can't mount them under the cabinet because the lids aren't held tightly enough and they will fall off.  Also, it's more expensive. (Even with an abnormally-sized 20% off coupon.)

This spice rack was made mostly from things we already had lying around.

You will need:
1 power drill
1 drill bit
4 screws
Gorilla Glue
Scrap wood
junked-up cookie sheet (test the cookie sheet to make sure that it's magnetic before you commit to it)
spice jars with lids
rare earth magnets
screwdriver (not pictured)
lovely assistant (not pictured)

The jars were the only things we had to buy specifically for this project, and they were only $.99 each.  Beat that, needlessly-alliterative chain store.

Comments

[catrance]

cute dog!

[catrance]

reading some of the questions, I think they can be named on the bottom instead of the top I am sure..maybe with stickers.. I will try this in my kitchen!! excited!!

[Brassett]

I saw a different instructable for this and just finished, and I used an old cookie sheet, perfect upcycle. I loved your instructable, wish I would have found it first.

[lsteer]

How do you read what jars you want if they're labeled on the lids? (just wondering)

[edsobo]

You can't, really. Most of our jars are pretty easy to tell apart from the outside, so with the couple that we can't it's not really a big deal to just pull them down and check the top.

[SMBonante]

Savory (Satureja) is a genus of aromatic plants of the family Lamiaceae, related to rosemary and thyme. There are about 30 species called savories, of which Summer savory and Winter savory are the most important in cultivation.

:P

[bobsbestgirl]

I am so glad you posted this structible...I would love to know where to find empty spice jars with metal lids, though...I've looked just about everywhere (I simply will not order online and pay for shipping...) and I can't put my hands on any reasonably priced ones...thoughts?

[MrsDJE]

If you know someone with a baby, ask for the empty baby-food jars (or post a 'wanted' on freecycle or craigslist). Soak the lables off, and you have nice sized spice jars free of additional charge!

[zchampine]

Dollar Store! :p

[edsobo]

 The ones we used here came from World Market and only cost us $.99 each, which I considered to be pretty reasonable.  You might also want to look in at a restaurant supply store.  They would almost certainly have suitable jars, but I can't say for sure how much they would cost.

[bobsbestgirl]

Thank you so much! I have been able to find some, now I just have to find the motivation to put it together. ;-)

[Spice rack]

I really like how you organize your spices on the picture with the spice rack. It's clean, accessible and well organized. great post!

[arualanne]

I was wondering about the jars. Do you think the small mason jars (you know the smallest canning size with the cut glass look) would work for this as well? The lid would seal tight then as well, so that would be a nice feature. I know I can get like twelve of them for less than ten bucks at the Super Store.

[edsobo]

I don't see why not, though you might have to use an extra magnet or two per jar to account for it being heavier.

[Madrigorne]

if you have a cookie sheet that seriously gungy and will work for this  fabulous project( this is going to be a present for my Pook - but you are embarrassed by the gunge - steel wool,  SOS, or brillo pads will power off that gunge - also can use the wire brush on your dremel tool - but if you try to cook food afterwards - the lil scratches will make for more stuck on burnt-ing.

[edsobo]

I don't remember purchasing it, so I'm pretty sure that this one was leftover from when I had roommates.  Or that the cookie sheets are secretly having children in the dark corners of the cabinet.

The good cookie sheets get the Brillo treatment on a regular basis.

[bertus52x11]

 It's great, but why use magnets in a vertical setup? I use old peanutbutter jars to keep nut and screws. I have hammered two small nails through the lid and now I can twist the jar on and off the lid (the lid stays fixed).

[alibc]

That seems like it would leave a lot of holes in the underside of the cabinet. If you used that idea for a spice rack (or other food uses), it would take quite a bit of doing whenever you wanted to wash the lid. I'd also be concerned about rusty nails in/around food items. A great idea for a workbench, though.

[bertus52x11]

 Didn't think about cleaning!

[edsobo]

I actually hadn't thought of that.  We went into it wanting some of those magnetic ones, but didn't want them mounted on the wall, and this was the result.

The nail-in-the-lid method would have worked out pretty well, too.

[lemonie]

It's great. Did you see this one? The question was asked about doing it this way, you might go back and point that person to here.

L

[edsobo]

I did notice that one when I did a search before-hand to see if anyone else had done a similar 'structible yet, but didn't look at it too closely since it was mounted against the wall.