Organizing Pots & Pans: Hall Of Fame

Organizing your pots and pans can be a daunting task to tackle in your kitchen, because they are all so big and unwieldy.

That, and there are lots of ways to do it, some of which work better in certain kitchens than others.


It seems like, for some reason, most people think of hanging pot and pan racks as the default method for storing these items, but really there are lots of ways to do it, some of which may work better for you.

But before you begin trying to figure out how you'll organize your pots and pans, make sure you're only organizing the ones you really need to keep. Each organizing project needs to start with decluttering. Here's my article on how to declutter pots and pans, which lists 6 questions you should ask yourself when culling your cookware collection to make sure you're only keeping what is necessary.

Below I've gathered a collection of hall of fame submissions from readers who've done this organizing mission as part of Kitchen Cabinet Organization Challenge.

As you'll see as you scroll down they've used a variety of method to get the job done, but if they work that's really all that matters!

I will point out that with whatever method you choose you need to think about not only where you'll store the pans and pots, but also the lids.

Often times the lids are forgotten in the organizing rush, but being able to match them up quickly with the pot you choose is important for convenience while cooking.

Remember too, that once you've become inspired and do this task yourself I'd also love for you to share your before and after pictures with me here and I might just add your accomplishments to the hall of fame as well!

Even When Using Hanging Pot & Pan Rack Still Need To Store Lids Somewhere

by Lee-Anne

Lee-Anne from Life In A Peanut Free Shell shared how she decided to organize her pots and pans.

I've shown the after picture first, because as you can see she decided to use a hanging rack for many of these.

Pros & Cons Of Hanging Pot Racks: They're Shown Off All The Time

Using such a rack can be a good idea in a kitchen where you've not got much cabinet space, but do have lots of wall space, or high ceilings (to hang from the ceilings).

It can look really pretty in your kitchen as well, as it does in Lee-Anne's.

The thing to remember though is that these pots are then seen and on display, all the time. This may or may not be something you want to have happen because then you've got to put more time and attention into keeping them looking good.

I know my family's pots and pans get used at least once a day, sometimes twice, and while they work quite well they don't look showroom lovely anymore, but look worn and a bit dingy with use.

They're not something I want to display in my home. So for me a wall display would not make me happy in the long run.

On the other hand some people have some very high quality pots and pans, such as copper ones or beautiful shiny stainless steel, or cast iron, etc. They want to display them and take pride in their beauty.

If that's you I say go for it! Show 'em off and save cabinet space for other things at the same time.

Here are some available hanging organizers:

Hanging Organizers {Referral Link}

Don't Forget About Where To Place The Lids

Even if you get your pots and pans out of your cabinet by hanging them up you'll still have to make space for the lids somewhere.

Lee-Anne just kept them in her cabinet, but it was much less cluttered afterward so much easier to find and grab the right lid.

Another idea would be a over the door pot lid organizer. These can be good for people who didn't have much cabinet space to begin with, since this storage is on the back of a door.

Lids Organizers {Referral Link}

Lee-Anne also put some pots and pans, and their lids, on a kitchen cart she purchased for the space, which added some much needed extra storage for her kitchen.

Great job in your organizing Lee-Anne!

Storing Pots & Pans In Kitchen Cabinet Can Work Well

by Adamilka

It's simple, especially when I'm showing some of these other methods for storing and organizing pots and pans, but just placing them in your kitchen cabinets can work quite well.

You can see that from the picture above, from a reader, Adamilka. The reason is looks so great though is because it isn't too cluttered, and not too many are being shoved into this small space. To fix this issue, she explained, "Extra are downstairs in basement storage but I don't have many."

She did strategically also use some organizers in the cabinet though to keep things neater. You can get similar organizers here:

Cabinet Organizers {Referral Link}

Slide Out Pots & Pans Drawers Make It Easier To Get Items From The Back

If you want to keep your pots and pans in a cabinet, instead of hanging up or on the wall another possibility is to use a roll out pots and pan drawer such as the one shown above.

