Last week, Carrie commented, “If you had any tips for organizing the pots and pans cupboard so that the lids would stop crashing onto the floor as I take a pot out from the bottom of the stack, I would be forever indebted!” Forever indebted? Wow! OK, so I might not hold Carrie to that, although it sounds pretty good, but I will share a few tips on how you can tackle one of the peskier kitchen dilemmas.
There are a few different ways you can handle this and obviously it depends on the amount of space that you have. Assuming you are storing your pots, pans and lids in a cabinet, here are a few things you can try…
1.Use pull-out drawers to maximize space. We have drawers in our lower cabinets so that we can nest our pots and pans in each other and maximize the whole space available. Oftentimes in cabinets the main problem is having to reach in and fumble around for what it is you are looking for. We use an extra drawer for our lids.
2. Turn lids upside down on the pots and pans and stack by size. Usually your pots and pans will stack quite nice and neat if you simply turn the lid over.
3. Use the cabinet door. Install a lid organizer on the inside of the door to hang your lids on for easy access.
4. Go vertical. If you have enough space in your cabinet, think about storing the lids vertically and stack your pots and pans next to them.
Hopefully this gave you a few ideas, Carrie! If your situation is different, feel free to leave a comment and I can help you find a solution. If all else fails and you have some extra wall space in the kitchen, you can store your pots and pans like Julia Child! Then you will have plenty of cabinet space for the lids!
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Great post, Tanna! I’ll definitely get drawers in my cupboards one day. Until then, I’ll admire my Mom’s when I go to her place. She turned the lower cupboards of her island into a food pantry!
Also, of course, I won’t marry a man unless he’s handy enough to install these things!
Thank you Tanna!!!
For all the different ways I have stuffed pots and pans into cupboards over the years, I never thought of turning the lids upside down and stacking them. I’m going downstairs to do that right now!! (I find that keeping the lids separate always means I end up grabbing the wrong size lid)
I’m also going to start ransacking drawers and cupboards to see where else I can seek your advice!
Sorry Samantha, I married him already! I don’t know what to tell ya! The hubs is so handy and it is sooooo helpful! He puts up with all of my crazy ideas! I should show you the built in storage for our media room. Ahhh, bliss!
Carrie, glad you liked the idea! And, I am always up for a challenge! I hope it helps.
Great article, my major kitchen issue is Tupperware though! Can we have an article on storing Tupperware with all it’s respective shapes, sizes and lids. It’s driving me batty at present.
I try to put the least used pots & pans in the back of the cupboard and the ones that I use more often in the front. My shelves do not allow for much stacking so I try to keep the lids and pots together.
I do stack frying pans and I put dishcloths in between my non-stick frying pans so as not to ruin the surface.
I use a big drawer for my tupperware. I stack it by shape. Rectangles in rectangles, squares in square and so on. I keep the respective lids beside the appropriate stack. Little containers that the kids use for snacks go in a separate drawer with their plastic plates and cups.
Happy organizing.