Organizing Pots and Pans

My Mom has heavy-duty hooks screwed into the upper window casement of the window above her sink. So her skillets now hang in the window, out of the way, using previously unused space. This frees up a lot of space in her cabinets and the skillets are easy to get to when she needs them.

A wire rack that's used for holding file folders upright can also be used for pot lids, cutting boards, cookie sheets, etc.

Help! Does anyone have any tips for organizing all of my pots and skillets that are in my kitchen? My kitchen is small, not much cabinet space but my cabinets are getting horribly messy! Thanks for the suggestions.

Constance

I also have a small kitchen and have had to learn to be creative. I have turned my skillets and griddle up on their side. I also keep my lids on their side. This has freed up room for my large pots and I fit as many inside of each other as possible.

IF you rent you may not be able to do this but I put cup hooks and small nails on the outside of my cabinets and hung my iron skillets on these. There are out of the way, yet ready to use when I need them.

I turned my coat closet in my hallway into a pantry and use a shelf in there for my large pans and skillets, but not everyone can sacrifice a closet or may not have one. In the past I have left my cookware on the top of the stove with the matching lids on them. I also have space on the tops of my cabinets that is in the open and I use that for my large stock pots and roasting pan.

Use an inexpensive dish rack (the ones you would normally put dishes in to dry when you hand wash). They work great for fry pans, lids, etc.

Pots and pans, (saucepans), can be hung from a metal rack suspended from the ceiling, (over the work top where you won't bump your head). I have one I got for $10 as the box was damaged - it is a black metal circular band enclosing thich black wire mesh - pans are attached with butchers hooks. This type of rack is handy for freeing up cupboard space but best for frequently used pots so they don't get dusty. The flatter type of baking sheet/cookie/muffin pans are best stored vertically - subdivide a shelf with vertical partitions to keep them upright. You can utilise the full height of the cupboard without having to take them all out to reach the bottom one as you would if they were stored horizontally one on top of the other. The other point that springs to mind is - have you got duplicates of pots and pans - how many do you need? Weed out the ones you rarely use and give them away.

Regards

Jo

For extra storage space, store your cookie sheets and skillets in the oven. Just be sure to remove them before turning on the oven. Also, you can store microwaveable cookware inside the microwave. You never start the microwave without opening the door first!