What to part with?

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sattie

Washing Up
Joined
Jan 16, 2006
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Location
Texas
I got a small delimma at the moment. SPACE is at a premium!!!!

Ok, way back when I thought I was cooking, cooking vessels never really made that much difference to me until recently. It is only over the last year that I have taken a hard look at my cook ware and have taken serious considerations when purchasing new pots, pans, and what not.

The next thing I must add to my tools is a stock/soup pot. But to do that, something has to go!!! I don't have the room to store it and I hate stacking my good pots inside of one another.

So do I get rid of one of my regular DO sized pots? Hey, better yet, can my DO replace my crock pot? 86'in the crock pot would give me lots of room... maybe even room for a nice sauce pan!

My large pots, I have at least 3, one of which I don't use much because it's Caphlon and I don't want to ruin it... how silly is that???? The other two are just basic nonstick pans, but I use heavily!

I have so much trouble parting with certain things... UGH!!! :wacko:
 
OK - time to talk :chef:

What size pot is the Calphalon you don't want to ruin? Is it a stockpot????

Is it hard anodized inside and out or is it non-stick on the inside?

All you have to do is properly clean the pan after each and every use, that's what I do. I've had mine for over 20 years and they still look pretty much brand new. I either use their cleaner or Comet. Mine are the hard anodized pots and they absolutely do not need to be seasoned - this browns them and creates uneven cooking.

if they have a non-stick surface then you want to properly clean the outsides with their cleaner or even Barkeepers Friend, which is a non-scratching version of Comet. This is ALL it takes to keep your stuff looking nice.

If you use your crockpot then your DO will NOT replace it!!!! There is nothing wrong with stacking pants inside of each other. If it really bothers you buy some cheap, thin dish towels to place in between them. This will also give you extra towels during the holidays when all your pots and pans are in use! :chef:
 
If you grab it to use, without even thinking about it--keep it. If you haven't used it in a long time and are only keeping it "just in case"--get rid of it. If you still can't decide, think about what meals you prepare with each pan. Do you make those meals often enough to keep that pan? Is there something you make occasionally but not often, and could you make it in another pan?

I am going to have to go through my pots and pans and other dishes soon to decide what to get rid of also, and I am not looking forward to it! I have such a small kitchen, with so little storage space. I have so many pans that I can't possibly use them all, and someone else will be able to put them to good use.

:)Barbara
 
There is nothing wrong with stacking pants inside of each other. If it really bothers you buy some cheap, thin dish towels to place in between them. This will also give you extra towels during the holidays when all your pots and pans are in use! :chef:
Good idea!

:)Barbara
 
Sattie, I don't know what your kitchen is like or if you could do this but when I re-did my kitchen, I placed all of my cookware out on open shelves and/or hanging from rails mounted under windows and over doors - kind of like a pot rack set-up. I didn't think I would like this but it's fantastic! So easy to grab the pot or pan I want. It's also helped me to see just which pans I use most. (When all the cookware was stored in cabinets, I often just made do with whatever was handiest in reach rather than dig around in the cabinets for the one I wanted.) I prefer this to stacking pots and pans inside of each other for the same reason - so easy to just grab what I want. Only my dishes, glassware and silverware are stored in cabinets and drawers.
 
Well, I'm not an expert on expensive pots, but I will say that I am an expert on living in different sized spaces, and one thing is that you have to minimize, and get over the fact that in order to live in smaller spaces, you have to pile pans on top of each other. If your pots and pans are so fragile that they cannot touch one another, you are, as we say in the military, in Deep Kimchee. Right now my husband, who prefers that every item in the world be spaced out that way, is in hog heaven. But he truly appreciated my ability to store things, yes, gasp, stored within another pot or bowl, when we had to live in very, very, very small quarters.

One thing you learn is that if you don't use it, sell it or give it to Goodwill or a similar charity. Right now I have two huge pots ... strangely enough, those I use a lot (even though there are only two of us, I host a lot). Then I have a 1, 2, 3 quart sauce pans, and I could get by (and have) with just one of them. When we move to smaller quarters (which is inevitable, I'm in my 50s, he in his 60s, so the next place will be smaller), I'll keep the huge pots and go to one or two smaller ones. You can always cook something smaller in a big pot, but if you're cooking chili for the freezer, you cannot do it in a quart pot.

