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kassikolo_gw

Are pots and pans in drawers a bad idea?

kassikolo
10 years ago

I am in the process of designing my kitchen now...The cabinets guy put drawers under the cooktop for pots and pans..I always had cabinets before with pullouts drawers which worked fine..
I am worried that over time the weight of pots and pans will make it hard for drawers to open...or is that not an issue??

Comments (23)

  • sushipup1
    10 years ago

    Not an issue. Love the drawers over the pullouts. You have a smart cabinet guy.

  • rosie
    10 years ago

    Umhm. He did a nice thing for you, but didn't exactly go out on a limb. Drawers are standard now for very good reason, as Sushipup indicates. Enjoy. :)

  • gale1965
    10 years ago

    I'm jealous. We just bought a modular so we had limited options when it came to cabinets. The only thing they offered for a cooktop was essentially a sink base so there are only drawers. Luckily I have a cabinet with 2 large (and 1 small) drawer right next to the cooktop cabinet. Our cheapo cabinets can hold 75 lbs in the drawers. I think you'll be fine.

  • joaniepoanie
    10 years ago

    Drawers...they shouldn't be a problem with decent cabs..I love them.

  • Sarina
    10 years ago

    I will miss my pots and pan drawers like crazy!!! that is why I am trying to figure out if I can retro fit them in after which I most likely can not in a builders grade kitchen . Posted that yesterday waiting to see if anyone knows. Going to call cabinet place Monday and ask .

  • SaltLife631
    10 years ago

    You will notice that drawers are a popular choice for base cabinets. We love our drawers for pots and pans. In addition our two designated pots and pans drawers have much shallower drawers for the lids inside the larger drawers where the actual pots and pans are stored. This works out very well as everything fits nicely, has it's place and stays well organized.

  • BelfastBound
    10 years ago

    Saltlife: That lid option sounds like a dream. What manufacturer did you go with? I want to do that for tupperware lids as well Thanks.

  • deedles
    10 years ago

    Saltlife: would post a pic of your lid drawer in a separate thread, please? Really interested in seeing that, if you don't mind.

  • cj47
    10 years ago

    LOVE my pot drawers. Also my dish drawers (for storage, not dishwasher drawers). Drawers are so much more efficient than cabinets in your lowers, no question.

  • amykath
    10 years ago

    I say the more drawers the better! I love my deep drawers for pots and pans!

  • CT_Newbie
    10 years ago

    Do you still stack pots and pans in the drawers? Do you use metal dividers so the pans don't get scratched and if so, is it a pain to take them out? Right now in my kitchen design I have four 24" drawers (2x2) under the range top for pots/pans. I am not sure how deep it goes or how tall the drawers are. I have one large pan that is ~22" wide; 12" in diameter plus another 10" for the handles and another pan almost as large. Seems odd to have a drawer for one pan. The bottom two drawers are tall enough for my pasta pots

    I also have other space in a pullout susan in the corner if need be but thought it would be nice to have all the pots and pans in one section

    txs

  • heidihausfrau
    10 years ago

    I love my new pots and pans drawers! Yes, CT, I stack my frying pans. I always have. I put pot holders in between so the Teflon doesn't get scratched.

  • southernstitcher
    10 years ago

    "Do you use metal dividers so the pans don't get scratched and if so, is it a pain to take them out?" I have the dividers from BB&B, in a deep drawer and use them mainly to separate all my rectangular pyrex, among other things, and LOVE them. I had the cabinet maker put wood dividers in the cabinet above the oven for the other, metal baking pans. Love that too!
    I also love the deep drawers under my cooktop for pots and pans. My pantry has the pull outs, and while I like them, yes, the doors have gotten gouged :( from family members who don't seem to understand how to open the doors fully! I don't know weather to repair this using the stain, or using a stain pen. When my cabinet maker came back to show the cabinets to a potential customer, he was very dismayed to see that on his lovely work!

  • spagano
    10 years ago

    I have 2 36" (about 8" deep) drawers under my cooktop and LOVE them.

    I have pull-outs for platters and bowls and plastic storage and pitchers and would switch to drawers if I did it over. For platters I use often I'd go with a tall drawer with dividers and for seldom used I'd put them over the ovens or 'fridge in a cabinet with dividers but I'd give up space in back so they wouldn't disappear.

  • nini804
    10 years ago

    I had no idea how much I would love my pan drawers until I got them...they really are a game-changer! I had cabinets with the pull out shelves in my last house, it is really amazing how much easier the drawers are to use. Like you, I used the pull-outs just fine. Now I would never go back! :)

  • sjhockeyfan325
    10 years ago

    I'm designing my kitchen cabinetry layout now (actually have been for a month - final tweaks should be made by Friday). Originally, I had planned to have several stacks of 42" drawers (which are readily available in the high-end euro-style cabinetry -- we were looking at Pedini at the time), but I've been convinced not to go that route. So I will have several stacks of 36" drawers and an 18" stack (I'll lenghthen the island by 6" to accommodate this -- I just don't think 12" drawers are very useful).

    There will be space in the 36" drawers for dishes, silverware and knives, square pyrex and mixing bowls, pots (the height of the largest drawer is measured to accommodate my tallest pasta pot that I use regularly - anything else can live in the pantry), pot covers, utensils.

    The question is what to do with frying pans. We use two regularly - a large 12" and a medium 10". Does it make sense to create a separate drawer for them? They won't fit in my pot drawer, which I laid out to hold all the pots I use regularly - a pasta pot (8 qt), chili pot (5 qt), large saucepan, two medium saucepans and a small saucepan.

    I don't mind stacking pots and pans, but I'd like to keep the stacks no more than 2-high (I've stacked them higher in the past and it's a pain).

    What would you do/have you done with your frying pans?

  • gpraceman55
    10 years ago

    We deliberately wanted drawers for our cookware under our cooktop and love that arrangement. We did have our cabinet maker put in heavy duty glides in that cabinet just to be on the safe side.

  • annkh_nd
    10 years ago

    sjhockeyfan, can you put a divider in your pasta pot drawer, and put the frying pans there, stored on their sides?

  • sjhockeyfan325
    10 years ago

    That's an idea annkh! I'll have to measure the diameter plus handle to see if that will work.

  • Holly- Kay
    10 years ago

    Love, love, love my p&p drawers.

  • sjhockeyfan325
    10 years ago

    holly-kay, where do you have your frying pans? Do they lay flat in one of the drawers? Stacked?

  • Madeline616
    10 years ago

    I'm commenting a little late here, but had to cast another vote for pot/pan drawers. The pic below are 2 of my main pot drawers; the pots in there are ultra-heavy le creuset (including the large 9 quart one), and some All Clad stainless pots.

    I've had the arrangement for almost 2 years now, and not a hint of a sag. I asked my cabinetmaker about this concern during the design, and he said that if the drawers are strong, it won't be a problem. He builds pot drawers all of the time that perform extremely well for many years.

    That said, I still use common sense and try to lighten the load by having only 1 or 2 cast iron pots per drawer, along with some stainless.

    In my experience, it is possible to load the drawer to the point that the bottom will sag, but you really have to overload a well-built drawer to get to that point (I had an old, lesser quality cabinet drawer overly loaded with cast iron, and the bottom did sag).