The best way to store large trays
Almost everyone has some large trays or baking sheets in their kitchen. Storing these always proposes a dilemma. You may be fortunate to have a tall thin cabinet in your kitchen that is perfect for loading all the trays, etc. — you can place the things in standing on their edge next to each other. That’s a great way to store tall flatter items and it provides easy access.
However, in the absence of such a cabinet, I’ve seen lots of people resort to stacking trays/baking sheets/cupcake tins/etc. in a pile. Resist! This will annoy you forever, because the things you probably use the most (like the flat baking sheet or the cutting board) will always be on the bottom of the pile and you have to pull out the entire stack every time you want to use that one thing.
A better solution is to create vertical storage. I recently used a great product in a large kitchen cabinet. It was originally a stock cabinet with two doors and a dividing shelf that was adjustable but placed right in the middle of the space. First we moved the adjustable shelf to the highest position. Then we installed stainless rollout tray organizers by Lynk. The cabinet was wide enough to install 3 units side-by-side. Two are tray organizers and the third is a pan lid holder.
These two shots are of the installed empty units and the units filled with trays/lids.
This is an easy, sturdy, affordable solution for creating vertical storage in your kitchen. The units are available from a variety of places including Amazon.com, The Container Store, and a limited selection is carried at Bed, Bath and Beyond. There are other configurations in addition to the ones pictured. Lynk makes a rollout under-sink organizer and a flat drawer pullout as well.
The units are easy to install requiring only a drill and a screwdriver. The units include a paper template in the box that helps you install them evenly in the cabinets as well as install multiple units evenly side-by-side as pictured above.
Give me a call or e-mail if you need help with your house’s storage challenges.
Sarah Campbell is a professional organizer in the city of Chicago. She specializes in decluttering, organizing, preparing for moves and unpacking and setting up after a move for households and small businesses. Contact her at Sarah@anorganizedlifechicago.com for help with your organizing challenges.
