Cast Iron Display in a Log Cabin
Our cast iron cookware collection has grown over the past several years. I said goodbye to stainless steel and started relying on cast iron skillets, griddles, and dutch ovens for my cooking and baking needs. This meant that we needed a cast iron display in our log home.
Storing Cast Iron
My only problem as my stash grew was where to store it all. My cabinets were full and couldn’t accommodate so many large pieces. So, my double-oven became their home. They fit perfectly but that still wasn’t the best solution.
I use my ovens a lot, just about every single day. This meant unloading the cast iron onto the counter and putting it all back once I was done baking. This became inconvenient really quickly.
I looked into hanging our cast iron from the ceiling but with the way our kitchen is laid out and the placement of our wood stove, there wasn’t a great spot to do this. Over the kitchen window wouldn’t work either. The wall next to the pantry, however, was open and available. We decided to hang some of our cast iron there.
Using Handmade Hooks
Alaska is full of craftsmen and amazing, locally handmade goods. I had been eyeballing some hand-forged hooks for a while so when wet decided to hang our cast iron, I knew exactly what hooks to use. One of my favorite stores in town is the Great Alaskan Bowl Company and they sell these hooks there. With wolf tracks and bear tracks, they give an Alaskan touch to our kitchen.
Because our home is made of logs, we are pretty careful about putting holes in them. They’re not as easy to patch as sheetrock and we don’t want to damage them unless necessary. We haven’t hung many decorative items and the few that we have put up use existing holes. But we were really excited about this project and thought it would add to our rustic home, so we did it.
Hanging Cast Iron Safely
Start by lining up the hooks vertically using a large t-square or yardstick that’s level. Since cast iron cookware varies in size, evenly spacing the hooks won’t necessarily mean that the cookware is evenly spaced. It’s best to hold up each piece to see how to space it from the next piece. Mark the wall where each hook will go and drill the holes.
Using good quality, strong screws will ensure that the hooks can withstand the heavy weight of the larger cast iron pans.
Painting the visible screws using a matte black acrylic paint will allow them to blend into the iron hooks.
Log Cabin Cast Iron Display
We really love the rustic touch that this cast iron display brings to our little log cabin. I like being able to see some of our pieces instead of having them tucked away. Now our cast iron is easy to access whenever I need to use it!
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