Pots & Pans Storage

[tjbnwi]

Tom said “You’ll need to use X-series adjustable system”

Rev A Shelf has a system now, I prefer the X-Series.

https://www.centurymade.com/cabinet-organizers

Tom

 

[Sparktrician]

Tom said “You’ll need to use X-series adjustable system”

The Rev-A-Shelf stuff was in the house when I bought it. That said, I think I'd prefer to have wood drawers rather than wire racks, Time will tell how much the wire racks annoy me.

 

[tjbnwi]

The Rev-A-Shelf stuff was in the house when I bought it. That said, I think I'd prefer to have wood drawers rather than wire racks, Time will tell how much the wire racks annoy me.

I think you’ll be okay with it, the wire systems work for pots and pans, for other items I prefer a shelf system.

 

[Max Fracas]

The drawers under our gas cooktop are arranged the way @mino describes. We keep utensils such as tongs, spatulas, and ladles in the shallow top drawer. The middle, also shallow, holds our most-used skillets. The large bottom holds pots, pans, and lids. We really love the arrangement of these drawers and use them several times over the course of a day.

Our drawers are IKEA Maximera IIRC. They have undermount slides and metal sides. We’ve had them 7+ years without a single issue. By the way, our “WMF” set of pots and pans were purchased in 1997 in a village outside Stuttgart, Germany. We like them so much it has been a brake on considering an induction cooktop.

 

[Sparktrician]

I think you’ll be okay with it, the wire systems work for pots and pans, for other items I prefer a shelf system.

I tend to agree with you. I just have to adjust the top rack down ~2" or so.

 

[Mini Me]

I take it you do not cook that much complex stuff in the kitchen. A drawer behind doors cannot be practically accessed while one of your hands is occupied. Unlike simple doors (no need to open both of them) or a simple drawer could.*)

Actually my wife did specialty dessert and snack cooking (slices etc) in a restaurant our daughter owned for many years and a lot of it was done in our home kitchen.

 

[Packard]

The Rev-A-Shelf stuff was in the house when I bought it. That said, I think I'd prefer to have wood drawers rather than wire racks, Time will tell how much the wire racks annoy me.

If the pots and pans you put away are not entirely “cold” or not entirely dry from being washed, then the metal racks are superior. They allow more air circulation and the pots will dry without any damage or damage to the racks. Also, cast iron skillets are heavy enough to damage wood drawers.

Rev-A-Shelf makes both wire racks and wood drawer units. Their engineers (or experience) has driven them to make the racks in heavy gage wire + chrome plating.

 

[Sparktrician]

If the pots and pans you put away are not entirely “cold” or not entirely dry from being washed, then the metal racks are superior. They allow more air circulation and the pots will dry without any damage or damage to the racks. Also, cast iron skillets are heavy enough to damage wood drawers.

Good points. Thanks!

 

[Cheese]

We are getting a stainless steel set. It has three fry pans 8/10/12 w/lids, three pots 2q/3q/8q w/lids, and so less used cookware - 12" wok, 7q saute, and 12" griddle. Probably most used are 8"/10" fry pans and 2q/3q pots. We have a 36" induction cooktop.

Mike, I just noticed the pots/pans that you want to store and they are very similar to what I store in our cabinet. Consequently, I've broken down the items that are stored in each drawer so you have a good idea as to what's possible. The inside dimensions of each drawer are 18 x 25 x 3-1/2. Covers & lids are kind of catch-as-catch-can... ...I'm still wrestling on the best way to store those.
Top drawer:
Stack 1: 2 Qt TFE sauce pan + steamer insert with handle
Stack 2: 2 Qt saute pan + 2 Qt deep sauce pan
Stack 3: 6 Qt saute + 14" wok + 3 Qt saute + 3 Qt saute

Bottom drawer:
Stack 1: 3 Qt sauce + 2-1/2 Qt deep sauce
Stack 2: 4 Qt sauce + 1 Qt saucier
Stack 3: 12" cast iron fry pan + 10" cast iron griddle pan + 12" fry pan + 12" TFE fry pan + 10" fry pan + 10" TFE fry pan

Notice the sheet pans poking out from under each drawer above them.

 

[mino]

Actually my wife did specialty dessert and snack cooking (slices etc) in a restaurant our daughter owned for many years and a lot of it was done in our home kitchen.

