What do I use to gather small ingredients in?

Depends on the reason you're gathering them for, if your about to make a meal, then you can arrange them on a table, if you're just storing them then you can put them on a shelf in your kitchen or in a box (depends on type of i grediemts)

the use of “as” in the example to draw the resemblance. some more examples of common similes are given below. common examples of simile. our soldiers are as brave as lions. her cheeks are red like a rose. he is as funny as a monkey. the water well was as dry as a bone. he is as cunning as a fox. simile introduces vividness into what we say.