How to Store Pots & Pans
Pots and pans are necessities in a working kitchen. Even kitchens that seldom see actual cooking take place need a few staple pans to make a quick egg or to boil water. Storage of pots and pans can be a confusing thing if you have many of them. Long-term storage sometimes is necessary for bulky cookware as well. Storing pots and pans doesn't have to be a complicated task if you take the time to get organized and consider the size of the cookware. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Pots
- Pans
- Cupboard
- Paper towels or flannel dish separators (optional)
- Boxes or plastic storage containers
- Bubble wrap (optional)
Instructions
-
Everyday Storage
-
1
Separate your pots and pans into the cookware you use regularly and the cookware you use infrequently. Discard any broken pans that you cannot repair or don't want to keep.
-
2
Separate the pots and pans by size and function. For example, put all of the regularly used frying pans together. Take stock of how many of each pan you have. Consider discarding unnecessary multiples.
-
-
3
Place all of the cookie sheets, pizza pans, and muffin pans together. These can be stored upright on their sides against the inside side of the cabinet to take up less room.
-
4
Turn all of the lids upside down so that the handles are inside of the pans/pots. This allows you to stack the pans to maximize storage space. If you have a lid stacker in your cabinet, arrange the lids from smallest to largest for easy locating purposes.
-
5
Delegate one cabinet to hold the most frequently used pots and pans. Place the bigger pots and pans in the back of the cabinet. Place the smaller cooking pots and saucepans by size, stacked, in the forefront of the cabinet. Place frying pans together on one shelf.
-
6
Delegate a cabinet to hold the infrequently used pots and pans and arrange the cabinet in the same fashion as the other cabinet, with bigger pots and pans in the back and smaller ones in the front.
-
7
Place larger, infrequently used pans, such as a turkey roasting pan, into the bottom oven drawer, if you have one. If space is an issue, large pans like this can also be placed on top of the refrigerator.
-
8
Place flannel dish protectors or paper towels between pans that you are concerned about scratching.
Long-term Storage
-
9
Pack the pots and pans according to size, with a layer of paper towels or bubble wrap between each one. Place the heaviest pans on the bottom of a box or plastic storage container. Place the smaller pans inside or on top of the large ones.
-
10
Wrap, in bubble wrap or paper towels, any pan lid that contains glass or partial glass, and slide the lids into any spaces between the pots and pan in the box or storage containers.
-
11
Label the box or storage container with a list of what is inside for quick location when and if you need the contents. Because pots and pans are metal, no temperature control is necessary for storage. Store in a clean, dry area.
-
1