Well, to my defence, I did add the asterix.

At first I thought of "full drawers" and how one has to first completely open both doors, only then the drawer can be pulled .. which is fine in a cabinet but stupid in kitchen. And it hit me .. a shelf-on-drawersslides does *not* need to be pulled to access the items on the front .. Unfortunately for the OP, with the inset doors it is mostly a no-go.

 

[Vondawg]

We removed doors years ago and went all drawers….big & deep for pans with Blum soft close …no regrets at all
Mike will the stainless work with induction ?

 

[Sparktrician]

will the stainless work with induction ?

Check with your vendor of choice. All-Clad and Tramontina have models that work splendidly with induction. No doubt others will work just as well.

 

[hdv]

My stainless De Buyer and Demeyere pans work flawlessly on the induction stove I have in my house Sweden (no cooking on natural gas over there). I think most will, but as Sparktrician said, it is best to check with your vendor of choice.

 

[Packard]

I would note that some aluminum pans are listed as “induction ready” and have a sheet of magnetic stainless steel with perforations attached to the bottom. Apparently they hit the pan bottom with a heavy duty punch press, causing the aluminum to extrude into the perforations. Then they sand the bottom smooth.

I have never had an issue with delamination of the perforated sheet. However it only covers about 60% of the surface (due to the many holes) and they heat up much slower than you would expect. Generally, acceptable, but not ideal. I have one. I use it. I grow impatient while it heats up.

I have a water kettle that is all stainless steel. They used 300 series for the top (non-magnetic, but polishes well) and 400 series for the base (magnetic, but not entirely rust proof. The pot heats well. The visible sections are shiny. The bottom (inside and out) is nearly jet black, but no red rust.

(400 series stainless steel is what flatware is made from. If left wet overnight, tiny specs of rust may appear. But they will generally wash off in the dish washer. 400 series stainless steel is also what knife blades are made from.)

Heavy cast iron pans heat the fastest.

Stainless steel pans with a sheet of stainleess encapsulating a piece of carbon steel is the best choice if you require stainless steel construction.

 

[stairal64]

I find that the issue with "leaving most used stuff on the cooktop" is what you do with it when you actually need to cook using different stuff? Where do you put it? So you still need to have the shelf/drawer space for it, even if mostly left "waiting".

Sure, if you have a very big 40"+ cooktop with 6+ cooking zones it is likely some will be available as "storage" space at all times. Over here mostly 24" class cooktops are the thing though. Meaning that while the kettle could stay semi-permanently on it and be put only sideways. That is about it. Sure, a pot and a pan IS there mostly, but those still need "their place" for situations when real cooking starts .. and that place should be quickly accessible.

---
On another note, our plan for a new kitchen is to have three dual hobs instead of a single quad gas one as is the case today. A gas hob, an induction hob as the main ones and a cast-iron hob at the location there is just a put-aside space now. We figure the space is anyway "used" for placing pans and pots, so why not just "store/place" them on a cast iron hob that can be useful at times in its capacity and takes zero additional space, nor needs a consideration when placing stuff on, unlike the main gas and induction hobs do.



I take it you do not cook that much complex stuff in the kitchen. A drawer behind doors cannot be practically accessed while one of your hands is occupied. Unlike simple doors (no need to open both of them) or a simple drawer could.*)

I find to have a blocked hand all the time /making dough by hand, cutting meat, holding something in it, whatever the cause/ so a one-handed operation for pulling the most-used stuff out is a must in my view.


*) That said, a face-less drawer in the form of a shelf on slides is probably not that bad an idea as the stuff on the front of it is still accessible without both doors opened. Rethinking it .. it is an excellent idea. Especially for an existing kitchen upgrade.

My friend sophie had the same issue, she decided to hire an interior designer in limerick ireland for a full kitchen redo, they came up with a plan to replace the old two-door cabinet with pull-out drawers. They suggested three different drawer levels: the top one for pans (just the right height to avoid stacking), the middle for smaller pots, and a deep bottom drawer for larger, less-used ones.

You make a fair point about needing a real “home” for the pans once actual cooking starts. Leaving them on the cooktop only works until you need every burner.

That’s why I’m leaning toward full-extension drawers instead of shelves behind doors. Being able to grab a pot one-handed while the other hand is busy is huge. Even a pull-out shelf inside the cabinet would be a big upgrade over fixed shelves.