This alleviates one of the major problems with keeping these items in a low cabinet, reaching the stuff that gets stuck way back in the back.

Using these roll out shelves you just pull out the shelf you need, reach what would be otherwise hard to get to, and then push it back into place.

Awesome, huh?

The one shown above is a custom job that was done when they re-did their kitchen, but you can purchase something similar for your cabinets as well.

For example, on Amazon.com you can purchase a roll-out lid/tray organizer (similar to the one shown in the picture on the left). It's the same principle without having to have custom cabinetry work done.

Roll Out Rack {Referral Link}

Here's another example from a reader, Jen. She also went a step above and labeled the shelves so that everyone in the family would know where to put the pots and pans when they were putting them back after use.



Top photo courtesy of Barbara Raskauskas from Flickr CC

Keep Lids In One Location With A Dish Pan Or Other Basket Type Container

by Ferris

Ferris from The Hamman Family Blog shared her solutions for dealing with her pots and pans, plus the lids in her kitchen.

She said about the before picture: "One thing I hear from Jake about this cabinet is that he can never find the lids to the pots and if he finds one its not the right size."

Therefore, the main thing she did is to fix the issue with the lids, and to do that she put them all in a dish pan. Simple but effective!

Remember, they've got some lid racks that are similar to this principle that you can put on the shelf of your cabinet, that were shown above, earlier in this article.

Wall Mounted Pot Rack May Be Better If Small Kitchen

by Catalina

Catalina from At Home, At Work, At Play shared a picture of her decluttered kitchen.

Notice on the side of the photo, on the wall though, how she stores her pots and pans, hanging directly on the wall. That way they don't take up cabinet space or space above her head.

There is actually a difference between a hanging rack and a wall mounted one.

Think about which one would best in your kitchen before you purchase something!

Here are some available wall-mounted racks:

Wall Racks {Referral Link}

Here's another photo from a reader, Sherry, also showing off how she stores her pots on her kitchen wall.

DIY Method For Hanging Pots On Pantry Wall

by Susan

Susan shared this picture on the Household Management 101 Facebook page, which is a sister site to this one.

She said: "I never understood the concept of stacking pots that you're not suppose to use metal utensils on.

Lacking cupboard space, I had a piece of slat wall on a blank walk in my pantry. I use cup hooks to hang, and lids rest on a wire shelf."

You can also use a pegboard for this same concept, like another reader, Chris, did. She said, "This is how I store my pots and pans. Inspired by Julia Child's kitchens."

You can purchase pegboards from Amazon here:

Pegboards {Referral Link}

DIY Project: Converted Old Dresser To Hang Pots & Pans

by Heidi

Heidi also shared her picture on the Household Management 101 page, and it's great!

She explained that she got this idea from Pinterest, and she converted a 6 drawer dresser to hold her cooking pots.

Clearly she took the drawers out and she added hooks to the top underside of the dresser so she could hang them.

She said, "BTW....cost was $3 for the hooks! Dresser was a curbside freebie!"

I keep saying if you're handy and crafty you can have such beautiful stuff in your home for cheap! Awesome job Heidi.

Hang Your Pots Inside Your Cabinet

You can also keep your cabinets inside a cabinet, but hang them up. That's exactly what a reader, Jill did. She explained about the photo above, "admittedly, I love to cook and am a sucker for pots & pans and bakeware, and when we remodeled our house, I had a vision...and this is what I did! And I LOVE it!!!"

You can see a similar idea here available on Amazon, but while the pots and pans do hang, you can also pull them out of the cabinet making it even easier to get to them.

Glideware pull out pots and pans organizer
{Click here to purchase on Amazon}

Moved Pots & Pans From Cabinet To Turntable Cabinet

by Procrastinating Hummingbird

The Procrastinating Hummingbird shared before and after pictures of what she did with her pots and pans as part of this week's challenge.

She decided it needed to change location, explaining: "In these pictures you will see I have tried to find a better home for the pots and pans.

I thought the turntable cabinet would be better so I could easily get to all of the pots I needed instead of having to pull them out each and every time I needed to cook."

