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Organization

Organizing Pots and Pans in a Corner Cabinet

February 19, 2021

Do you have a corner cabinet lazy susan in your house?  These spinning contraptions make great use of dead space that seems to exist in most kitchens, but from the bendy door to the awkward pie-shaped shelves, it’s a bit of a mystery how best to organize the space.

I’ve never had much of a plan for actually organizing the space.  I followed more of a “toss it in and slam the door” method.  But in my recent quest to maximize and organize every inch of my small kitchen, I decided to take it on.  

This post contains affiliate links.  As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualified purchases.

corner kitchen cabinet

And boy am I glad I took the time to rethink this space.  By adding a few specific organizational items I was able to hugely increase the function of this corner.  No longer are my pots and pans scattered haphazardly or my lids awkwardly piled up.  It actually makes me giddy to open up the cabinet and easily slide out the pan I need for scrambled eggs.

Use a tower to stack your nonstick pans without scratching

For years we have stacked our frying pans, in two uneven, tippy stacks in this cabinet.  Anytime we needed a specific pan we would have to move all the other pans just to get to the one we wanted.  While this was fine for our stainless steel, I noticed all the stacking and moving was scratching up our non-stack pans.  Turns out you aren’t supposed to stack non-stick pans because it can chip the coating.  Not good!  

Since I actually have quite a few frying pans, I purchased two white towers and placed them on the bottom rotating shelf.  Placed at an angle, they fill the space nicely and even my largest, deepest frying pans fit nicely without overhanging the shelf.  

frying pan organizer

frying pan rack

Each rack fits 4 frying pans and creates a very clear, defined space for pans.  Since there was only room for 8 pans, I needed to reduce my collection of pans to 8.  But you know what? I’m OK with that! 

Having self-imposed number limits prevent mindless accumulation.  It’s a great trick for keeping belongings in check – provide a defined space or number and don’t allow yourself to go over.  

But don’t be afraid to stack stainless steel pots and colanders on your lazy susan

Even though I went away from stacking my frying pans, I did decide to continue stacking my colanders and my pots.  In my case, they are made of stainless steel, so I wasn’t as concerned about scratches. I found that I was able to nest them together smallest to largest in a tidy stack.

nesting cooking pots

The spinning shelf makes it easy to grab what I need.  Grouping by type (colanders with colanders, pots with pots) makes it easy to quickly find what I’m looking for.  There was even space at the back to store my large stockpot. 

nesting colanders

Turn large pot lids around to save space in your corner cabinet

Large pan lids not fitting?  Or awkward to store?  Try turning them upside down on top of the pan.  This places the knob or handle inside the pan, instead of sticking up awkwardly.  For my largest pot, this was the only way it would fit in the cabinet.  As a bonus, it keeps the lid with the pot which makes it easy to find when you need it.  

Use an organizer for small to medium-sized lids

Want to know my absolute favorite Dollar Tree organizing product?  This $1 white metal organizer is incredibly multipurpose and so cheap, you won’t feel guilty buying one (or four!)

I found that it’s just the right size for organizing small to medium-sized lids.  It stores the lids vertically and makes it easy to grab what you need.  No more digging through slippery piles of lids! 

dollar store lid organizer

Look for this lid organizer at your local Dollar Tree, but if you can’t find one there, here’s a similar lid organizer from Amazon.

Purge what you don’t use

Please remember to actually go through your pots and pans before attempting to organize them.  It’s not worth your time to organize clutter.  The only way to do this is to take everything out of the cabinet and actually LOOK at what you have.  Assess each pan by asking the following questions:

  1. Do I use this pan?
  2. Is it in good shape? Or is the non-stick coating scratched and old?
  3. Do I have duplicates of the same size pot or pan?

Keep only the best of the best and donate the rest.

I noticed I had a duplicate set of small/large nonstick frying pans.  It seems that when I purchased a new set last year, I forgot to actually get rid of the old, scratched set.  So remember, if you buy a new set, get rid of the old set! Don’t keep both!

organized corner cabinet lazy susan

frying pan rack

In conclusion, a corner cabinet lazy susan doesn’t need to be a dumping ground.  The space is perfect for storing pots and pans and with a few simple additions, it can be an organized space that is a joy to use.  

