How to Organize Pots and Pans - Kitchen Cabinet Storage Ideas
If organizing pots and pans is something you struggle with, read on! Solve
the problem
of how to organize pots and pans in your kitchen cabinets with these easy
tips
What's the most disorganized spot in your kitchen? In my own kitchen, it's the
little space in our cabinet that holds our pots, pans, and pot lids. It's
ridiculous because this storage area is one we access on a regular basis and
yet I've managed to ignore this problem area for a very long time!
Since I'm not tackling any big diy projects at the moment, I decided to
finally find a great solution to organizing pots and pans. Without an extra
pantry or much wall space, storing our pots and pans in the kitchen cabinets
was the most obvious spot. Kitchen cabinets are a popular storage solution for
pots and pans, but with so many different types and sizes of cookware, it can
be difficult to keep them organized and easily accessible.
Fortunately, there are several effective ways to store pots and pans in
kitchen cabinets that will help you save space and keep your cookware in top
condition. Kitchen organization is a constant battle so perhaps you'll find
these pots and pans cabinet storage ideas useful as well.
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Small Kitchen Storage
Here is the kitchen at our cottage. It might not look like a small kitchen due
to the high ceilings and open, galley style layout but a closer look will show
that the storage we have is limited and awkwardly placed. The upper cabinets
are all different sizes, there's only a few base cabinets, a good amount of
counter space, and unfortunately no deep drawers.
That's probably my biggest pet peeve with this kitchen. Do you find it a
hassle to open a cabinet door and reach into the back of your cabinets to get
your heavy pots, trays, or dishes?
I would have much preferred pull out drawers like we had in our old kitchen. Deep drawers provide easier access; it's faster and easier to lift heavy items out of a drawer than to bend down and search for things in lower kitchen cabinets.
As it is, our best option was to store pots in the base cabinets in the kitchen island. There was limited space to store them closer to the stove. The nearest cabinet was too narrow, the kitchen sink cabinet held cleaning supplies, and the upper cabinets hold our glasses and dish ware.
Organizing Pots and Pans
Our current pot storage space is located in this lower cabinet on the right side of the island. Does this setup look familiar? I'm sure many of us store our pots and pans like this, with the items stacked one on top of the other and the lids sitting loosely on the shelf.There's a few issues with this method of organization:
- To access the largest pot or pan, you need to lift and take all pots out of the cabinet
- Your pots and pans can get easily scratched and finishes or coatings can be worn off
- It's hard to find what you need. Finding the right lid for the right size pot can be annoying
- It's not easy to sort your different types of cookware. Your stainless steel pans get mixed with your nonstick pans and your cast iron pans
- There is unused vertical space in the cabinet
- There isn't much room to manoeuvre in the cabinet. Things can easily fall out or on top of you
I knew there had to be a better storage solution for these pots, pans, and lids. What kind of pan storage systems are available on the market today? What are the best ideas for storing posts and pans? With some research, I came upon two options: sliding pull-out pot and pan organizers, and pot racks.
Pots and Pans Sliding Organizer
Pull-out organizers can help you to organize and provide easy access to your cabinets. This rack is installed in the cabinet and can be pulled out like a drawer. The rack is designed to hold pots and pans and can be adjusted to accommodate different types and sizes of cookware. This can be a great way to keep pots and pans organized and easily accessible, and it can also save space in your cabinets.
Typically made of heavy duty chrome metal, they are meant to stand up to daily
use. They easily slide out and keep your items visible, ensuring there are no
unused spaces in your kitchen.
Sliding cabinet organizers are the best solution for hard to reach areas such as deep pantries, under the kitchen sink, or in base cabinets. This pan organizer rack is also useful for heavier items like small appliances or an Instant Pot, which can be awkward to grab off a shelf in a base cabinet.
While they do keep things organized, what they don't do is prevent some of the issues I mentioned earlier. You would still stack your pots and pans on these sliding organizers. They also take a lot of space inside a cabinet, and for full extension, you'll need to have ample space outside the cabinet as well. They can also be more costly.
Another possible solution is a pan and pot rack. Pot and pan racks are a great way to keep your kitchen pots contained, neat, and accessible, without taking up a lot of room. These organizers are designed to fit in a cabinet and can be adjusted to accommodate a variety of pots and pans.
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| The Lynk Professional Pull Out Two Tier Sliding Under Cabinet Organizer |
Sliding cabinet organizers are the best solution for hard to reach areas such as deep pantries, under the kitchen sink, or in base cabinets. This pan organizer rack is also useful for heavier items like small appliances or an Instant Pot, which can be awkward to grab off a shelf in a base cabinet.
