I presume you are talking about something like this gizmo from Dropout Cabinet Parts.

At first glance it may seem a good idea, but it's not. Notice the specialty containers. Every spice will have to be decanted from its store bottle/can/envelope into a container - a nuisance that just gets more aggravating over time.

Effective spice storage due to the varying container sizes is a challenge. Every spice seller uses containers of slightly different sizes, some often-used spices are commonly bought in larger containers, and some regional spices (think Indian or Mexican cuisine) are in very different size containers, sometimes in envelopes.

The most practical, versatile and useful solution we have come up for upper cabinets are 12" two-tier lazy-susan turntables installed on shelves. Not perfect, but then most storage isn't.

I hate pull out spice racks. whats with the 55” range??? unless its just for show i’d want that countertop space available for cooking. put spices in drawers. i put an open shelf next to cooktop to hold most commonly used oils but upper cabs would work too or tray on counter.

StarCraft, not necessarily pull down but they would be like the pull out spice cabinets seen more frequently in base cabinet but just placed on the countertop instead. The advantage would be that you wouldn’t have to stoop down to look at labels.

I love lazy susans too - that’s my current set up. Just seeing if there was another option where I can take away the upper cabinets from a design perspective.

lharpie, the 55” range is a Lacanche Sully. We’ll have an island also for prep space. I like the open shelf for commonly used oils - I have a tray in my current set up which is super convenient. The drawers will contain cooking utensils and oven mitts, I think, mostly because I think I’ll be reaching for those more often than spices usually.

Thank you both for your thoughts!

I have what you are talking about but just one against the wall about 36" from the range. I like it, works out well. Custom cabinetry so no worries about specific containers.

You would like it.

I love my shallow spice drawers, but I think a countertop spice pullout would be terrific too. Aside from losing a narrow slice of countertop, I don't see how this is less efficient than a drawer (as long as shelf heights are adjustable). In fact, as long as the width is sufficient, it seems more flexible than my spice drawer--it would let you store spice envelopes and packets quite tidily.

I would not want a pullout for my cooking liquids. Those are often heavier bottles, more likely to tip if you have any empty space, and much messier if a tipped bottle leaks. My instinct would be to make it shallow open shelves, with the open side running the 24"-long countertop depth, and the front edge designed to mirror the look of the spice pullout.

Pennfire - that’s great to hear! Do you use yours for liquids or dried spices only?

Mcarroll16 - I hadn’t thought of using one side as a pull out and the other as shallow shelving for liquids. This makes a lot of sense to me. Really appreciate your input!

Both. The shelves are adjustable. I use the top two for dry spices, oils and vinegars under neath and on the bottom, I have flour, sugars, etc. stored in stacking containers. Rubbermaid I think, they are rectangular and fit perfectly. The pull out is probably 60" high.

I did the same concept for glassware right next to the fridge and dishwasher.

I have 3 and love them. It is in an upper to the right of my range. Do get ones for single wide spices if you use a lot of regular size spice containers. I had double wide at my previous house and the bottles were always tipping over due to them not fitting snugly.

Obviously, those work for some. Consider your eyesight with regard to looking up and down. I definitely could not tolerate that style of storage anywhere in my kitchen. I have a dedicated top drawer for spices, it is literally the single best thing in my kitchen.

Nope. I would hate that. Stick it all in a drawer next to the stove.

The most practical, versatile and useful solution we have come up for upper cabinets are 12" two-tier lazy-susan turntables installed on shelves. Not perfect, but then most storage isn't.

Yes, I have something similar: two lazy susan turntables filled with triangular stacking containers. Mine's no longer made, but it's not unlike this Joseph Joseph spice system. I do decant spices into these little triangular containers, but I don't mind ... I like that all the bottles match. I keep extra spices in a tub up on the hard-to-reach top shelf, and every so often I refill the containers.

The idea of spices in a drawer has never appealed to me, though it certainly is popular.

I would not want a pullout for my cooking liquids. Those are often heavier bottles, more likely to tip if you have any empty space, and much messier if a tipped bottle leaks.

Agree ... it'd be too heavy and would wear out the hardware. I keep my larger oil bottles under the sink (in a shallow pan because they often seem to have a drip down the side after pouring.

I wouldn’t put anything high up -I’m only 5’2”. I’ve always had spices in a drawer next to wherever the stove is. Currently have two devoted to spices in my island.

I'm surprised by the many votes for turntables. Those are my least favorite way to store spices. On a 10" turntable with standard spice jars, something is always pushed into the middle of the turntable and hard to find. Mrs. Pete's triangular turntables solve that, but having to unstack jars to get the spice I want would drive me crazy. I love my spice drawer, but I think the countertop pullout is actually a great solution. By taking a narrow slice of cabinet real estate, but having that full height, you get a lot of spice drawer storage, and you still have lots of great drawer space for utensils. I can see that it wouldn't work well for shorter cooks.

