HOMESTEAD Cast Iron Storage and Display - Off Grid Kitchen Photos
"Everyday on display" is one of my favorite phrases when I'm getting in the groove to organize my kitchen workspace to be as functional as possible. I latched onto the concept from one of my favorite home design bloggers, Melissa Michaels from http://theinspiredroom.net. Her phrase has become my decorating mantra. The three simple words often help me to keep my focus as I choose how to organize and decorate my off grid homesteading house, especially the kitchen.
The concept fits beautifully into the modern farmhouse style that seems to have taken over the interior design world in the last few years. I love the style with its emphasis on open shelving because it allows everything that I use the most (everyday) to be easily accessible (on display). In my own kitchen, I display everything that gets the most use because digging through dark cavernous cabinets is a gigantic waste of my time. (Is it just me, or does it seem like everything just gets shoved back in them and forgotten?)
I've especially fallen in love with displaying my cast iron collection. It seems to me that a simple black cast iron skillet could be the epitome of an "everyday" item. On its own, it doesn't seem very display worthy. It's not bright, shiny, and beautiful (although the simplicity of its aesthetic really appeals to me). Its entire purpose for existing is to be purely functional, but I love seeing my cast iron on display around my kitchen. It's like my own little army, always there at the ready, waiting to be used. I used to store them nested together in a cabinet, but more often than not, that was where they stayed. Pulling the heaviest skillet off the bottom of the pile was not functional when I was feeling rushed to get dinner on the table. It was easier to just grab a lighter skillet and get the job done. Once I hung my skillets on display, I confidently got rid of all my other pans and have never regretted it.
As I have lived and worked with my cast iron on display, I have found three primary methods that work for me.
The simplest and easiest method is hanging pans from hooks. A pot rack would work well for this, but I don't have room for one in my kitchen. For a long time, I simply hung my pans from hooks screwed into the studs of my kitchen wall. It worked really well! When redoing the kitchen a couple years ago, I chose to fill that spot with open shelving. Now my skillets are hung in front of the shelves. It's easy to swing them aside to reach pantry items behind and whether a skillet is being used or not, my shelf still looks pretty. My favorite hooks to use are L-hooks because they make it easy to take a skillet on and off.
My second storage spot is the wall behind my stove. I chose to mount a picture shelf here and painted it the same color as my beadboard wall. My skillets rest against the wall when they are not being used and the ledge from the picture shelf keeps them from sliding off. This is probably my favorite cast iron storage solution because it makes use of the otherwise unused space behind the stove where everything has a tendency to get dirty and greasy anyway!
The last storage location is the shelf above my kitchen window. I keep less commonly used items here. It has a plate rail groove in it that keeps my fajita pans upright. I also store my bread pans here and keep them upside down so that they don't get dusty. The cute little skillet in the middle was passed to me from my grandma's collection. It's only big enough to fry a couple eggs, so I never use it. But I love how it completes my display.
I hope you've enjoyed the pictures and seeing my "everyday on display". How do you store your cast iron? Would putting them on display in your kitchen enable you to use them more easily?
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How we display ours. https://imgur.com/a/LmQG8
Yeah those are neat! We don't really have the space to do that but that looks really good.
Thanks for sharing!
Beautiful cast iron. If someone comes at you with a sword, you can use it as an @ironshield.
LOL!
I always cook with cast iron. Love the Big Berkey you have there. I have the mini berkey for hikes and my emergency bag. You have a kitchen that I can only dream of my friend. Love the content on SOLA, keep posting
We love our Berkey too!
I wonder how I can adapt some of the stuff you guys are doing to my houseboat?
Bring a cast iron pan on board...BOOM! Instant adaption. Easy. :)
Nothing beats it. You can catch them pretty cheap now. Just be sure to take care of them.
well it is an intresting and diffirent idea to make it with old style and attractive pans on hooks i seen this type of method in my grandmother home they look wonderfull and attractive
Thanks!
Very attractive and functional too! I love the feel of this kitchen <3 <3
THANKS!
I love, love love my cast iron!
Before we redid our kitchen, I had hooks all over the walls and just hung the pans EVERYWHERE!
Since remodeling, I have had to put them into cupboards or in the oven to store. We are thinking about selling our house and moving somewhere more remote, so we don't want to put a bunch of holes back in the walls. But if we decide to stay, or if we move, you can bet my pans will all be back out where we can see them and grab them easily!
Blessings in your move! Post pictures when you finally land.
Thank you!!
I absolutely will! 😁
I love my entire collection of cast iron skillets, pots and pans. I inherited most of mine and spent years learning to care for them the right way, and most are smooth as glass on the inside from use.
I like the way you have yours out to show and have considered doing something like that but suspect I would have to lose use of one of my kitchen windows to do it! Maybe a cast iron display rack in the future...
LOL Bad Jaimie, I am now lost on pintrest looking at some displays!
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/79376012156511571/
Jaimie loves pinterest!
Tell me more about the red pan being displayed. I did cook everything with cast iron. Had to stop because my iron level was to high!!! My blood was thick and had a black tint. Is your red pan cast iron inside? Do you cook with that on a wood burning stove/oven?
The red one is a cast iron lodge pan. I didn't know your iron count could get too high. Many people today suffer from a lack of iron in their diet.
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