Storing pans properly in the kitchen is always a challenge. In most Dutch kitchens, the pans are in a drawer anyway. How do you put those pans and lids away logically without it turning into no-time gets messy again? You can buy storage units, mostly made of plastic, but you can also make your own! And so David went to work with wood. He made a DIY potholder (pegboard) quite easily To bring your pan drawer to the side.
DIY potholder
For ages, I have been looking for a good way to store our pans. Our last solution was made of plastic and broke down quickly. There must be another way. Can't I make something like this myself? Sure you can! The solution is a pegboard. You can easily make a pegboard and build it yourself, it's not a complicated job at all.
Pegboard, a handy way to sort pans
A pegboard is one of those boards with holes (and sticks) that you see in many modern and trendy interiors. There is no good Dutch word for it in my opinion, so I'll show it to you below. Pegboards come in different sizes and materials such as wood, cardboard or metal. They are usually attached to a wall so you can hang all kinds of things on the pegs (= sticks): clothes, a bicycle, tools, bookshelves or kitchen utensils. But you can also lay a pegboard horizontally with the pegs pointing upwards. And then suddenly you've made a handy pot holder. I tell you in steps how to do this very easily.
You see a pegboard in trendy interiors, but in a kitchen cupboard it is a perfect way to store pans.
DIY kitchen project: make your own potholder
Tools
- nice thick plywood board(Avoid hardwood, as a speed drill won't get through this. I chose 18 mm poplar plywood. Have the board cut to size at the hardware store).
- long round stick with a diameter of 18 mm
- fine sandpaper (180 grit)
- pencil
- tape measure
- 17 mm speed drill(Note: the diameter of the drill is deliberately 1 mm smaller than the stick! Hand drill preferably with plug saw (preferably with a miter box.)
Instructions
Pegboard making
- Depending on the dimensions of your board, you need to think about the grid of your board. The grid is the distance of the drill holes where the pegs will later go. An example: my plate is 58 x 106 cm. I choose a distance of 5.25 cm between the holes, so I could fit exactly 10 holes in width (11 x 5.25 ≈ 58 cm).
- Draw this 'grid' on the plate with pencil and drill the holes with the speed drill. I ended up choosing to drill only the holes I needed for my stuff. But of course, you can also drill the entire grid.
- Gently sand the edges of the holes with fine sandpaper. I used 180-grit sandpaper.
- Cut the round stick into equal sections to function as 'pegs'. I chose a length of 10.5 cm and used a miter box to ensure a straight cut.
- Put the plate on the bottom of your kitchen drawer and place the 'pegs' in convenient places for your utensils. Gently play hammer tap the peg so that it goes all the way through your plate.
- Rearrange the pan drawer to your liking and enjoy your tidy Marie Kondo style kitchen.
Your potholder will be prettier with these (speed) drilling tips
- When drilling through, the back side often becomes less attractive, especially with a plywood board. For this reason, always start your drill on the side you want to show.
- To prevent the back of the plywood from cracking when drilling, only drill deep enough until the tip of your chuck is through.
- Then turn the plate over and drill out the hole from the back.
- A speed drill expects high speed (hence the name). Preferably take a drill with a plug (not a cordless drill), which can operate at high speed and power.
- Put the tip of the speed drill on your plate, and let the drill reach maximum speed before pushing it into the material.
Potholder with environmentally conscious pans
So that potholder is finished, but what do you actually store there? What kind of pans do you have? Did you know that many older pans with a non-stick coating are bad for the environment and for your health. When we discovered this, we got rid of all pans at home and started looking for better, eco-friendly pans. You can read all about this pan search here!
More kitchen tips from thegreenlist.nl
- What are the most sustainable oils for baking and frying?
- What flows out of your coffee machine? You can also choose coffee more sustainably!
- Another more sustainable kitchen tip: Bourgini kitchen appliances.
- And when we open the fridge at your place, what kind of wine do we find? All about sustainable wine!
Photo credits: thegreenlist.nl.