I have turntables now and I think it’s a great solution but for upper cabinets. I agree that an upper drawer would be great for spices but it’s valuable space that for now I’m dedicating to cooking utensils and oven mitts. I can consider it though for the island. My goal is to keep the counters clean.
It seems like with a countertop pullout, I could get at least 4-5 rows of easily visible spices, which probably would suffice. Another option would be this cabinet that opens from the inside. Not sure if anyone has had anything like that? I would need to make the bottom edge high enough to clear any plates or bowls that are on the countertop though.

Aziline, that’s a great point about making them single wide. Are yours in a regular upper cabinet or do they sit on your countertop? And do you know around how wide yours are now? Thank you so much for your input!

When we remodeled our kitchen, I had the cabinet maker put a spice rack on a cabinet door, next to the range. It turned out to be less convenient than taking things off the shelf, so the door rack was used for less-used things. But getting those things out of the cabinet, and having a less deep shelf, made the cabinet storage much more usable.

This photo was taken just as we were moving in to the new kitchen. Trust me, we filled the rest of the shelves!

Even after the remodel, we had minimal drawer space, and like another poster, we had cooking utensils on one side and oven mitts on the other. Those of you with spice drawers: where do utensils and potholders go? I don't care for a crock of utensils on the counter.

I wouldn’t put anything high up -I’m only 5’2”. I’ve always had spices in a drawer next to wherever the stove is.

Being only 5ft I would not be able to see the labels for any up high nor would I be able to reach them.

I'm only 4'11", and my spices work in an upper cabinet for a couple reasons:

- They're on turntables, so I can spin them around and bring the one I want to the front, meaning I only have to be able to reach the very front of the cabinet.

- Mine stack /interlock 3-spices high, so I only have to be able to reach the one on the bottom, and the uppers come along with them.

- I keep the "extras" -- that is extra spices that I'll eventually decant into the matching containers -- up on the top shelf. I don't need to get to them on a regular basis.

On a 10" turntable with standard spice jars, something is always pushed into the middle of the turntable and hard to find.

Mine are triangle-shaped, so nothing can be pushed into the center.

Mrs. Pete's triangular turntables solve that, but having to unstack jars to get the spice I want would drive me crazy.

I don't see why. Yes, I often "bring down" an extra spice, but clicking them apart /back together takes about a second. This is an acceptable trade-off for being able to reach everything.

My goal is to keep the counters clean.

An excellent goal.

My dad made fronts to give the ends a cleaner look but we never bothered putting them on. My ceilings are 9'.

I have always been told that spices can get ruined if they are too close to a cooktop/stove, so when I designed a kitchen, I always made sure to have drawers nearby to house the spices. A cabinet that is the same height as the cooktop, with just a door between the flame and the spices may not be the best for longevity of the spices. (If I'm speaking an old wives' tale, I'm happy to be corrected.)

For those who asked where my utensils are, there are 4 drawers, on the right, in my island cabinet where the cooktop is. Top one is spices, than wooden spatulas, then regular spatulas and more spices (less used ones) on the bottom. My oven mitts are on a inside hook on the left door of the cabinet.

Oils are underneath the cooktop on the floor of the cabinet. There is also room for some less-used cookware.

The heat issue is a really good point! I looked at the drawing again, to think about whether there was enough space between the cooktop and the spices (or oils!). And what jumps out to me on a second look is that is not a great amount of worktop space beside the range. If you are truly utilizing a 55" cooktop, I would expect you to need substantially more prep space beside the range to be comfortable. I would shrink or eliminate both of those pantry cupboards. If you made them 18" pullout pantries, you could still store a lot of useful items, but have generous worktop on each side of the range.

The heat issue aside, I recently changed my spice drawer (after 9 years) from next to the range to directly on the other side of my kind of u shape kitchen. All I do now is turn around from the range, open the drawer and grab what I need. I’m actually saving a step in both directions. My point is to keep your options for customization open.

Here's what we decided to do:

@cpartist - I love your countertop!

Thank you. It's fascination quartzite. I posted two pics of it in one of the other threads. My whole house is based on the colors in the quartzite as I picked it before the house was even started. :)

Cpartist, aziline, AnnKH, Mrs Pete - I am loving all these creative storage solutions! I will need to try to figure out a way to incorporate some of these ideas.

Mcarroll16 - sorry I actually didn’t label my drawing but the 30” tall thing is our freezer and the 36” tall thing is our fridge so I’m afraid I can’t make them smaller. Otherwise I would definitely agree! We will still have the island for prep space with a prep sink so hopefully the area next to the range is really more for items that need to get cooked.