Back in the college years we never would have thought twice about opening cupboards and tossing in pans in whatever fashion they might lay. Buy once we started buying our pans on a pan-by-pan basis and investing our hard earned money in ones that would give us the most mileage, we started paying closer attention!
In our kitchen (which can be seen in part over here) we have open racking storage. To take advantage of the height that each shelf offers, we end up stacking things more often than not.
To keep our finishes clean and safe from harm we use a few dividers that can be found around the house. Some are made from cardboard from packaging (like you would find in a dishware box), some are sponge cloths cut in half and others are knitted shapes. All work equally well, although we love the sponge cloths and our knitted shapes most. The cardboard works great and we do put it to use, although our dishes must be 100% dry before re-shelving (which they should be anyway, but you never know!).
The sponge cloths and knitted pieces are able to be repurposed as hot pads, trivets and obviously to wash dishes! They keep things situated (which is important since we ridiculously close to a large train line) and scratch free! Do you use something along these lines? Let us know in the comments below!
Related: Look! Wall Mounted Pot Rack
(Images: Sarahrae)
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I've been trying to figure out an answer to this EXACT problem in my own kitchen. All my answers restored to bizarre stacking patterns, this never would have occurred to me, nice idea.
clever!
We can't do a pot rack because my husband is a lot taller than me and if it's low enough for me to use, it would be low enough for him to hit his head. Instead, I use s-hooks to hand my pots at waist level from the edge of my bakers rack.
Why not just store extra kitchen towels, cheese cloths, or table mats with the pots and pans? We just throw one in between the pots and pans that need special lovin', and it thwarts the scratches away. It works well for a just-seasoned hot cast iron pan as well, after letting it sit a few minutes (and before it's cool enough to put on the surface of the cupboard).
We use flour sack towels as a base in some cabinets to keep things from sliding around. Then we use paper towels to separate larger pans or lids and pans, and coffee filters between the 10" and smaller pots and pans.
I think all of the above ideas are great. It's so true back in college with the cheap stuff pans were all tossed in wherever they fit. Now that I care a great deal about my collection I don't want unncessary scratches.
My cookware lives in drawers, so I love those round cork trivets from IKEA for this. They're sold in a three pack for just a couple of bucks. They double as actual trivets when I'm doing buffet, and are great under plant pots, too.
I won't lie - I kept some of the packaging (plastic bags cardboard bubble wrap) from my pots and pans and I use them to keep things neat and tidy. I also have a system for stacking...
We just use an extra kitchen towel or napkin.
Felt. Great choice of colors and cut to fit, plus cheap.