The Genius Baking Pan Storage Hack That Frees Up Space In Cabinets

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Baking pans are a kitchen staple even if you're not someone who loves whipping up batches of cookies. A collection of pans is essential whenever you want some roasted vegetables, homemade pizza, or a simple tray of chicken nuggets for the kids (or yourself). While these pans are very useful, they're not always the easiest to store. It's understandable if your baking pans are on your rehoming list as you try to find extra room in your cabinets. And as TikTok DIYer redeux_style shows, you could actually give them a designated space with an object you wouldn't normally dream of putting anywhere near cooking tools: a shoe rack. That's right, you can transform a shoe rack into a baking pan caddy merely by using the slots to organize your sheets in an upright and accessible fashion. No more rooting through a stack of baking sheets to find the right one, and you won't have to worry as much about pans scratching each other from being piled together.

Any shoe rack is typically helpful when you want to say goodbye to entryway shoe clutter. But for your baking pans, they need to be a specific design for the hack to work. You'll need one that has two levels with horizontal slats going across them, similar to the SONGMICS 2-Tier Shoe Organizer. It's an ideal hack if you already have an old shoe rack that you wouldn't mind washing up and repurposing. Just know that you'll need a place to store the actual organizer itself, too.

Alongside the extra kitchen storage you'll create for your baking sheets, this hack can be used for things like muffin tins, cooling racks, and cutting boards as well. Similar to other organizational projects, it's a good idea to start by weeding out any pans that you no longer need — or perhaps that have seen better days. Once you're content with your collection, you'll just slide your items into the openings of the shoe rack. The poles or slats will act like dividers, similar to when people add wire racks to their cabinets to keep items separated. With a shoe rack, though — you'll have a larger solution for organizing pans outside of your cabinets — in turn, giving you more cabinet space.

You'll need to find a permanent home for your baking sheet organizer. Set it in your pantry, on a shelving unit, or at the bottom of a closet. It'll be much easier to grab a baking pan than if they were stacked in a heavy pile. Since many shoe racks are adjustable, you might be able to extend or shrink the width to perfectly fit the space and create enough room to store all of your baking sheets. Another option is storing the rack out in the open if counter space isn't an issue in your kitchen. Just make sure to slide the pans into the slots going in the same direction in order to keep it looking organized. The final step is to figure out how to organize your cabinets now that you have all that extra room!