wall pot rack

[hqueen13]

Alright, I need some creative ideas! This project has as much to do with aesthetics as function.
I have very little storage space in my kitchen. I need more functional space! I'm thinking about making a pot rack to go on the wall.
The phone is of the space that I have to work with. A few things to note, the window is getting replaced, and we'll eventually have a valence over it. I have no idea whether the trim around the window will change with that upgrade or not.
Another oddity of my kitchen is that whenever something is cooking that generates a lot of steam it condenses on my walls. The are so marks about half way down to the chair rail. I don't know if that will affect the pots or not, I'm planning on hanging some cast iron and some stainless steel.
So I have a total of 3 sizes of cast iron and about 7 various steel pots and pans.
I'd like to keep it on the cheap side, but look good and be sturdy. I was considering getting cast iron hooks to use to hang them from because the hardware is black on the cabinets. That could be a little privy but it would look nice.
Suggestions welcome!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

How about a pot rack that hangs from the ceiling over the island?

 

[Britesea]

where is your cast iron store right now? It is possible I suppose for the steam to cause problems for them, but I would think that would only be if they weren't properly seasoned.

What about using wood 1x1's to make a faux arbor look... you could even paint the wall behind it to look like a garden as well as twine silk flowers through; then use 'S' hooks for your pots

 

[Denim Deb]

How about a pot rack that hangs from the ceiling over the island?

I was thinking the same thing.

 

[hqueen13]

There isn't an island and I only have 6' ceilings in the kitchen so there isn't room to hang anything overhead. Hence the need to stay against the wall.
Britsea, the cast iron is currently during in to of the toaster oven. Not exactly a place that I like it! We have had problems keeping these pans seasoned, that's a question for another thread I guess.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Oh my, at first glance I thought the mini fridge was an island in the middle of the room - my bad! Well, in that case... more creative thinking is in order!

 

[Britesea]

try seasoning your cast iron in the oven. You want to use an oil with a very high smoking point (the highest I know of is flaxseed oil but it's expensive, peanut isn't bad if you aren't allergic to it). Get the oven up to between 300 and 500F, and leave the pans in there for an hour then let it cool. Might have to do that a few times.
Alternately (and this works marvelously for us) try making some doughnuts or fry bread of some sort- use a high smoke-point oil and make a batch up. Let the oil cool in the pan and then strain it off and wipe the excess off with rags or paper towels. If you do this every week for a few weeks, you will soon have a wonderful set of "Grandma's Teflon" And the doughnuts are just a delicious side effect, lol. I do this whenever I notice that things are sticking a bit and I have to do more than just wipe the pan out with a wet dishrag.
Once in a while, if I see a lot of baked on goo accumulating on the pan (mostly on the outside), I will stick the pan(s) in our self-cleaning oven and run them through a cleaning cycle to burn off all the goo; then start over on the seasoning again. My pans (4 skillets of varying sizes, a dutch oven, a griddle and a waffle iron) are from 15 years to over 75 years old, and I love them!

 

[hqueen13]

Thanks for the tips Britsea! Care to share that donut recipe?? Lol

 

[hqueen13]

And yes FEM, not an island :-/ very tiny kitchen with very little cabinet space and even less counter top space.

 

[Britesea]

I don't do anything fancy for donuts Hqueen, just mix up some biscuit dough and add a bit of sugar to it, form into bars or rings, and fry them until done, then shake them in a bag with some cinnamon sugar while still hot. Sort of like cake donuts, but a little more robust than the storebought ones.