Not Spice Racks: The Amazon Find That'll Save Space On Your Kitchen Countertops

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A well-organized kitchen requires designated spots to place specific items, and this includes commonly used spice bottles. Unfortunately, a typical spice storage solution — countertop spice racks — can eat up precious room on your work surfaces, leading to a cramped space. Instead, there's an Amazon find — the IIOIIIA Bamboo Over the Stove Spice Shelf — that can save space on your kitchen countertops while ensuring your go-to spices are within reach.

Retailing for $39.99, this over-the-stove organizer is made from bamboo, which is an attractive and versatile material that has impressive tensile strength, which makes it stand up well to regular use. Since it is designed to fit over your stove's control panel, it uses what would otherwise be underutilized space. It measures 4.5 inches deep by 31.5 inches wide by 11.4 inches high, and features three hooks on each side for holding tools or small oven mitts. There is also a lip around the entire top shelving surface, keeping everything stable and in place.

The product's specifications state that the bamboo material is easy to care for — it just requires regular wiping down with a gentle cleaner — and customers offer promising feedback on the item. At the time of writing, it had a 4.5-star average from more than 1,000 reviews. Customers state that it has an attractive appearance and is well made. One five-star review on Amazon states, "This shelf is a brilliant use of space — now all of my most-used spices are right within arm's reach while I'm cooking. It keeps everything organized and looks great too."

This bamboo spice shelf is undeniably cute and could free up more counter space in your kitchen; before you click "add to cart," however, it's important to ask how spices should actually be stored. While you might be under the impression that they can be kept anywhere with the room to house them, this is far from the truth. To prevent spoiling your spices, you'll need to choose the right spot for them. Their delicate composition means that they require a cool, dark, and dry location in order to stay fresh and flavorful. 

Unfortunately, the area over a stove meets none of the requirements, and spices stored on the IIOIIIA Bamboo shelf would be exposed to a constant barrage of steam, heat, and light. Instead, it might be better to solve your kitchen storage problem with a convenient spice rack for your cabinets. That being said, the spice shelf could still be useful and help clear your counters. You could keep a bottle of cooking oil or a covered butter tray above the stove, keeping these essential fats easily within reach for sautéing or pan frying. 

While not technically the best way to store them, everyday cooking essentials such as salt and pepper could be stored on the bamboo shelf — and since you likely use them regularly, they might not have the chance to degrade as quickly as less-frequently-used spices such as paprika or oregano, for example. The shelf can also provide you with a surface to place small decorative items like a favorite recipe in a picture frame or a small utensil crock. While you're at it, you can ditch cluttered countertops and check out IKEA's $8 solution for an organized kitchen.