Storing pots and pans

[Night Elf]

Do you have nice cookware? How do you store it? We've just got our pots stacked one inside another and sitting on top of the pans. We have the lids in a lid rack to make it easy to find them. But our pots and pans are scratched up. I'm thinking of replacing them, though I don't want to buy an expensive set. If we cooked more than 5 standard weekly meals, I could see having nicer cookware, but we're pathetic cookers. :tongue_smilie:

 

How do you keep your cookware nice?

[AK_Mom4]

I toss all the pans and lids willy-nilly into a bottom cupboard. This makes it quite difficult to find the right lid, so I usually just grab whatever's closest. I wish I had a lid rack!

 

We have a 20 year old set from Saladmaster and they just don't get scratched up. They weigh a ton, but show very little wear and are as good as ever.

[justasque]

When I got good pans, I got a wall rack from IKEA for about $15. I love it, and the pans don't get scratched up.

[Karen in CO]

I am slowly switching to all cast iron so my idea of good is probably different than yours. I reduced my number of pots and pans to only what I could use for one meal and only the various sizes I couldn't do without. I also got rid of anything that didn't have a lid that fits and the extra lids I had.

 

I keep the lids on a pull-out shelf in a random order. I keep the pans on another pull-out shelf ( have three and they sit nicely on the shelf). I keep the pots stacked inside each other (I only have 4). I keep the cast iron (one dutch oven, one large frying pan, and one griddle pan) on the shelf at the bottom of my butcher block. I put a dish cloth between them so they don't bang together. I keep my 2 cookie sheets and a pizza pan in the drawer under the stove. I keep the GIANT soup pot in the basement for when my large family comes for Christmas.

 

Good luck finding something that works for you.

[Perry]

I have All Clad and I hang them on a pot rack over the kitchen island.

[kathkath]

pots nested

pans stacked on this metal organizer shelf thingie from target

lids stored vertically in a plastic file intended to hold file folders on your desk. Works great.

[RoughCollie]

I have a 5-shelf InterMetro chrome pot rack/stand.

 

Mine is 18" square, but it is like this one: http://www.organizeit.com/intermetro.asp?cmpid=adsh13&gclid=CLTdmci9-6QCFdJL5QodLGuCkA#

 

I put the pots on the shelves, with lids on them. I have hooks along 2 sides from which hang colanders and frying pans.

Edited October 30, 2010 by RoughCollie

[Night Elf]

I have no idea the name of my pots and pans. I think they are supposed to be non-stick. The lid rack I got was one like this: lid rack. I also bought a couple of dividers that let me stand my cookie sheets and muffin pans on their sides.

 

I'm going to see if DH will go to Target with me tonight. :)

[lionfamily1999]

You could use that liner stuff for your cabinets to protect the insides of your pots and pans :)

[Jana]

An entire wall in my kitchen is a pegboard, like this one in Julia Child's kitchen. I absolutely love it.

 

Edited October 30, 2010 by Jana

[Mejane]

I've always wanted a hanging pot rack, but I've never had the right kitchen. I've had copper-bottomed Revere Ware for twenty years and the pots nest in a cabinet, lids in a dishpan. I'm not at all gentle with them and they still look great, maybe a few scratches. They're practically indestructible.

[Spy Car]

A 7ft long 3 bars deep heavy-duty pot-rack.

 

I'd be sunk without it.

 

Bill (a man with too many pots)

[Mabeline]

I keep mine nested with the lids on upside down, so the right lid is always with the right pot. Then I stack them biggest to smallest.

[mrsrevmeg]

An entire wall in my kitchen is a pegboard, like this one in Julia Child's kitchen. I absolutely love it.

 

 

Love that. Does it hold up to heavy cookware? Would a pegboard support cast iron?

[Jana]

Love that. Does it hold up to heavy cookware? Would a pegboard support cast iron?

 

Yes. I have All-Clad cookware and it holds it just fine. The cookware in that picture is very heavy. I just would store really heavy pieces up high.

 

ETA: I meant to say that I WOULDN'T store heavy pieces up high!

Edited October 31, 2010 by Jana

[Guest mrsjamiesouth]

I have been switching over to Le Creuset. I love it! I don't know what to do with mine either. I do not have wall space. My kitchen has 3 doorways and 2 large windows. The only wall has my shelves used as an open pantry.