The 10 Best Spice Jars

When America's Test Kitchen wanted every bottle on a shelf to match, it pointed readers to the Aozita 24-Piece Set. The square glass jars stand flat in tidy rows, and a standard refill pours in with room to spare. Each one gets a sifting insert and a screw-on metal cap, and the box adds printed labels, chalkboard labels and a folding funnel. That insert is not a seal, though, so air creeps in when it stays on for months.

For a kitchen with wood counters or open shelves, the Netany Bamboo Lid Set swaps shiny metal for pale bamboo caps that look warm on display. Its shaker insert has two openings, fine holes for ground spices and a wide flap for herbs, so there's no need to change tops. Three styles of printed labels, a marker and a funnel come along. Bamboo doesn't like water, so the caps have to be washed by hand and dried right away.

Most spice caps only screw down over a plastic insert, but the ComSaf Clamp Lid 12-Pack closes with a hinged glass lid, a silicone ring and a wire latch that press it shut. That suits whole seeds, dried chiles and pricey saffron or vanilla, which fade in open air. The jars go in the dishwasher, and the ring pops out for cleaning. There's no shaker top, and the short, squat jars mean pouring or scooping with a small spoon.

The Edelhaus Black Steel Lid Set is the dressier choice: matte black stainless caps, dark labels on thick stock and a steel funnel in place of a silicone one. It also brings a cleaning brush and spare shaker inserts with different hole sizes, so fine powders and coarse flakes each get the right top. The glass is dishwasher safe. The black caps aren't, and it's a costly way to fill a drawer.

Kamenstein, a long-running kitchen brand owned by Lifetime Brands, sells the Kamenstein 12-Piece Set as a plain glass refill kit. The round jars are shorter than the usual spice bottle, so they stand upright in shallow drawers and on tight cabinet shelves. Each stainless cap has a sifter that lifts out for spooning. They hold a little less than a standard refill, no labels come with them, and they need washing by hand.

A dozen matching bottles without frills is what the Simple Houseware Square 12-Pack delivers. These are the familiar tall square jars with a shaker insert under a silver screw cap, a shape that slides into most racks and drawer trays. A funnel and sheets of printed and blank labels come in the box. Twelve may not cover a big collection, and the whole set has to be washed by hand.

The SpaceAid 4-Tier Rack Set handles the shelf and the jars in one box: a stepped steel rack, 28 square glass jars and hundreds of printed labels. Because the slanted tiers show mostly the tops, the cap labels are the ones that count. It can sit on a counter or inside a cabinet, or screw to a wall or the back of a pantry door. The rack is wide, so measure the spot before ordering.

Setting up a first kitchen is where the Kamenstein Revolving Carousel makes sense, since its 20 glass jars arrive filled with common herbs and seasonings. The polished steel tower spins, so each label faces you with a turn. Kamenstein offers free spice refills for five years, and the box explains how to claim them. The mix is fixed and leans toward dried herbs, and the tower takes up a good piece of counter.

Round steel tins that stick to metal free up cabinet room, and the Vetacsion Magnetic Tins come with two steel wall plates for kitchens where the fridge door won't hold a magnet. Each stainless tin has a clear window lid that turns to open a small or a large pour hole. Eight tins cover everyday favorites rather than a whole collection. Keep loose tins and their magnets away from small children.

The Fox Run 5167 is one big glass shaker for a house rub, cinnamon sugar or seasoned salt that lives by the stove. It holds about six ounces, and its stainless top twists to open or close the shaker holes, while the whole lid unscrews for refilling. It can go on the top rack of the dishwasher. It's a single jar, not a set, and its tall shape won't fit a shallow drawer.