| Pot racks are the best solution for pot and | | | | ceiling lighting. You don't want to cook in |
| pan storage if you lack space in your kitchen | | | | the shadows of your kitchen.---Consider your |
| cabinets. If you spend a lot of time digging | | | | ceiling height. Is it higher or lower than |
| through piles of pots and pans while looking | | | | average? In that case you may need more chain |
| for the one you want to cook with, pot racks | | | | for a ceiling pot rack or decide to go with a |
| also solve this problem. They're good kitchen | | | | wall-mounted pot rack instead. Your height |
| organizational and storage tools. The only | | | | may also determine the convenience of these |
| difficulty arises in choosing a pot rack. And | | | | factors.STEP 4: CONSIDER THESE POT RACK |
| that's because stores offer an overwhelming | | | | ATTRIBUTES |
| amount of pot and pan storage choices. Here | | | | |
| are six steps to organizing your pots and | | | | ---Do you like to clean and polish a lot? |
| pans and choosing pot racks:STEP 1: EVALUATE | | | | Get chrome if you do and wood if you |
| YOUR POT STORAGE NEEDS | | | | don't.---How do you feel about stains, |
| | | | including greases stains, or scratches? |
| Collect all of your pots and pans and place | | | | Placement of the pot rack may help you to |
| them on a table. Put any pot or pan that you | | | | avoid most stains (e.g. away from the stove). |
| have not used in one year in a pile. Add any | | | | Scratches are inevitable and may show up more |
| pots or pans that are in bad shape to this | | | | on some materials.---Which pot rack material |
| pile. Put excessive duplicate pots and pans | | | | holds weight appropriate to your |
| in this stack also, such as three of the five | | | | needs?---What pot rack materials or finishes |
| frying pans that are the exact same size. | | | | do you favor for all the reasons discussed |
| Divide this pile accordingly among the trash, | | | | above plus for your personal viewing |
| charity and bin storage in your garage for | | | | pleasure: wrought iron, stainless steel, |
| future usage. Your other stack that was | | | | metal, wood, painted/stained finish, hammered |
| created by what wasn't eliminated is actually | | | | steel, chrome, graphite, copper...---What's |
| your active pots and pans, the ones for which | | | | your aesthetic pleasure? Do you like a wooden |
| you're buying the pot rack.STEP 2: ASSESS | | | | rustic or countrified look in your home? Or a |
| YOUR POTS AND PANS | | | | contemporary sleek silver chrome |
| | | | appearance?STEP 5: KNOW WHAT'S AVAILABLE IN |
| Look at the stack of pots and pans you | | | | POT RACKS |
| actively use. In general, determine and | | | | |
| consider these factors, which will help you | | | | ---wall mounted pot rack - with or without |
| choose a pot rack and place it appropriately | | | | an accessory shelf for cookbooks.---corner |
| in your kitchen:---What are the dimensions of | | | | pot rack - makes good use of a crevice in |
| your pots and pans?---What are their | | | | your kitchen.---ceiling pot rack --shapes |
| individual weights (so you get the right | | | | include circle, oval, rectangular, square |
| individual hooks)? Or determine collective | | | | octagonal, half round, half circle and with |
| weights if they're to be grouped together on | | | | or without a grid (hang moveable hooks on the |
| a single pot rack.---How many pots and pans | | | | grid). Also you can get fancy with a dome or |
| are there?---How many of the pots and pans | | | | crown-shaped ceiling pot rack.---ceiling bar |
| have handles appropriate for hanging from a | | | | pot rack - a straight line/bar shape.---wall |
| hook? How many do not? You can store ones | | | | mounted bar pot rack - also a straight line |
| that don't hang on a freestanding pot | | | | bar shape.---freestanding pot rack - also |
| rack.STEP 3: DECIDE WHERE YOU WILL PUT A POT | | | | called pot stands, cookware stands or |
| RACK | | | | etageres. These can have vertical shelves or |
| | | | tiered shelves. They set on the |
| Now that you know which pots and pans | | | | floor.---lighted pot rack - comes with shaded |
| require storage and what characteristics they | | | | lights or downlights that may replace your |
| have, your next step is to decide potential | | | | regular lighting---silhouette pot racks - |
| places for a pot rack. Pot racks can be | | | | also called a decorative scroll pot rack, |
| wall-mounted, ceiling-mounted or | | | | this is a ceiling- or wall-mounted rack with |
| freestanding.---Measure any available space | | | | a scroll border design such as a wilderness |
| in the kitchen as well as in the dining room. | | | | theme, oak leaf scroll, etc.---"not pot |
| Consider floor space, wall space and ceiling | | | | racks" - If the official product name isn't |
| space plus corner/crevice space.---Know where | | | | pot rack that doesn't mean it can't be one. |
| your wall studs and ceiling joists or ceiling | | | | Consider using appropriately shaped plant |
| beams are located.---Consider your needs. Do | | | | stands and sturdy shelving products you find |
| you crave convenience and time-saving | | | | in any section of the store.STEP 6: FINAL |
| attributes? Then you want pot racks nearby | | | | WORDS OF POT RACK WISDOM |
| when cooking. But if you infrequently use | | | | |
| stock pots, for instance, then put those in | | | | You should hang pot racks in a sturdy |
| the dining room.---If you want to hang your | | | | fashion and in a place where guests won't |
| pots and pans, would you prefer to hang them | | | | accidentally whack their head on a pot when |
| nested and turned sideways (holds more but | | | | they're sneaking into your kitchen at |
| less easily viewed) or front-facing (holds | | | | midnight for a snack. Always buy hooks or |
| less but more easily viewed)? Or do you want | | | | hardware components that support your pot and |
| each pot and pan to hang at different | | | | pan weight needs. Read the packaging for this |
| lengths? All of these choices can be | | | | weight support information. It seems like a |
| accomplished with various sizes and types of | | | | lot of work to plan properly for a pot rack |
| chains and hooks on your walls, ceilings or | | | | but in the end you're meeting a storage need |
| pot racks. For example you can get a grid pot | | | | that you'll use for probably the lifetime of |
| rack that uses movable hooks or double hooks | | | | your home. So choose a pot rack for your |
| or use screw-in angled pot hooks on the wall | | | | kitchen organization needs that is functional |
| or screw-in ceiling hooks with multiple chain | | | | but also choose pot racks that add to your |
| lengths.---Make sure the pot rack won't block | | | | home decor.Karen Fritscher-Porter writes |
| a kitchen cabinet door from opening.---Make | | | | about home organization solutions at Go to |
| sure the pot rack won't interfere with | | | | to shop for pot racks. |