Putting a lid on it

August 18, 2023 by
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Kitchen storage is a source of endless fascination and often frustration for people who love to cook. Most of us are not blessed with enormous kitchens that have bespoke cabinets to house anything and everything imaginable, nor do we have picture-perfect cookware or bakeware sets where all the pieces conveniently stack or fit together like Russian nesting dolls. The vast majority of people have acquired pieces from different manufacturers in varying sizes, sometimes including specialty items that are oddly shaped. Among the most difficult things to find appropriate storage for are pan lids.

Yahoo posted a short article containing ideas for storing pan lids, and as someone who has struggled with this issue, I report that I have tried and rejected several of the options before settling on one that more or less works. Sometimes I think that is the best you can expect for these necessary but awkward items. The first option the article suggests is probably the least practical – store pans with the lids on them. Unless you have very few pans or acres of shelf space, this is unworkable. The one exception may be an Enclume rack for storing enameled cast iron pieces which accommodates the lids. Unfortunately, there is no room in my kitchen for the rack I purchased so it lives somewhat inconveniently in the adjacent dining room. But it looks nice, so that’s a bonus.

Wire racks are the most commonly used lid storage pieces I have seen. The inside-the-cabinet-door racks are great in theory but only if you don’t have pull out shelves or items that come near the edge of the cabinet. The ones that sit in the bottom of the cabinet or drawer make more sense. The drawback is that the wires tend to be spaced equally apart and we all know that the lids are not all the same depth. I use one in a deep drawer for the majority of my lids but some of them have to double up, and the tallest ones have to lean over the shorter ones, meaning they must be moved in order to access the small lids. It beats having them strewn haphazardly on a shelf, however.

The pegboard design for deep drawers makes the most sense to me and is one that I am going to investigate further. They work similarly to the wire racks but are adjustable to fit various sizes of lids. If I can find a reasonably priced pegboard system I might give it a shot. What method do you find the best for storing pan lids?

Category: Antipasto

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5 Comments

  • ellabee  on  August 18, 2023

    I hit on my system after seeing photos of very space-efficient kitchens in a 1920s apartment building (in Frankfurt, I think). There were small towel-rack-like fixtures on the inside of the cabinet doors to store lids (the handle rests on the bar). I rigged up small bungee cords and pushpins to do the same thing, and store 10″, 8″, and 7″ stainless lids on the inside of three lower-cabinet doors near the stove. Because of weight and breakability, I’d only do this for metal lids; the one glass lid here sits on the pot it goes with. Each of the metal lids fits two pans/pots, which suits my semi-minimalist approach to cookware.

  • KatieK1  on  August 18, 2023

    I put them in a big stock pot which is (almost) always on top of my stove.

  • mharriman  on  August 19, 2023

    I use a vinyl coated wire rack for my fry pan lids that go with nonstick pans that nest together.
    The best investment I’ve made in the past 10 years is the purchase of two different-sized universal lids for large nonstick pans that didn’t come with lids. I keep the wire rack in my Lazy Susan cabinet and the lids are neatly stored and accessible when I want them.
    Now, my plastic and glass storage container cabinet is another story…

  • JaniceKj  on  August 19, 2023

    I’ve tried the lid hub under the sink area with pots stacked in the corner lazy suzan bottom cabinet, it was always a guessing game and I didn’t like the misfit jenga game happening. But, we did it for years. Now, as empty nesters, I’ve taken all out, gotten new, better quality pots and pans and place them in the lazy suzan with the tops. Easy grab and use. I still have a storage issue, since I have many other beauties and old loved ones. Those that don’t get used often have been placed in the laundry and others in closed garage with open metal shelves. All those super large, holiday ones are visible for a quick grab and the close ones for daily use next to the range… with the tops.

  • sayeater  on  August 22, 2023

    My Le Creuset collection is on Enclume racks in various spots (they are also home decor right??). I only own one other pot (stainless) with a lid and it is in a deep drawer. I also have a Made In universal silicone lid I use for all skillets/frying pans.

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