Okay, let’s talk about that pots and pans drawer. For the longest time, mine was just a disaster zone. Seriously.
Every time I needed a specific pan, especially the lid, it was like an archaeological dig. Pull one thing out, three more would clang and fall over. It was loud, annoying, and honestly, just made cooking feel like more of a chore. I’d just shove things back in after washing, telling myself I’d sort it later. Yeah, right. ‘Later’ never really came.
Enough Was Enough
So, one Saturday morning, I just couldn’t take it anymore. I opened that drawer, looked at the jumbled mess of metal, and decided, today’s the day. No more excuses. I was going to conquer this kitchen cabinet pots and pans drawer.
First step? Pull everything out. And I mean everything. Pots, pans, lids, that weird skillet I never use – all of it ended up on the kitchen floor. Seeing it all laid out like that was… well, it was a lot. Made me realize how much stuff was crammed in there.
The Sorting Process
Then came the sorting. I looked at each piece.
- Do I actually use this regularly?
- Is it scratched up beyond saving?
- Where did this lid even come from?
Got rid of a couple of pans that were past their prime and matched up as many lids as I could find. That alone felt like a small victory.
I wiped down the inside of the drawer. It was definitely needed. Found some crumbs and mystery dust bunnies back there. Gross.
Figuring Out the Layout
Now, how to put it all back? I didn’t want to just stack everything randomly again. That’s how the mess started. I thought about getting one of those fancy organizers, but decided to try a simpler approach first. See if I could make it work with what I had.
I started putting the pans back in first. I tried nesting the frying pans together, largest on the bottom, smaller ones inside. That saved some space. Then the saucepans. I found stacking them wasn’t great because the handles got in the way. So I tried standing them up on their sides, kind of filed like books. This worked surprisingly well for the deeper ones!
The lids were still the tricky part. Piling them on top just leads to chaos. I ended up standing most of them upright along the side of the drawer, nestled between the pans or against the drawer wall. I kept the lids near the pans they belonged to. It wasn’t perfect, but way better than before.
The Result: Ahhh, Relief!
So, I carefully arranged everything. The pans I use most often went towards the front. The less-used ones went to the back. Lids were mostly upright and accessible.
Stepping back and looking at the organized drawer felt so good. Like, seriously satisfying. No more clanging avalanche every time I need the medium saucepan. I can actually see what I have and grab it easily.
It’s been a few weeks now, and it’s mostly stayed organized. It just takes a second longer to put things back in their ‘spot’ instead of just throwing them in. Totally worth it. If your pot drawer is driving you crazy, trust me, taking an hour to sort it out makes a huge difference.