Do you want to see this in action?  Check out my 30-second video of this space:

@smallishhome

Organizing a corner cabinet with pots and pans! #kitchenorganization #kitchenstorage #homeorganization #organizing #organizingtips #potsandpans

♬ Right Round – Flo Rida

Looking for more kitchen organization?  Click the links below to see how I organize my:

Mugs

Food Storage Containers

Baking pans

clean organized kitchen

And be sure to follow me on Instagram @smallishhome for more small home organization tips and tricks!

Happy organizing!

  

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4 Comments

corner cabinet kitchen organization lazy susan pots and pans small kitchen small space

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Comments

  1. Jennifer says

    January 8, 2022 at 9:11 pm

    I was wondering where you purchased your lazy susan? I have been looking for it, but I haven’t seen one quite like it. I also like how you organized your pots and pans in the video.
    Thanks for the ideas!

    Reply
    • Lisa says

      January 10, 2022 at 9:56 pm

      Hi! It’s actually built into the corner cabinet. These are IKEA cabinets, so I’m not sure if there is something you can buy that is similar. Thanks for reading and commenting!

      Reply
  2. Christine Hanline says

    February 24, 2022 at 10:06 pm

    Hello, I have a similar lazy susan. I think the previous owners bought the cabinets from Ikea. This is my question do you know how to take it apart? I can’t seem to find instructions anywhere. The base screws have come out and it constantly slides back and forth. The space is to put a screw in is to close to cabinet bottom to put the screws back in… I’m wondering if you know a solution? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

    Reply
    • Lisa says

      March 1, 2022 at 1:39 pm

      Ohhh, that’s an interesting question. It might be the older line of IKEA cabinets (AKURUM – stopped production in 2015). Try searching for Ikea AKURUM corner cabinet instructions – I think there may be a YouTube video where someone assembles the cabinet. Good luck!

      Reply

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Hi! I’m Lisa and I dig smallish homes. I believe they bring families together and provide a constraint on the accumulation of stuff. I’m obsessed with rethinking room design and storage solutions in order to live the life I want in the house I have. I hope you stay a while!
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Spring is just around the corner, but I’m over h Spring is just around the corner, but I’m over here still making cozy winter soups.  I added a soup board to my kitchen, including wide mugs and various toppings and it was just what we needed to make our weeknight dinner special.

The soup is my own homemade gluten free/dairy free tomato soup and I have a blog post with the recipe + sources for items included in my soup board. It’s simple, hearty and takes less than 20 minutes to make.  Be sure to check it out!  #soup #easyrecipe #kitchenorganization #stayorganized #letsgetorganized #homeorganization #organizedkitchen #organizing-hacks #declutteriing #declutteryourlife
#Ad Let’s organize my new small-space coffee bar #Ad Let’s organize my new small-space coffee bar! Adding a large wood turntable was the key to a tight corner in my small kitchen. It’s so much easier to fill up the water with a quick spin than squeezing in between the counter and cabinets. Plus, how cute are those marble ceramic canisters? They’re perfect for holding coffee pods, sweetener and spoons!#QVCpartner #loveQVC #coffeebarorganization #kitchenorganization #asmrorganizing #nespresso #letsgetorganized #homeorganization #organizedkitchen #organizing-hacks
 #declutteriing #declutteryourlife #stayorganized
#Ad QVC finds that make spring-cleaning a breeze! #Ad QVC finds that make spring-cleaning a breeze! The fluffiest microfiber cloths that grab dust, shine stainless steel appliances, plus they’re machine washable and dryer safe. The Broombi. A unique broom with a flexible blade that cleans dirt and hair from all hard-to-reach surfaces and cleans up with a quick rinse in the sink. With these finds you’ll be done with spring-cleaning in no time!  #QVCpartner #loveQVC #springcleaning #cleaningtips #cleaninghacks #letsgetorganized #homeorganization #organizedhome #decluttering #declutteryourlife #stayorganized
#Ad 3 Tips for Organizing Under Your Sink!  1) Ta #Ad 3 Tips for Organizing Under Your Sink! 
1) Take advantage of vertical space with clear stacking drawers.
2) Turntables make it easy to access cleaning supplies with a spin.
3) Take things out of their original packaging to reduce bulk and make it easier to see what you have.
 
I’m loving these clear plastic drawers from @QVC and now want to add them under all the sinks in my house. They slide easily and are nice and deep! Can’t you just see them under a bathroom sink as well?
#QVCpartner #loveQVC #underthesinkorganization #kitchenorganization #letsgetorganized #homeorganization #organizedkitchen #organizinghacks #declutteriing #declutteryourlife #stayorganized
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