What is the best way to store pots, pans and lids
sixkeys
10 years ago
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andreak100
10 years agoCindy103d
10 years agoRelated Discussions
Looking for best pots and pans for cooking with gas
Comments (16)There are some pots/pans designed specifically for gas burners. Turbo Pots I wouldn't want to have to clean them though. This design increases the efficiency of a gas burner. I have doufeu from the 40s that has ridges on the bottom for the same reason. It was also made with a flat bottom for electric stoves. If you have some pans you like keep them unless/until you find something better. skillets/frying pans- There are two considerations for me. If I need high heat, I use cast iron. It conducts heat poorly and is prone to hot spots but it also holds a lot of heat. Great for searing steaks and stir fries. Your choice is machined smooth surface vs sand cast surface of newer ones like Lodge. It will become nonstick with use but requires a little care. The smooth surface seasons a little quicker in my experience. I like the short handles and the ability to use it in the oven as well. Some of the vintage pieces seem a little lighter to me. My favorite is a Piqua "favorite" in 12 inch that I got at a roadside sale. I also fry chicken in it and cook bacon and eggs. Great for cornbread when preheated in the oven. When I need a very even heat, I like something in a heavy aluminum. I have a couple of commercial 14 inch non stick cast aluminum pans my son got somewhere but my favorite pan is Calphalon anodized aluminum pan with two loop handles. It is called a braiser and is 13 inches across I think. It pops in the oven too. It seasons to become nonstick as well although it requires a little more patience than cast iron.. My favorite saucepans I have a couple of wide 2 qt old Revere Ware pans that I use all the time. These have the full amount of copper on the bottoms. In the 60s the copper was cut in half and the new ones are just flashed with copper. I also have a 4 qt like this. The handles are comfortable and don't get hot. I have used these for candy making. which requires even heat. Last year I also bought some Baumalu copper from TJX stores for about 15 cents on the dollar. One of my best buys ever from those stores. They have cast iron handles that don't heat up as quickly and are 2mm which is the minimum thickness for cookware. A couple are the splayed sauce pans. 3mm would be better but also heavier. They are tin lined. dutch oven/soup pot - I have a 6 and 8 qt all clad that I have had for years and years. They have never warped and I could not be without them. I also have an 8qt Revere Ware pot with a bail handle and helper handle. One thing I don't use since I have my Wolf range is a double boiler. The burners go so low, you don't need it. Some other random cookware I like- AC 16 qt stockpot great big Le Creuset blue enamel pot, maybe 7 qts but a little wider than most a set of 3 light blue white speckled enameled cast iron skillets, mostly used for casseroles but you can start on the burner and move to the oven big cast aluminum roaster, like magnalite but made by "Forever" I am a cookware junky and have many other pieces that get used too. The only pans I have now that I am not enamored with are my Debuyer carbon steel skillets. They have seasoned nicely and cook ok but the handles are just too long. None of mine goes in the dishwasher. Even the AC is the LTD so a dishwasher will ruin the finish. My sister does put everything in the dishwasher but she doesn't care if finishes are ruined or oxidized. We are both happy so that is all that matters. I have had a couple of larger pans warp so they were rounded on the bottom. I wacked them with a rubber mallet a few times and they popped probably the other way but it isn't noticeable. They seem flat now from the cooking surface perspective. I had a pan one time that was higher in the middle and it was actually good for some things- fat cooked off and drained away. I'm not really looking for that anymore though!...See MorePeople with pots in drawers, how to do you store the lids? Pics?
Comments (12)Sorry, I don't have a picture but I think I bought my pot lid holder at Linen and Things or BBB. It kinda reminds me of a dish strainer/holder. It is a coated wire (sorry words escape me tonight) "container" that holds the lids upright. I love mine! Works great. Looks like what you put dishes inbetween in the dish strainer. I have tried to look it up on the internet and am getting a blank. However there is something similar from Rubbermaid. Link is below. Here is a link that might be useful: Rubbermaid lid and pan organizer...See MoreStore Pots and Pans with Lid On or Off?
Comments (22)Drawers vs Roll Out Tray Shelves (ROTS) OK, so you didn't mean what Teppy has...you meant Roll Out Tray Shelves (ROTS) (a.k.a., pullout shelves) "Most people on this forum seem to prefer drawers over cabinets with slideouts. One person, though, commented that she preferred slideouts because the lids (stored to the side) could fall to the side of the cabinet, and one didn't have to adjust them perfectly to keep them in the drawer. Also, she got more room with the pullouts." SO...I'm now confused about your description...the problem you described is a problem with ROTS, not a way to solve the problem. Drawers solve the problem. Are you saying it was a good thing they fell over? B/c it sure wouldn't be good for me...I'd have to move them back onto the ROTS to be able to pull open the shelf...they would get caught on the frame of the cabinet if they stayed leaning over. If you have frameless cabinets, you might not have to move them, but as soon as you pulled the shelf out they would fall to the floor b/c of the short sides. OTOH, if you have drawers and you store lids on the sides, the sides of the drawers will keep the lids from falling into the cabinet itself or out onto the floor. ROTS have short sides and anything that's taller than the sides w/o a large base may fall over the sides. Also...it only takes one motion to open a drawer but it takes 2 or 3 to open a ROTS. With ROTS, you have to open 1 or 2 doors all the way and then pull out the tray. With drawers, just pull the drawer open as little or as much as you need. Drawers are especially helpful when you have only one hand free or are in a hurry. I much prefer drawers to ROTS! As a matter of fact, I got one cabinet w/ROTS and I now wish I had gotten a "trash pullout" type arrangement instead. Hestia_Flames...you must have had one of the very old style lazy susans that had the rotating shelves sitting inside a cabinet w/the walls that are several inches away from the shelves. My mother has the same thing in her 49 year old kitchen & she has the same problem. However, when our house was built in 1995 they put in the "newer" type...it had one curved wall that followed the contour of the shelves and was so close to the shelves that nothing larger than a grain of salt could fall through. We had probably the worst cabinets made (AristoKraft) and we still had that newer wall. (AristroKraft was rated dead last by CR for quality & overall value back when they used to rate individual cabinet companies.) In the 13 years or so that we had those cabinets nothing ever fell off b/c there wasn't anywhere for them to fall to. That one 36" lazy susan (pole in the center) held all our pots & pans, colanders, MW dishes, and a few other misc items. I was amazed at how much fit in that thing...and everything was always accessible b/c you just rotated it to the front. [I really wanted one for my new kitchen to hold all my small appliances (only w/o the center pole), but alas my DH wanted the Pet Center instead so I lost it. (My small appliances now take up way too much room in my small pantry.)]...See MoreHow do you store your pots and pans?
Comments (25)I'm certainly out-numbered, but I love having my pots and pans in pullouts behind cabinet doors. From all that I had read here, I planned to put them in the drawers next to my range, but when I starting filling my cabinets and drawers, I found (a) that the drawers weren't big enough for all my pots and pans; and (b) that I like the way I can better "see" all the pot and pan choices in the pullout behind cabinet door arragement. I thought I had better access in the pullout versus the drawers. And, really, how much more effort is it to open the doors and pullout the shelves? I mean, really? At least I get to burn extra calories when I open the doors then pull out the shelves versus just pull open a drawer. Kidding aside, I also don't find that I'm inconvenienced by having the door open or that the doors are in the way when opened. But, it all probably depends on your layout and your objective. Best of luck in your decision!...See Moreannkh_nd
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