Sheet pan storage

[Jenise]

In my new kitchen, I have yet to figure out an adequate place for sheet pan storage. Other than tall cabinets wherein they're stood up on their sides, what clever things have the rest of you done to address your needs in that regard? I have one lower corner cabinet that might somehow be subverted for this duty if I give up the top drawer and allow for several narrower-than-usual shelves.

In my new kitchen, I have yet to figure out an adequate place for sheet pan storage. Other than tall cabinets wherein they're stood up on their sides, what clever things have the rest of you done to address your needs in that regard? I have one lower corner cabinet that might somehow be subverted for this duty if I give up the top drawer and allow for several narrower-than-usual shelves.

Jenise,
Perhaps this is what you were alluding to, but my favorite arrangement for sheet pans is a cabinet, usually about 14" high, filled with vertical dividers that allows you to "file" your sheet pans on their sides. Very organized and space conscious, it minimizes the amount of banging and clanging you have to do to extract one for use.

Mark Lipton

Jenise, my sheet pans, pizza pans, cooling racks are housed in a cupboard above my two ovens. There are white plastic coated separators to keep everything in it's place I love it because it is so easy to reach up and grab what I need. everything slides in and out so easy. They are on their sides. Above that is a shelf (I need a step stool to reach) which houses my muffin tins, angel food cake pan, and odd size stuff, I do not use often.

My kitchen has shelving placed above the stove (GE Spacesaver microwave oven is suspended beneath the cabinets, over the stove top). There is about half a foot of space between the tops of the shelves and the ceiling. I store my sheet pans up there, and also some of my heavy gauge Dehillerin copper skillets and saute pans. But one must be careful about that. Several years back I almost killed myself when, while stowing away another pan on top of the shelving, I accidentally dislodged the largest of my copper saute pans. It hit me, all 15 pounds of it, with the edge of the pan right across the bridge of the nose. I got a serious cut, but I'm lucky it didn't push the bridge of my nose into my skull and kill me on the spot.

I still stow a lot of stuff up there, but I'm a lot more careful when I place items above the shelving.

-Paul W.

Jenise, our big Smeg oven has a storage compartment at the bottom of it. Most of the flat sheets and trays go in there, and I have a separate cupboard for cake tins.

We have a bunch, but we just stack them. They're in the cabinet above the fridge. I don't understand the comment about the noise factor of this method - so long as you don't put anything else on top of them, you just grab the top one, lift it up, and pull it out.

We have a narrow, counter high cabinet right next to the oven wall that was built for that specific purpose. Works great.

[Jenise]

We have a narrow, counter high cabinet right next to the oven wall that was built for that specific purpose. Works great.

My architect included such a space across from the stove, mostly because there was a spare space he couldn't figure out what to do with but at 5 or 6 inches the opening is by no means adequate for someone who can't imagine getting by with less than the 8 pans she has plus several half sheets. And I don't have space to make it bigger.

Anyway, thanks all. I met with the cabinet guy yesterday afternoon and we agree that I do have a lower corner cabinet that a normal person would put a lazy susan in (which I refuse to have), that might have to become lateral sheet pan storage place IF the opening of the bi-fold doors is large enough to accomodate their width. Should be for the standard width pans, though I do have several that are wider than standard. They might all have to end up stored in the pantry--I don't have as much cabinet storage in the new kitchen as I had in the old, even though square footage wise it's a large space. Some sacrifices had to be made to get the openness I crave.

In my new kitchen, I have yet to figure out an adequate place for sheet pan storage. Other than tall cabinets wherein they're stood up on their sides, what clever things have the rest of you done to address your needs in that regard? I have one lower corner cabinet that might somehow be subverted for this duty if I give up the top drawer and allow for several narrower-than-usual shelves.

Jenise,
Perhaps this is what you were alluding to, but my favorite arrangement for sheet pans is a cabinet, usually about 14" high, filled with vertical dividers that allows you to "file" your sheet pans on their sides. Very organized and space conscious, it minimizes the amount of banging and clanging you have to do to extract one for use.

Mark Lipton

Mark, I'm thinking you're surely referring to half size sheet pans since you would have to have taken a tin shears to a full to fit in it a 14" space. "Sheet pans" are 18" X 26".

Mark, I'm thinking you're surely referring to half size sheet pans since you would have to have taken a tin shears to a full to fit in it a 14" space. "Sheet pans" are 18" X 26".

Chef,
Here's where the home cook and the pro differ. Your full size sheet pans don't fit in many home ovens, so the half size is de rigueur in many homes. Of course, if one has a commercial size oven, then the sheet pans should match and the cabinet size adjust to accommodate.

Mark Lipton

Mark, I'm thinking you're surely referring to half size sheet pans since you would have to have taken a tin shears to a full to fit in it a 14" space. "Sheet pans" are 18" X 26".

Chef,
Here's where the home cook and the pro differ. Your full size sheet pans don't fit in many home ovens, so the half size is de rigueur in many homes. Of course, if one has a commercial size oven, then the sheet pans should match and the cabinet size adjust to accommodate.

Mark Lipton

Mark, I don't think full sheet pans fit any home ovens.

One of my kitchen counters has a storage space about three inches tall between the counter and the cabinets under the counter. That is a perfect place for sheet pans, extra cutting boards and similar wide flat items. My parents kitchen has a tall narrow counter with a swivel door in a corner that hold sheet pans.

Mine are in the "under the oven" cabinet drawer, which is pretty deep. It's not the best storage option, however. Always seems that I need the one on the bottom!

[Jenise]

One of my kitchen counters has a storage space about three inches tall between the counter and the cabinets under the counter. That is a perfect place for sheet pans, extra cutting boards and similar wide flat items. My parents kitchen has a tall narrow counter with a swivel door in a corner that hold sheet pans.

That's exactly what I was considering. But it would need to be wider than three inches, as I have maybe seven large pans and several quarter size, plus 6 or 7 racks of various sizes I can't imagine having to part with.

Carrie, I feel your pain! It's always true here, too.