Professional tips for storing pots and pans
Mar 2022Stick with tradition or opt for modern solutions
How to keep pots, pans and lids within easy reach without having to rummage around for them
Achieve ease of use even with heavy items
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The tidier the kitchen, the easier it is to cook. Pots and pans are often bulky and heavy, so a wall cabinet is not appropriate. And storing them in an open cabinet goes against aesthetic principles: it makes the kitchen look untidy.
Blum's kitchen observations show that pots and pans are often piled up in base cabinets with shelves. The upshot is that the pot you need has made its way into the farthest corner, other pots are stacked on top and the lid can't be reached without bending down and rummaging around.
Looking at the findings of Blum's requirements research, it is easy to see that pots and pans are used more frequently than the oven, as they are also used on the hob. Which gives rise to the question: why is the oven given such a prominent place under the hob? Because it's always been that way? But wouldn't it be better to use this space for pots and pans?
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Good planning for a better outcome
Blum's ergonomics experts recommend creating more order from the outset, when planning the kitchen – and doing so by opting for a cabinet with pull-outs intended solely for storing cookware.
Practice shows how easy this can be. If the oven is housed in a tall cabinet, it is ergonomically easier to use and valuable storage space is freed up under the hob.
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There's room for everything here: even bulky pots and pans fit into the drawers of the base cabinet.
That's why this cabinet is the perfect choice for cookware
The base cabinet combines low drawers with high pull-outs. Even with an integrated extractor, sufficient space is still left for this combination. The exact layout of the fronts may vary depending on the type of hob.
Pots, pans and lids are afforded plenty of space in pull-outs with high, closed sides. Furthermore, the shallow drawers provide storage space for cooking utensils required at the same time as the pots, such as wooden spoons and spatulas.
Suitable inner dividing systems for drawers or pull-outs keep things neat and tidy, and hold everything securely in its place.
This means that all cooking utensils are ergonomically accessible and stored exactly where they are needed during cooking.
The advantages are clear:
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Everything the kitchen user needs is right there, to hand. This is essential, especially when handling hot things during cooking.
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When opening the drawer, all pots, pans and lids can be seen at a glance – spending ages searching is a thing of the past.
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Even when stacked inside each other, individual pots can be found quickly and are easy to reach. The depth of the cabinet is used to organise the lids.
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Once the cooking is done, everything can be put away quickly and easily without needing to take items out of the cabinet to make space.
How the concept looks in practice
In many modern kitchens, the oven is no longer located under the hob, but conveniently accessible in a tall cabinet. This leaves space under the hob for a cabinet to store the pots and pans – the ideal place for ensuring that all cooking utensils are quickly to hand.
Incidentally, for those who prefer a more traditional layout and want the oven under the hob, the practical base cabinet can also be installed directly next to the hob.
Base cabinets in a kitchen can vary in width. For pots and pans, a cabinet with a minimum width of 60 cm is a good choice, although wider is always an option too. The dimensions also depend on the hob, of course.
The weight when fully laden with pots and pans poses no problem at all for our , and box systems. The three systems are true heavy-lifters. They can hold between 30 kg and 70 kg of stored items, while still delivering the usual ease of use. Personal storage space requirements and the area available can therefore be taken into account.
For even greater ease of use, planning can include an additional mechanical or electrical .
Various layouts are possible, regardless of the width of the cabinet. For example:
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Cooking utensils and other utensils are stored in the top drawer. From spatulas and whisks to timers, everything has its place in AMBIA-LINE frames.
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The middle pull-out has high, closed sides, making ideal use of the available storage space with pan handles also safely stowed away. Space is available here for frequently used pots and pans. Thanks to the practical AMBIA-LINE frame, lids can be stored upright.
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Specialist cookware items that are only used occasionally – such as roasting pans, casserole dishes and woks – are stored in the lower pull-out. The AMBIA-LINE cross gallery serves to create a separate area for pot lids.
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Storing pots and pans: at a glance
A base cabinet with pull-outs for pots, pans and cooking utensils makes items easy to find and ensures efficient workflows in the kitchen.
Ideally, this cabinet should be under the hob or right next to it.
The recommended minimum width is 60 cm. Blum box systems can be used to create cabinets up to 140 cm wide.
Inner dividing systems keep cooking utensils and pot lids perfectly organised.
Pan handles are also safely stowed away, thanks to the tall back and side panels of the drawers.
For extra convenience, the cabinet can be equipped with an electric or mechanical motion support system.