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A carefully
chosen pot rack is a big space saver and a beautiful addition to your
kitchen cookware.
Available in many shapes, sizes and finishes, one that is bound to fit
your kitchen and your storage needs
Space Saver
Find a design that not only adds storage space, but that also improves your
kitchen display.
Following are some examples for your consideration:
• One or more straight racks against a wall.
• Wall racks that extend out, with storage space above.
• A corner wall rack, with or without a wood or grid rack.
• A rectangular, oval, round or straight rack over an island work space.
• A straight rack hanging in front of a window, or for utensils over a
cooking area.
Support
Adequate support is crucial for your safety and convenience. Consider how to
hang the rack and how it will be supported.
• The rack's weight should be balanced whenever possible, both for proper
support and to keep the rack from
swinging as you access the pans. If the
rack has multiple chains or other hanging points, hang each from
separate
hooks, rings or bolts. Before you start, you might make a template to mark
the exact hanging points
on the ceiling or wall. Be sure to check for
adequate support before proceeding with the installation.
• The wall or ceiling must adequately be able to support the weight of the
rack and the pans.
Features
The following features might enhance the usefulness of your rack.
•
Center Bar - Increases storage space by up to 50%. Can be used for long
handled pans; better if the bar is
above the level of the rest of the rack.
•
Grid - Using "s" shaped hooks, it is convenient for hanging ladles, molds,
lids, light pans, etc. Store lids and light
pans on top of the grid, too.
•
Hooks - Long ones might be useful for lids, or for easier reach of some
utensils. Angled hooks can increase the
amount of space available by turning
the pots 90 degrees to make most pans nest each other. "S" shaped hooks
work
best with grids; they are easy to move and can hold more diverse shapes of
utensils.
Maintenance
Rack maintenance is straight forward
Clean hammered steel with a damp cloth and touch up with floor wax. Brush
stainless steel in one direction with Scotch Brite to remove scratches and
remove spots with a glass cleaner. Also use a glass cleaner on chrome plate.
Copper and brass plate tarnish and need to be polished with a non abrasive
metal cleaner such as Flitz.
Other maintenance recommendation
• Dust the rack regularly, and use all the pans so they'll always stay
clean.
• Once in a while, wash the rack with mild soap and water.
With some surfaces, maintenance needs grow with time:
• If the metal tarnishes, move the hooks a bit, now and then, so it will
tarnish more evenly. Or take out the polish
and go to town. If you're brave,
use a spray varnish specifically made for the metal, and don't overcoat or
scratches will show more readily on the finish.
• Plated metals generally are very long lasting. Never use abrasives, or you
may remove the metal plating.
• Painted racks should be treated like plated metals. To re-finish a damaged
spot, sand down, prepare with a
metal primer if bare metal shows, and finish
through a quality metal paint. Lightly applied varnishes or urethanes
can
prolong the surface finish.
• Greasy racks need frequent cleaning with strong detergents and most
finishes are not made to withstand these
detergents for long before some
damage occurs.
• Stainless is easily cleaned, and can withstand strong grease removing
detergents without harm. The satin or
brushed finish doesn't show abrasive
etching nearly as much as a smooth or polished finish.
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