How to Hang Cast Iron on a Wall

Homesteading and cast iron go together like peanut butter and jelly. Cast iron pans can transition easily from an open fire to other more conventional cook tops. They are absolutely the only cookware I trust in my wood oven. I love my cast iron and I’m collecting more all the time. They are durable, versatile, and timeless. I know that with a little love and care, my cookware collection with last my lifetime and I’ll be able to hand them down to my grandchildren. After all, my favorite skillet is one that I received from my grandmother! It was made in the late 1800’s!

Since moving to our off grid homestead, my cast iron collection continues to grow. I have skillets, dutch ovens, bread pans, and very large roasting pan. I keep my daily use skillets on the stove all the time, but I recently decided that I needed a good solution to store the rest. After seeing many pictures of country homestead kitchens with cast iron on display, I finally took the time to hang them on a wall and I absolutely love the result! I wish I had done it sooner.

Why hang them on the wall?

Cast iron is made for hanging! Even my bread pans have hanging holes in the handles. I kept my cast iron skillets nested together in a cabinet for a long time. This was definitely not the ideal storage solution. More often than not, I would end up reaching for a lighter skillet because I dreaded pulling them all out to reach the heaviest skillet on the bottom. Hanging them is a wonderful solution because I can easily see and reach the one I need. I want my cookware and utensils to be easy to access. If I have to search too long for something, I’m wasting valuable cooking time.

I also love looking at them! I’ve been on a quest this winter to beautify my kitchen. In the future, I have dreams of painting my kitchen cabinets a beautiful shade of warm gray and installing bead-board on my walls. My house is always a work in progress! But for right now, I’m focusing on little things that I can do to make it more homey and inviting. One of those things is choosing to decorate with my cookware. Nothing says “homestead kitchen” like cast iron.

So…how did I get them on the wall?

When I think of pots and pans on display, I usually think of a hanging pot rack. It is a great way of storing a lot of cookware! But what do you do if you don’t have the space or funds to invest in a hanging pot rack? Space is a premium in my house. I love my kitchen and it is actually fairly large for my less than 1000 square foot house, but I don’t have any space for a pot rack. My kitchen walls are the perfect solution for me.

And it was so easy! If you know how to find the studs in your wall and use a power drill, you can do this. I cannot stress enough that you need to find the studs! Cast iron is heavy! You can see that my pans are not completely even and symmetrical. That’s because I could only use the places on my wall where studs are located. But that’s okay with me. I kindof like the asymmetrical look. Plus, I can add more pans over time as my collection grows, without worrying that I may mess up a perfectly even display.

Once you find your stud and determine where you want to hang your pan, drill your hole. The hooks I used are called L hooks. I have found that they are a much better choice for this project than the typical cup hook because they screw further into the wall (enabling them to support more weight) and they make it easier to lift pans on and off. Screw your L hook into the hole. You may need to use pliers to grip it as you turn it. You are now ready to hang your pan. That’s it!

I love my cast iron display. I know my collection will keep growing and I’ll just add more L hooks as I need them. It makes me happy when form and function come together so perfectly! Do you hang your cast iron?