Your spice rack is one of those areas in the kitchen that can often   slightly neglected, but these cooking essentials deserve your attention.

1. Watch the clock

Spices, ground ones in particular, lose their pungency with time, so ditch any that have been sitting for longer than six months. In order to avoid wastage, use them to repel pesky insects, make spiced candles or mix them together for a spice rub to get a subtle char on your meat at your next braai.

2. Jar half-full

Collect any empty spice containers and give them a good wash. Recycle these jars by purchasing refills instead of buying a whole new jar, especially if they are plastic.

3. Skip the supermarket

There are a huge variety of specialised spice shops across South Africa. Head over to your nearest one to buy spices to refill your jars. You’ll have access to a much wider variety, you can get some expert advice on what works best with whatever you’re planning on cooking and, more often than not, you will pay a lot less.

4. We love labels

Head over to your stationery store and buy a pack of pretty labels. Pop one on to each of your spice bottles with the spice’s name and the day it was purchased. This will make organising, cleaning and recycling your spices much easier.