She's not the only one who's found that this works best for her. Recently I asked the site's Facebook fans how they organized their pans and pots.

Chantel said, "We remodeled our kitchen this year and now have a lazy susan corner cabinet and instead of canned goods I put my pots on one shelf along with corresponding lids and skillets on the bottom with their lids. Just give it a turn and can easily access what I need without having to dig."

This can be a very good method for storing them. In fact, this is how we store our pots and pans in our house.

I will caution though that if it gets too cluttered, and you try to cram too many into the space the handles can stick out too much and make it harder for it to turn, so don't try to cram too many into the space!

***Update: A reader, Louise, shared a tip for how she marks a space for each pot on the turntable. She said:

I also use a turntable to store pots and pans. Here's a simple solution that makes the storage even easier.

At the Dollarstore I bought circular pot mats (normally used to protect your cupboard from hot pots). I place one for each pot on the turntable.

Now you know where the pot goes when you replace it after use. I know it sounds like it's unnecessary but it takes out the guesswork as to where the pot's home is.

***End Update

Third photo courtesy of chi-chu

Created More Space In The Kitchen With These Storage Solutions

by Adrienne
(Cibolo, TX)

Adrienne says:

When we downsized to a much smaller home my kitchen suddenly became cramped and I realized I had to get rid of some items that were not used often.

However, my cookbooks were something I was not willing to compromise on, and my pots and pans were a mess.

For Christmas, my father-in-law and my husband created and built a beautiful cabinet to go in a small amount of wasted space in the kitchen to utilize it better and free up storage space over the stove for less used items.

The pots and pans were more of a challenge, but they went to a home improvement store and purchased pull out shelving and installed it in two areas in my kitchen to make it easier to get to items, and to properly store my pots and pans and their matching lids. It has made my life so much easier already!

Taylor says:

Thanks for sharing your awesome pictures with me Adrienne. You have a wonderful family to help your organize kitchen cabinets and make more storage space for everything to fit better.

I was wondering what type of organizer you are using for your pot lids? I can't tell well in the picture, but I know lots of people love their lid organizers to keep them in some kind of organized state in their cabinets.

***Update: I got a response from Adrienne telling me more about the lid and pot organizer she used. She says:

The lid storage system is one that stores the lids from smallest to largest starting in the front. It has a spot for up to 7 lids so even my big crockpot lid will fit. The bottom shelf holds my small pots and several different sizes of frying pans. The shelves are heavy duty so they can handle the weight. I got the pull out shelving from Lowes.

Handy Husband Helps Rock Pots And Pan Organization With Homemade Pot Rack

by Bry @ Team Collard

Bry from Team Collard also took this week's challenge and really rocked it!

I was so impressed with her before and after pictures, especially the one where her husband made her a homemade pot rack! I think it looks great, and she is right, these things are expensive to buy.

Great job Bry, I agree, you did "rock" the challenge, and tell your husband he is quite handy!

Have These Ideas Gotten You Inspired To Get Organized?

I hope these before and after pictures, as well as some of the discussion on organizing pots and pans has gotten you excited to tackle this project.

It can make a big difference in your kitchen, both with saved space bit also saved time and convenience when you're cooking.

If you're getting excited about getting your kitchen in order I would encourage you to join the 52 Week Organized Home Challenge where we, over the course of a year, declutter and organize every room of our homes, and all types of items, so that by the end your whole house and life can be organized.

In addition, if you do this organizational mission I would love to see your before and after pictures. You can share your accomplishments here and I'll add them to the page!

More Home Storage Solutions

I hope you enjoyed these ideas for storing and organizing your pots and pans.

There are even more ideas for storage and organizing on the site in the {A-Z} Storage Solutions & Ideas round up page. Go check it out if you'd like to see even more ideas.

In addition, if these ideas have inspired you to organize even more things in your kitchen make sure to read the Kitchen Cabinet & Drawer Organization Challenge, which is part of the 52 Week Organized Home Challenge I run on the site!

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