Don't Throw Out Your Old Parmesan Containers — Do This Instead

If you like to pile the parmesan high when you're serving a creamy Alfredo fettucini or making a delicious fresh pesto, stocking up on those big 16-ounce bottles from Walmart or Kraft makes a lot of sense. While it's not, strictly speaking, the real deal (official Parmigiano Reggiano cheese is only made in five protected regions of Italy), sprinkling parmesan onto pasta, pizza, or garlic bread can give your dish a salty boost of umami flavor. In fact, once you get into this delightfully complex cheese, you may find yourself going through bottles surprisingly quickly.

The good news is you don't need to throw out your parmesan cheese bottles. These handy plastic containers aren't just ideal for delivering cheesy goodness to your plate — they can also be repurposed as spice blend holders. 

The shaker lids have various-sized holes, meaning you can tailor the amount of seasoning you add to your food. Plus, the large bottle volume gives you plenty of space for labeling your homemade spice mixes.

While premade spice blends can save you some effort in the kitchen, mixing up your own seasonings can save you money, as you can buy individual dried spices in larger containers and just top up your homemade jars from these as you go. (Buying common spices, like paprika or chili powder, in bulk is generally more cost-effective than repeatedly buying small jars or ready-mixed blends.) Making spice blends at home also helps you learn about seasoning food and lets you customize recipes to suit your taste.

You can make homemade taco seasoning blends by mixing spices like chili powder, cumin, and paprika with salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Swap in smoked paprika if want to enhance the tasty charred notes in homemade carnitas.

If you love making curries and layering flavors, you can experiment with making your own garam masala powder at home. Common garam masala spices include cumin, cardamom, cilantro, and ground cloves, but you can adjust the recipe to your preferences. You can toast and then grind fresh spices for the most potent results or just opt for powders. Either way, this will give you a handy go-to base when you want to whip up a weeknight korma or create a spicy meat rub or marinade.

Italian seasoning fans can also get in on the action. The double-sided shaker lid on many parmesan bottles means that you can pour coarser dry herbs, like thyme, basil, and rosemary, through the large opening, making these containers great for storing herb blends, too.