Cookware takes up a lot of room—which is why it’s essential (especially in small kitchens) to maximize cabinet space with the best pots and pans organizers. While we’re all for DIY approaches to kitchen storage, sometimes you’re so fed up with the chaotic disassembly of your cookware, you want to throw something from Amazon in the cart and be done with it. So we’re throwing you a variety of ready-to-go retailer options—pull-out shelves, tier pots, pegboards, ranging from Container Store classics to more refined storage options with chrome detailing.
Ahead, discover genius ways to wrangle your pots and pans neatly, once and for all.
Transform your cabinet space or drawers with a horizontal cookware organizer
The nice thing about most pots and pans organizers is that they can work inside a deep drawer or cabinet, on a countertop, or above the fridge. This Yamazaki one took all of a minute to set up, and it’s expandable and adjustable. Available in black and white, we like the simplicity of the design, especially knowing that it won’t be tucked away in a cabinet. The pot handle rest is another great feature that we don’t see on a lot of alternatives. Its narrow frame looks unwieldy, but our contributor Alex Ronan (who owns it herself) found that it has held up just fine, corralling her biggest saucepan and spaghetti pot with ease. Having two is ideal: one for pots and pans, the other for lids and light cutting boards.
Don’t underestimate the benefit of grabbing the relevant cookware without having to do some sort of kitchen pot-and-pan Jenga. Anything that makes cooking even a little bit easier is a worthy investment, specially because more cooking means less take out. (So maybe these storage solutions should actually be considered cost-saving devices?)
In addition to the Yamakazi, this less expensive cabinet organizer is great for a deep drawer or kitchen cabinet. This cookware organizer has a wire frame with adjustable dividers and divots meant for lid handles. Like the Yamazaki one, it’s expandable for extra pan and lid storage. In addition to storing pots and pans, it can also store small baking tins or baking sheets.
This pull-out cabinet organizer from SimpleHuman is as handy for pots and pans as it is for Tupperware, with dividers, a smooth rollout, a drip guard, and that satisfying soft close that always feels like a pat on the back. And while we’re here, we can’t help but recommend their pull-out dual trashcan and recycler.
Find a vertical rack that can stand up to your heavy duty cookware
With a 100-pound capacity, this organizer rack is more than just a pot lid organizer. It’s great for Dutch ovens, cast-iron pans, and heavy skillets, making this an ideal pots and pans organizer. There’s also some flexibility here: The mounting hardware is optional and the storage system can work either vertically or horizontally, depending on what would function best in your space.
Invest in a low profile pot rack that’s flush to the wall
Forget those hanging pot racks that cut into your already meager standing room. Install a low-profile, wall-mounted design and your pots and pans will hang flush to the wall, making it all but impossible to bump into them. Also important to note: You will now have a gloriously empty cabinet to use as you wish.
A pegboard can also work wonders for organizing pots and pans inside a cabinet
Your deepest cabinets can be the scariest space to tackle because of their clutter-attracting potential. No longer. While a pegboard can make an appealing wall unit and offer easy access to all your cooking necessities, you can also try placing one on the floor of your cabinet and inserting movable wood posts to corral pots and pans. You know, so they don’t fall everywhere when you open the door.
Try a lazy Susan
If you haven’t heard Kelly Ripa wax poetic about her bespoke lazy Susan table in her home tour, she’ll convince you of its necessity. Though lazy Susans are better known for their utility on the table, consider getting one for more flexibility and succinct storage space within corner cabinets for whirling out pots and pans.
This shallow turntable is the perfect vehicle for a robust pan collection, or all your miscellaneous pot lids. Instead of crawling waist deep under the cabinets searching for that one quart-size pot you love, you can simply swing it front and center.
If chrome rules everything around you, this lazy Susan has got you covered. It’s adjustable—between 26″ and 31″—in case you have the kind of cabinets that are giving you quarter-of-an-inch trouble.
If you’re the type to care about how every inch of your home looks, including the interior of the cabinets, this floral lazy susan is an easy add to cart.
