Every good kitchen should include a spice cabinet. Sweet to savory, aromatic to piquant, ground herbs and spices can turn the blandest meal into something excellent.
Depending on your palate, some spices are used more than others. Sadly, those that don’t get as much love tend to clump together after a while.
The matting is caused by heat and humidity that creeps through the holes in the lid of spice shakers, known as the sifter fitment. It often means that no matter how hard you shake, those grinds are not coming out to play. And it can be tough to fit a spoon in the bottle.
It is always recommended to store spices in a cool, dry environment (think the pantry cupboard), but if the clumping has already occurred, it doesn’t mean that the seasonings have to be thrown out.
Instead of shaking, you want to twist.
Holding the bottle, turn the sifter fitment back and forth. Alternatively, hold the fitment still and twist the bottle itself. The action mimics that of a spice grinder on the clumped-up granules, making them fine enough to pass through the holes.
You’ll never have to eat insipid food again.
