The Best Way To Store Pots And Pans According To Martha Stewart

It seems that rummaging through the pot cabinet is out and pot hangers are in — and you know it's official when Martha Stewart is on board. The icon of design is famous for working in kitchens that use hangers to keep pots and pans visible and easily accessible. Stewart, like anyone who uses the kitchen for serious cooking, is a big fan of being able to grab her cookware easily. It's not just hangers that she advocates for, but also open shallow shelving – basically any setup where you can easily see what you have and reach for it without having to move through an obstacle course of other pots and pans to get to what you need.

These storage options don't need to be extravagant, and can even be as simple as mounting a pegboard to hang cookware from, not only making it more accessible but also adding more storage space to a kitchen. As far as kitchen design goes, it appears we may be moving away from minimalist styles such as invisible kitchens and more towards a lived-in vibe. So, keeping your pots and pans out in plain view is not only easier when you are cooking, but now is also on trend. 

Back in the 1700s, pot hangers were relegated to large estates and farm house kitchens. In the 1950s and 1960s, they became mainstream as homeowners started spending more time in their own kitchens. Somewhere between then and now, however, it became fashionable to hide away all of your pots and pans, giving your kitchen a cleaner look. To the delight of chefs everywhere, that has started to change recently, and pot hangers are officially making a comeback. 

The original pot hangers were made of wrought iron or wood, but today you can get as creative as you want, using repurposed wood, copper pipes, antique ladders, and chicken wire. Pot hangers work especially well in a kitchen with high ceilings, giving texture to the extra space and creating a design focal point in a big kitchen. These simple kitchen pieces can be mounted either from the wall or ceiling, and can be integrated with lighting for a more modern look. The one drawback of hanging pots and pans in the kitchen is that they will accumulate dust, so extra vigilance with cleaning may be required if you opt to have all your cookware on full display.