Hello everyone :-)

I have found a couple of older threads on this topic but was hoping that someone might have some new ideas.

Over the last couple of years I have acquired quite a collection of cake pans.  Right now they are all in totes in my basement with labels on the totes so that I know what is inside (they are not clear ones).  I quite simply do not have room in my kitchen to keep them so this was the answer to keeping them organized and clean.  The system works but quite frankly I am tired of looking at the stacks of totes.  It's also a bit of a pain when I have to move the totes to get at the one that contains the cake pan I want.  I am attempting to clean up/tidy by basement and I just would like a nicer way to store them.  I want the space to look more like a living area than a storage locker if that makes sense.  

There is someone local who builds very nice wood items for very reasonable prices so I was thinking of having him make me something to store my cake pans.  To me a wooden storage unit would look so much nicer than the stacked totes.  He is making me a buffet & hutch right now to better organize my kitchen.

I have a couple of ideas and was hoping someone might be able to weigh in with what works for them (other than totes).  My first thought was just to have drawers so that I can stack pans inside one another of the same shape.  So for instance I have round pans in sizes 5" to 12" (multiples of some), they could all be stacked inside one another in one drawer.  The other idea was to have the pull out style racks where the pans would be standing up in slots probably nested inside one another again.  Do you think there is a benefit of one over the other or do you have a better idea?

If you have a photo of how you store yours that you want to share that would be great!  Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

Kelly

here's earlene's brilliant design:

http://www.earlenescakes.com/Kitcabnts.htm

i bought pans as i needed them and wound up with a hodge podge but beloved accumulation -- had a house fire -- thankfully got to replace everything -- now i have stacks  that look like perfectly concentric like graduated cookie cutters with beautiful rounded edges but they are pans -- i just have big black plastic shelves from lowe's -- keep 'em on the bottom so if it tipped over i wouldn't get beaned -- i love them --

i store mine in flat stacks but i don't hardly ever use them now -- if i was in production i would arrange them like earlene does -- ergonomically it would be better for moi --

another thing i do is wrap stuff in plastic after it is cleaned & dry so it doesn't have to be re-washed if it sits a bit -- especially silicone molds & things like that -- even though they are in drawers -- silicone mats can collect abundant dust --

storage containers like those make my knees weak and i cahn't breathe, loosening my collar... cough sputter -- i've worked in some places where everything is kept in little freakin tackle boxes, 3- 4 for food color, 2 for tips, zillions for cutters -- holey moley -- and what you want is never in the first one you find -- didn't last there long --

nicey nice nice that you get to have something built! too cool -- must show pictures when finished, please!  

My problem with storing cake pans is that they have straight sides so they're not going to stack. Unless you do the graduated sizes that fit inside each other, there's no way to stack them. I have about 8 of the 6" and 8" inch and they just make a very un-neat pile.

yeah that's annoying -- i lose mine so that kind of helps...

@-K8memphis ‍ thank you for the link.  I do like what she has done.  It will be some time before I get something made so no rush on a decision on how to store them.

@jgifford ‍ I was thinking of stacking the graduated sizes as my pans have straight sides too.  That is how I currently have them in my totes.

@K8memphis -- that was so fun looking at Earlene's spaces and cabinets.  Wowza.....

@kstevens -- I hobby bake and live in a 900 square foot mobile home, so space is at a premium.  I totally overbought pans I never use in the beginning.  I used 50% off coupons to purchase 2 sets each of these Wilton sets:  Round, Hexagon, Petal, Heart, Oval (probably a couple of others I can't remember because I've never used them).    I loathe Wilton square pans, so I bought 2 sets of the Fat Daddio's square pans (4" to 20"??).    I have multiples of the Wilton 8" round and 10" round pans since those are what I use about 90% of the time.   I do have some specialty pans--but I'm REALLY picky about those:  3D Skull, 3D egg, cross pan, book pan, large cupcake pan and a few others.  I do not buy character pans since I can just cut them to the shape desired from a square or round cake.

Since I live alone, I hired my young nephews to convert my outdoor shed and my guest room closet into cake storage.  I only put non-edibles in the outdoor shed, and place them all in clear, Rubbermaid-type 60 quart container.  I refuse to use anything I can't see through!

My most often used stuff is in a 10 drawer rolling cart that I keep in my laundry room.  I also wrap my stuff in plastic or ziplock baggies to keep them dust free between uses. 

[postimage id="4942" thumb="900"][postimage id="4943" thumb="900"]

[postimage id="4944" thumb="900"]

My husband would have a fit if he saw how much stuff you all have lol. He already thinks I have too much.

Between my stands, tins, colours and tools I have taken over a double door cupboard and one deep pot drawer.

I will have to show him these pictures so he feels better lol.

P.S Kate, too funny the comment about you losing stuff so it helps keep it under control haha.

Just curious, Kate: I lose small fondant tools and socks. How does one lose cake pans? 

bub1st -- it's not as much about control  hahahaha -- it's not as hard stacking those multiple 6's & 8's HAHAHAHA

cher -- that is such a good question -- i ask myself that all the while i'm looking -- when i get an answer i'll report back hehehahahaha

apti -- i have two freestanding sets of 7 clear drawers  & two sets of tall shelving units -- i really don't think i have as much cargo as you, apti -- but if you add in the 7 foot speed rack, commercial oven & fridge and a couple a big mixers and an extra oven -- in cubic feet i'm over -- oh yeah, three tables and one of those roller bins to put flour & sugar in plus a couple other little clear counter top drawer dealios --

ps. my son is always trying to talk us into to moving to northern california & live in a senior mobile home -- our expenses are so low here -- it will probably never happen but anyway...

kelly -- yeah earlene is the bombshabomb

cake pan alley 

high five

I'm going to tell all my students in my upcoming beginning cake classes to buy 2 each 8x2" round pans and 2 each 10"x2" round pans.  That should cover about 99% of their pan needs.  Even though I've never used most of the sets, I figure I've already purchased them at a discount, I have room to store them, and I might use them one day......maybe......

good thinking -- that should certainly go on the do and don't lists -- and explain sheet pans too maybe --

beautiful bundt pans are the only exception to the rule  hahahahaha

[postimage id="4960" thumb="900"][postimage id="4961" thumb="900"]This is how I store my pans

yes! i see all those beautiful bundt pans!

yay!!!

It's a sickness.  Here I have a gazillion pans I may never use and I'm still jealous when I see those pretty bundt pans.

We could start a new group: Cake Decorolics Anonymous.

 funny -- but it'd be a start -- I don't think 12 steps would cover it for most of us 

speaking of sunflowers I used to have a sunflower impressed weighty cake pan -- wasn't exactly a bundt with a hole but it was cool -- gave it away -- dummy!

I have a gorgeous castle bundty type pan...  never used it but I do love looking at it! And there's also something quite satisfying about the heft of the thing.

I have two large under bench cupboards filled with the pans I use most often and then three large plastic tubs with lids tucked away that are filled with the rando pans I rarely use.

Loving seeing the pics of everyone's storage!