DIY FLAVORINGS - Storage Ideas?

[rkoko164]

I started mixing my own a few months ago and can see that it won't be long before I'll have so many flavorings that it's going to take measurable time to find the flavor I'll be looking for. Every interesting recipe I see means a couple more flavors to the collection.

Which brings up the question of organizing all these bottles so they are easy to use/find the flavor I want when I want it!

Any good tips on storage and organization of flavor bottles? How do you do yours?

Ron

 

[Foggz]

Most seem to use shelves of some sort built or bought .. some cool stuff i've seen with parts drawers.. I am still looking myself.. couple thoughts I had tho was if could find a plastic tool box with the right height requirements .. like 3 levels etc.. haven't looked yet but am hopeful for this.. another idea was thinking about is to take one of those dart board set's .. they have two vertical doors .. thought if I could find one or purchase cheap enuff would throw some shelve pieces into that and a handle on the top .. as mention'd tho.. still searching ! Good luck on your journey btw!!

 

[rkoko164]

Yeah, I was thinking of making something cheap $$, maybe start with a panel from a fluorescent ceiling light, 2'x4', I seem to remember seeing some with a bunch of 1" squares/crate pattern... or something like that at a home supply store. Be nice if there was something with round holes pre drilled or formed. There's got to be something in the building trade that's like that.

 

[lirruping]

I got four of something like this for my 10ml bottles (they fit perfectly) and have run out of room a long time ago... need to get more but am still hoping to find again them at the 3-dollar & change price I originally got them. If you search amaz0n for "acrylic lipstick holder" you'll get several results.

 

[lirruping]

I started mixing my own a few months ago and can see that it won't be long before I'll have so many flavorings that it's going to take measurable time to find the flavor I'll be looking for. Every interesting recipe I see means a couple more flavors to the collection.

Which brings up the question of organizing all these bottles so they are easy to use/find the flavor I want when I want it!

Any good tips on storage and organization of flavor bottles? How do you do yours?

Ron

Here's a link to a bunch of what appear to be the same item at the lower price I mentioned above:

I'm a little suspicious of this because of the notices about international import fees and so on, so read the fine print! They do say "free shipping', however.

 

[outwest]

I'll probably be taking mine to and from RV, so I ordered this the other day from Amazon for $24 (dunno if cheaper elsewhere or not. I know Walmart always has their leftover stock of these on clearance after Christmas).

Snapware Snap 'N Stack Square Layer Seasonal Ornament Storage Container, 13 by 13-Inch

There's a 2 layer version and a 3 layer version of this style. The layers in the ornament style are approx. 4" tall, which make them a little too tall for 30ml bottles, but. . . The interior dividers are merely cardboard and can use all, part, or none of the dividers. The layers nest slightly inside one another and snap together with those flaps on the sides. If you put too much weight in the snapware trays, though, they will want to come apart if pick up solely by handle.

 

[rkoko164]

Interesting, food for thought, thank you.
I was also thinking about the dense foam that comes in the packaging of the Kanger sub tanks, a sheet of that and figure out a way to make clean holes in it, cardboard bottom or whatever works...

Ron

 

[lirruping]

I was surprised at how quickly I memorized (pretty much) the places of a hundred or so different flavors. I ordered them by what I think of as "type". For instance, I use the top rows of each of my acrylic thingies for cream type flavors, the second row for nuts/coconut, the third for fruits... it's worked out pretty well.

By the way, if anyone has amaz0n prime, they are having some kind of big sale tomorrow, 7/15, and it might be a good day to buy whatever you've been wanting to buy.

 

[rkoko164]

I like the lipstick holders, they look like they would work well for my setup. Have to measure my bottles for fit.
I was thinking alphabetical.

 

[Larry J]

I keep it pretty simple and cheap. I bought six of those foil loaf baking pans at the grocery store and, using a Brother labeling machine, labeled them as "tobacco," "fruit," "savory," "sweet," etc. They're about the right height to keep the different size bottles from tipping over. Granted, it's sometimes hard to decide whether a flavor goes in the fruit or the sweet, for example, but it's a lot easier than sorting through ALL of them to find the one I want. Larger size flavoring bottles (2 oz.+) just sit on the shelves beside the trays. Works for me.

 

[conanthewarrior]

I just use the big cardboard box they came in. That will hold about 50 bottles of concentrate, I am getting there, 9 flavours so far. The best I have had for tasting like what it is meant to has been cappucino, then apple pie. I like using them all though, just make 10Mls at a time as its so simple and I have a 10ML syringe for it, if I was to make a bigger batch it would be 100 as the math is easy that way, but so far, this method has worked for me, and the dark cardboard box has kept the flavours fresh.

