My husband and I love to cook and have accumulated more than our fair share of pots, pans and skillets throughout our 16 years of marriage. But the corner cabinet in our kitchen, where we store all the cookware, is often way less orderly than we'd like to admit.
It's an easy pattern to fall into: Stacking pans and lids haphazardly in the depths of the cabinet after washing them or moving unwanted cooking vessels to the side, only to forget to put them back in their designated spots.
It came to a point where I couldn't look at the clutter any longer, so I turned to Amazon to find something that could help with the mess. My search ended when I came across the DecoBros Pan Organizer, a metal shelving unit that has been rated five stars by over 10,000 reviewers.
With a No. 2 spot on Amazon's Bestsellers in Pot Racks, this rack has been shown a lot of love by those who claim it's changed their kitchen organization game for the better. But how much could a simple shelf help with keeping things in order?
DecoBros Pan Organizer Shelf Rack
I ordered the organizer and was first impressed with its simple packaging. The unit arrived as two separate pieces wrapped in clear plastic and came with a set of screws and an easy-to-follow instructional page.
I read that most Amazon reviewers didn't find the screws necessary, and I'd have to agree. I'll hang onto them just in case the rack moves around a lot during use, but the heavy metal makeup of the product seems sturdy enough to keep it in place. Honestly, I didn't see a need for the instructional guide either — the two pieces simply click together to form a four-shelf, ready-to-use rack.
I removed everything from our "pots and pans cabinet" and slid the organizer into place. The shelves can be used vertically (stacking pans from top to bottom) or horizontally (depositing pans on their sides with the handles facing out). After figuring out a fit that made sense for our space, I set the unit in sideways and went to work slotting frying pans into their shelves. The entire process, from set-up to pan placement, took about 10 minutes.
A word of advice: Count all the pans you plan on storing before making your purchase. The rack only holds four when positioned on its side and five when stacked upright. But a major bonus is that it can also store lids, so I'm considering ordering a second organizer to keep any cookware covers from rattling around in my cabinet.
Overall, this game-changing Amazon find ended up being the perfect solution for managing my disorganized cookware situation. I stored the pans we use most at the front of the cabinet, so that they're ready to grab by the handle at any given moment. And when it's time to put them away, it's easy to slide them back into place, perfectly lined up.
One thing I should note is that there are a few types of pans this organizer can't hold: Dutch ovens, saucepans, woks and anything with deep sides are a no-go. But for standard frying pans, this rack gets the job done when it comes to saving space and keeping my shelves tidy.
For under $20, this rack has made all the difference in my kitchen. I think when we cook dinner tonight, my husband will be excited to see our new way of keeping things in order.
Now, if we could just agree on the right way to load the dishwasher.
