Here's a question from Anna, who is trying to decide where to put her pot rack. Read on to take our reader survey on pot racks over the stove; can you help Anna decide where to put her pot rack?
I'm wondering about over the stove pot racks. I've seen some photos where people hung them directly or near the stove top. That would work in my tiny kitchen but my concern has been grease. I don't have a range hood which is why there is space there but I worry that the pots would get grimy from cooking happening beneath them.
My other concern is if they feel too crowded, especially in a small space. Do they hit your head? get in the way? I would love to hear how these racks have worked out in practice.
Anna, we also wonder how well these work in practice. Pot racks look great in some kitchens, and it must be nice to have your pans within easy reach. What does everyone think? Do you have any advice for Anna? If you don't think it's a good idea to a pot rack in the open space over the stove, do you have any alternative ideas for her?
Watch for more on this later today: we'll look at some of the other places in the kitchen where you can put a pot rack.
Related: Look! Wall-Mounted Pot Rack
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I think it looks great, but you're going to have to wash whatever you use before you use as well as after because of all the general grime that's going to stick to those bad boys.
Not Practical.
i always have liked the idea of the pot rack, but i have cast iron cookware and it's so incredibly heavy that i would be afraid to hang it from a rack.
I have a pot rack over the stove. I use everything hanging there frequently. The occasional-use items are stored in a cabinet.
If you install the rack properly, you can hang cast iron without fear. I have two pans up there right now. I admit that the first few weeks after installing the rack, I checked it frequently to make sure it was still sturdy, but so far so good.
I assume that if you have a pot rack over the stove you don't have a good vent?
If so, yes, you'll have a lot of build up. If you have a few pots that you use frequently it probably wouldn't matter.
Pro: Easy access, especially if space is a concern.
Major Con: All the pots and pans will get a yucky, oily, sticky film on them from all the cooking taking place below. This means you will have to scrub and wash it before you use it.
I have a pot rack over the stove - since there's really no where else to put it in my tiny kitchen. I find it a great use of space, convenient for cooking since I'm not running across the kitchen to get what I need, and my pots don't get too grimy. Then again, I cook every day, which means the pots are all getting cleaned quite frequently.
We don't have a range hood neither. Anything on that part of the wall gets really yucky (and we don't even cook with a lot of oil!). I highly recommend another spot!
it's a good idea. I don't have a range hood either. But I recommend it. Everything around my stove gets gross except the pots. Pots are one of the few things that you can put over the stove because you use them so frequently that oil doesn't have a chance to build up as you are always washing them after you cook. (If you aren't using them that frequently my guess is they wouldn't get greasy anyway since the stove isn't in frequent use--but if you don't use them much I would probably get rid of most of them anyway)
I haven't banged my head on them; in my experience you actually don't lean over the stove very often when you are cooking.
I have a pot rack over my stove - there is no where else in my little galley kitchen - and have no vent. My pans get a little grimy/oily, but only on the outside, and then just the side facing down/the stove. I don't find it a big deal as I use and wash all my pans pretty frequently.
I do hang the bigger frying pan in the back because I have banged my head on it a few times. Then again I'm a clutz.
yep, they'll definitely get grimy with cooking grease.
Some of those pictures look like the pots actually hang right over burners, which would lead me to wonder if they'd get hot and then you'd bonk into them and burn yourself.
I'm short so I'd be afraid of reaching over a hot oven to try to pull down a pot (expecting me to plan ahead to make sure I have every utensil I need before I start cooking is too much).
I worked in a kitchen with this arrangement & had a few issues-
Safety, you have to reach over flame to get them down.
If you use a large flame for a long time the pans can actually get quite hot up there, making them even harder to get down.
And as mentioned by others, they get dirty pretty quick.
I love hanging pot racks and have one in my kitchen, not over the stove but above my workspace. They are a great space saver!! But, I wouldn't want to put it above my stove for fear of setting myself on fire when reaching for a pan.
I have a range hood and a pot rack over my stove. But as previous posters mentioned, it probably only works if they are pots you use all the time. I only own 3 pots and 2 skillets, so they get used constantly and never get greasy. And you do have to be careful about how hot they may get from the cooking down below. I wouldn't, for example, hang my plastic colander on the rack.
I love pot racks as great space savers -- http://jgkitchens.blogspot.com/2008/09/s-is-for-septembers-smart-stylish.html -- but not over the stove. 1) A stove or cooktop should have good ventilation directly above it. 2) You should never have to reach over a hot pot, working burner or gas flame to get another pot.
Alternative options for pot racks include over an island (as in our home) or mounted to a wall "in your cooking zone," near your stove/cooktop.