 

[kwtony]

here are some of the boxes i use Handmade from wooden lobster traps

pen box, tobacco pipe box, and kanger box

Syringe box and 10ml bottle box

My overfilled steep box...and a few others in a flashlight box turned steep box..

This is a bleacher system i have made for the flavors and the syringes numbers for the bottle the go with...mixing 10 flavors takes about 5 minuets.. if i stop to take a beer break...i have a second one of these in the works with about 90 more flavors..

And Wizard labs drawing....when i asked them to draw a photo of a unicorn eating a taco...

 

[conanthewarrior]

I like the syringe storage, but if my mum found that she would think the worst lmao. That was the old me though, over a year and 3 months, but I think finding syringes would set off alarm bells for them lol.

 

[kwtony]

My moms wouldn't care once i showed her they were blunt tipped...she's happy I am promoting healthy lifestyle...

BUT i totally agree 100000% with you if someone walked in and didn't know anything, due to society and its wicked way, they would think im a **** head....my amazon order alone do that hahahahahaha Rock on buddy!!!

 

[kwtony]

When i make one box, i might as well make a bunch of them, I need about 5 more steep boxes and a better management system...thats in the works tho...

 

[conanthewarrior]

My moms wouldn't care once i showed her they were blunt tipped...she's happy I am promoting healthy lifestyle...

BUT i totally agree 100000% with you if someone walked in and didn't know anything, due to society and its wicked way, they would think im a **** head....my amazon order alone do that hahahahahaha Rock on buddy!!!

Hahaha yeah I have told my mum I have a 10ML but shown her it is blunt and for vaping, but if she found a box of 100 she would think they was used works, you can attach needles to the blunt tip ones, I remember the 2 ML Syringes were blunt and you had to put the needle on yourself, I didn't use them though I used 1ML's with pin pre attached-Looking back it was insanity, and I am lucky to be alive, a alcoholic, **roin addicted waster, who is now doing healthy things and getting onto a IT repair course so I am qualified to repair IT related issues. Last year I was nearly dead. I am so glad I put the booze and the pin down, the pin was easier than the drink believe it or not, the stopping drinking literally nearly killed me due to the seizure.

I even joined a gym this week .

EDIT: I noticed you had numbered syringes, what is this for?

 

[UncleMike]

these are what I use to store my flavorings, very easy to find what you're looking for

 

[rkoko164]

Uncle Mike, what are they? They appear to be stackable.

 

[UncleMike]

wall mounted lipstick racks. Hold 96-120 bottles depending on what size flavor bottles you have. They also have a small lip on the front of each row to keep your bottles from falling out. picked mine up at a yardsale for $20 never been used. You can find them on amazon or ebay (acrylic wall mount lipstick rack)

 

[outwest]

Well, good thing I got the 3 layer version of those stack-able tubs I bought. Using one layer for hardware, cotton, bottles, etc., and the other for flavors (and it's already practically full with over 140 bottles). Went to open the hardware layer and one of the locking tabs snapped right off I've owned other containers from the same company and haven't had this problem before. Like I said, thankfully I ordered the 3 layer version.

 

[rkoko164]

.....I need about 5 more steep boxes and a better management system.....

Ain't that the truth! I just started DIY a few months ago with a plan of getting just a few flavorings.... yeah, right!

 

[kwtony]

Thank goodness that wizard labs will store your orders in their shopping cart while you take a month to put them together...this is my next one ....damn it...i may be eating ramen for a month, but at least Ill have my Horchata and Maple Pancake juices

 

[rkoko164]

Thanks to everyone that chimed in!

Ron

 

[cstory]

So I know this is fairly old but I figured I would chime in as I just went through this exact issue, was taking forever to find the flavors I needed after I breached the 200+ individual flavor threshold. What I did, was take a bunch of zip lock bags and organize the juices into bags, so now I have a bag for each of the following: melons, stone fruits, pome fruits, dark berries, fleshy berries, strawberries, creams, citrus, caramels, fruits with cream, baking additives, baking stuff, confectioneries, breakfast stuff, drinks, additives, a few more that I may be missing from this list. Then I put all the bags in an easy to use three drawer rack thing on wheels. Grab the bag I need and go, so much faster than before.

 

[rkoko164]

I do like the idea of keeping a syringe for each flavor [at least the most used flavors], beats cleaning them every time.

 

[nightshard]

I do like the idea of keeping a syringe for each flavor [at least the most used flavors], beats cleaning them every time.

Seems like much hassle to me.
Got a box of 500 disposable pipettes, quite cheep.