Organizing the Kitchen Chaos that is Pots and Pans

By Ty Schmidt

It’s a sound with which most home cooks are all too familiar. The clanging and clattering of pots and pans in what is most likely an unruly stacking situation is one of those battles many home cooks face on a daily basis. After all, finding ways to creatively stack and arrange the precious cooking vessels in an organized fashion can prove challenging given the space and layout of the average kitchen. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

There are creative methods of storing pots and pans that can help even the disorganized cook be more efficient in the kitchen. Here are a few of our favorites:

The Pot and Pan Pantry. This idea may work best if you have pantry space to spare. Maybe you have a lazy Susan that’s packed with all the pantry basics and you also have a pantry closet. Or you keep canned goods and other pantry essentials at a minimum and have extra room. All it

takes is a few hooks hung from a pantry shelf to convert that space into prime real estate for frying pans. Use the space below for larger pots and dutch ovens, and store the lids nearby as well.

Think Julia Child. You don’t necessarily need to include the outlines of pots and pans to keep them in place like Julia Child did, but especially if your pans are something special, they can play double duty. Integrate them into the decorative motif of the kitchen by hanging them from the walls or from a rack above your counters or island if you have one.

Find New Purpose. A lot of other organizational or home items can serve a dual role in the kitchen if you’re willing to think outside the box a bit. An example would be to incorporate some inexpensive towel rods within the inside of the cabinet you use for pots and pans. Those lids can be the toughest to figure out, and using towel rods on the cabinet doors allows you a place to effectively and efficiently store what may be one of the most challenging yet necessary components of kitchen cookery.

Command an audience. Another option for those pesky lids is to install Command hooks (or something like them) on the inside of those storage spaces. Strategically placed hooks can serve as a very helpful organizational tool that provides easy access and helps improve efficiency, allowing you to focus on more important things, like perfecting that homemade barbecue sauce.

Make a small investment. For the less do-it-yourself minded folks, there are plenty of options as well. Most home improvement stores have kits that allow you to convert cabinet space into pull-out storage for pots and pans that will help simplify and organize your valuable cabinet space.

For more organization ideas and other tips and tricks, head to Modernize.com.