While they do keep things organized, what they don't do is prevent some of the issues I mentioned earlier. You would still stack your pots and pans on these sliding organizers. They also take a lot of space inside a cabinet, and for full extension, you'll need to have ample space outside the cabinet as well. They can also be more costly.
Pans Organizer
Another possible solution is a pan and pot rack. Pot and pan racks are a great way to keep your kitchen pots contained, neat, and accessible, without taking up a lot of room. These organizers are designed to fit in a cabinet and can be adjusted to accommodate a variety of pots and pans.
Some organizers have a tiered design, allowing you to stack pots and pans on
top of each other, while others have a horizontal design that separates pots
and pans from each other. This can be a great way to save space and make it
easy to find the right pot or pan when you need it.
You can find different types of pans organizer racks at places like Amazon, Bed Bath and Beyond, Wayfair and Target. I decided to purchase this pot organizer (currently out of stock - find similar HERE) from Amazon and make a few other improvements to get our kitchen organized.
An important aspect to keep in mind when storing pots and pans is the condition of the cookware. Make sure to check your cookware for any rust, scratches, or warping before storing them. If your pots and pans have any damage, it might be time to replace them. Also, be mindful of the weight of the cookware and place the heavier ones at the bottom so they don't fall and cause damage.
Here's how to organize your kitchen pots, pans, and lids in 5 easy steps :
You can find different types of pans organizer racks at places like Amazon, Bed Bath and Beyond, Wayfair and Target. I decided to purchase this pot organizer (currently out of stock - find similar HERE) from Amazon and make a few other improvements to get our kitchen organized.
SHOP POTS AND PANS ORGANIZERS:
An important aspect to keep in mind when storing pots and pans is the condition of the cookware. Make sure to check your cookware for any rust, scratches, or warping before storing them. If your pots and pans have any damage, it might be time to replace them. Also, be mindful of the weight of the cookware and place the heavier ones at the bottom so they don't fall and cause damage.
Here's how to organize your kitchen pots, pans, and lids in 5 easy steps :
- Empty and Clean. The first step is to empty out the entire pot cabinet. Clean away crumbs and wipe your cabinet shelf and door with a degreaser or all purpose cleaner.
- Get rid of the excess. If any pots are broken, scratched up, or unusable, get rid of them. Also remove any unmatched lids, duplicate items, or pots or pans that you never ever use. If you need some pots for only occasional use, say a giant stock pot you use for the Fourth of July Lobster boil, move them to another storage area in the home. Keep only the items you use daily in your kitchen pot and pan storage cabinet.
- Add a shelf liner. This might seem like an unnecessary step but it makes a big difference in making your kitchen feel fresh and clean. I lined my shelves in this beige gingham liner. The pattern and colour suits my country cottage.
- Assemble your pan organizer rack. There are many different pot and lid racks on the market. Look for ones that have adjustable dividers and are strong and sturdy. Also make sure to measure the height of your cabinet and sure the rack will fit.
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Place lids upside down in your pots and adjust shelves to the right
size.
Depending on the size of your pot organizer, there might not be enough
space to fit all of your pots. I decided to keep the two heaviest and
largest pots beside the rack and stored all the pans and the smaller
pots on the organizer.
Vertical pans organizers are a perfect way to maximize storage in a tiny
kitchen. These pan racks have a small footprint and leave room for other
kitchen tools.They help to keep your cookware collection in top condition
and make it easy to access your favorite pots.
Another good thing about these pan organizer racks is that they can be
used in many other creative ways. I think they are such a clever idea -
you can use them as a lid organizer, or laid horizontally, you can use
them to store cookie sheets, muffin tins, pie plates, cake pans and
cutting boards as well. Basically, consider using them anywhere you have
flat or long items that are constantly piled on top of one another! Simple
hacks like that can make organizing home life a breeze.
I'm happy to say this cabinet makeover has made our life a little bit
easier. Our pans cabinet has never looked neater and this pots and pans
organizer was just what we needed. It's great to have permanent homes for
your kitchen necessities and storage solutions that keep things
orderly.
Storing pots and pans in kitchen cabinets can be a bit of a challenge, but
with the right tools and organization strategies, you can keep your
cookware organized and easily accessible.
Now that you've figured out how to organize pots and pans in your kitchen
the easy way, you might want to bookmark these other kitchen organization
posts and our best kitchen design tips. We are always looking to improve
how our home functions and have some great organization tips!
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