A lot of this simply depends upon what you cook, when. My husband loves hearty stews and soups, and I make them to bring to some older, shut-in friends. When I lived near family I made lots of stuff like chili, spaghetti sauce, etc, and I still do for parties. So my two huge stock pots get used a lot. My smaller ones -- well I have four, but would easily give away or sell three of them. If you don't want to live among a lot of stuff you don't use, you have to see what you actually use, then get rid of the rest. As much as I love them, I don't own a crock pot. When I need one, I borrow. When I lived in Florida, I borrwed from my mom, here I have a friend. It's OK, because they borrow from me when they need it. Plus they all eat here a lot. What I'm getting at is that I could easily get rid of maybe a third of what is in my kitchen ... and have, when needs arrive. I guess I don't like having so much stuff I don't need, and although I'm enjoying my life now, a neighbor came in to my kitchen and asked me, a couple of years ago (I have a wall of open shelving), "OK, where is the rest of your stuff?" I pointed out a china cabinet in the dining room (and yes, we use it all on a regular basis). She was apalled that we owned so little. I'm not sure what to think. I've got shelves and shelves of books (to inclue a few hundred cook books), and I give away more. How funny that we all feel so differently.
 
I hung a pot rack over the island. that's where I keep the pots / pans that I use everyday. It frees up lots of space in the cupboards for the bigger items.
 
not knowing what type of cooking you do, it's hard to advise what to get rid of. However , if you are considering getting rid of your slow cooker, you are probably NOT using it. That earmarks it for the Garage Sale in my book...

You might take a look at your kitchen as we're often encouraged to do with our closets... If you haven't used it in a year or two, it's time to get rid of it.
 
Ugh!!!! I like the hanging pot pan idea, but the ceiling in our kitchen is so high and our lighting is directly over the island. That spot would be the best place for a hanging pan rack in my opinion, but not sure how well it would work out since the flourescent lighting is there.

I stack my pans, I try to avoid it with my nicer pans.

My Caphlon pot is like a mini version of a stock pot. Tall and slender, but not really deep enough for pasta. It is basically the same size of my other large pots, just with a smaller base and the sides of the pan are about an inch higher than my two work horses. It has the non stick surface on the inside. I don't know why I avoid using it like I do.

Barbara, I do like the idea of getting some cheap-o dish towels.. I seriously need to get some anyhow just for regular kitchen duty.

I am thinking of ditching one of my bigger pots, one that has the coating peeling off. Then I can stack my Caphlon pot into the remaining pot and that will create space for my stock pot and should force me to put my Caphlon pot to good use. Lord knows I paid good money for that!!!

Thanks for all your ideas and help... it is always appreciated and I knew that the ideas you good folks would have would help to grease up the old wheels in my head!!!
 
Gee, how high is your sealing? And hom much stock do you need? How many people are youy coocing for? You did not say how big your pots are. Back when there was only 3 of us my bigest pot was 3 quart and that was plenty. There are different types of hanging racks, doesn't have to be over island. It could be hanging over the sink. How often do you make stock? You can leave the big pot in the box and keep it in garage, do you have garage?
 
:)Do you have room for a corner shelf or a corner bakers rack? I myself stack my pans they are just pans after all even tho they are good ones.I do have a pot rack as well for all my copper pots.My problem is all the darn lids to all my pots there just is no easy way to store them as I also am limited in space.I keep a large roasting pan,electric skillet,crock pot,spacesaver and a couple of other things that I dont use every day in the laundry room or rather laundry closet on high shelves.My dehydrator and racclette grill are in the shed as they may be used only once a year
 
:)You can also just store the pots you dont use all the time in a utility closet or even a bedroom closet if you hafto.
If I could see a picture of your kitchen I could maybe help more as Im pretty good at utilizing space.
 
My problem is all the darn lids to all my pots there just is no easy way to store them

I bought a lid holder that fits inside the cupboard door. Works like a charm!
 
Yes. I would definitely hang onto everything in good shape and find some place to store it. I have pots I haven't used in years.... but then one day will come that I want to boil a couple lobsters, or make an extra large pot of chili..... where would I be if I no longer had the pot that takes up the most room :huh:
 
I live in a condo with little kitchen space. I have several metal shelving units in the basement that I use for storing both hardware and ingredients.
 
Like Andy, I'm in a condo w very little kitchen space. I scaled down to the minimum (almost, haha) of what I really use, and put up a a pot rack -- it saves space and adds to the kitchen decor. You can either hang one from the ceiling - or - what I did, was get a wall mount. I went to a glass/mirror place, and had a mirror mounted behind it. I hang a few saucepans and a large skillet on hooks. It's the focal point of my kitchen, and allows me more room & hides the big stuff.
 
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Actually there is somebody on this site who does have something similar. But majority of people I’ m sure not. I doubt a lot of people, in general, have empty walls like that. Would be lovely.
 
"the flourescent lighting is there."

So is mine. It's that dropped lighting. The pot rack is rectangular, and the chains straddle each side of the lighting. Not ideal, but it works. If your ceiling is really high, you may have to add extra chain to get the length you need.
 
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