This DIY Cast Iron Pan Protectors post was brought to you by Duck Brand. All opinions are 100% mine.
If you use cast iron cook wear
on a regular basis, you know that taking care of it presents challenges that don’t exist with other types of cook wear. In order for cast iron to cook properly, it needs to be seasoned. In order to keep it seasoned, it needs to be cleaned and stored a certain way. Because of this, a well-seasoned pan will have a slight oily surface, making the pans difficult to stack unless you don’t mind grease getting all over the bottoms of each pan and potentially ruining the seasoned surface.
In the past, we have simply placed coffee filters
between the pans to prevent any issues but they didn’t really work well for the larger pans and they had a tendency to stick to the underside of the nested pans.
So I set out to find another solution to this problem using Duck Brand’s Shelf Liner
.
DIY Cast Iron Pan Protectors
What you need:
I had 2 rolls of shelf liner, one 20in x 4ft shelf liner in a tan color and one 12in x 6ft shelf liner in white with a reddish flower pattern. Either size would work fine for this project but I went with the 12in for my pan liners because I thought the color contrast would look great against the cast iron.
Trace the bottom of one of the pans with a pencil onto the inner side of the shelf liner.
Cut out the circle making sure to cut INSIDE the circle to account for the thickness of the cast iron because you traced the outside of the pan.
Repeat for each pan, and place each protector inside the pans.
Perfect fit!
This was such a simple project, if I can do it anyone can do it. Working with the Duck® Brand Shelf Liners
was easy, and I really love the color and pattern of the shelf paper and how it looks with the cast iron.
Now, our pans are protected and the liners are super easy to clean between uses!
Duck® Brand Shelf Liners come in adhesive and non-adhesive varieties and have so many color and pattern variations. You are sure to find one that will look perfect for your project. You can do so many things with Duck® Brand Shelf Liners in addition to lining your shelves. I chose to protect my cast iron pans but you can also use it under loose rugs, make a placemat for dog bowls, protect the top of your washer and dryer, and much more.
Mary. Smith says
February 19, 2019 at 11:04 amI just use paper plates and replace them When they get dirty.I like the. Shelf paper too or even wall paper
Kim says
February 20, 2019 at 8:30 amPaper plates are a great idea too!
Abi says
March 30, 2018 at 4:04 pmI’m going to tweak this idea for my ceramic pans and stainless steel pots too! Thanks, it’s brilliant!
Kim says
March 31, 2018 at 8:46 amOoooh great idea! Thanks!
Sandra says
March 2, 2015 at 11:43 amI stack my cast iron pans with the smaller ones on bottom, they stack so the bigger ones are on top of the pan, therefore, not touching the pan. This works perfectly for me, I keep them stored in the oven, easy to get out, easy to put away and no extra expense or work.
merilyn says
March 1, 2015 at 8:47 pmThis is a great idea! Not only cast iron needs protecting…the “new” ceramic lined pans are especially touchy about scratches.
Dee @ Cocktails with Mom says
October 12, 2014 at 10:08 amWhat cute idea Kim! Why not have them protected while looking cute at the same time!
Shell Feis says
June 24, 2014 at 2:44 amWhat an easy fix! We don’t have any cast iron, but I’m tempted to make those anyway since my pots & pans all scratch each other up in the cupboards- plus that’s just so cute!
Sarah @ Must Have Mom says
June 19, 2014 at 2:23 pmSimple and easy, yet absolutely GENIUS! Thanks for sharing. These are cute, and would make me store them where others can see for sure!
Kimberly Grabinski says
June 19, 2014 at 3:16 pmI was honestly surprised by how CUTE they looked.
Chelle @ Oh Just Stop Already says
June 19, 2014 at 9:45 amSuch a simple idea that many don’t think of! Love your cast irons.
Kimberly Grabinski says
June 19, 2014 at 3:17 pmThanks!
Tiff @ Babes and Kids says
June 19, 2014 at 8:46 amI love how simple this is and it seems like it would be much more effective and easy to use than coffee filters.
Kimberly Grabinski says
June 19, 2014 at 3:18 pmThey really are!
Lisa @ Crazy Adventures in Parenting says
June 19, 2014 at 1:02 amI seriously love this! You could even do this for lids, too! 🙂
Kimberly Grabinski says
June 19, 2014 at 3:18 pmooooh yes! I have a few more pans I need to do, my dutch oven and my tortilla pans.
Valerie Remy-Milora says
June 19, 2014 at 12:44 amI LOVE these pan liners! What a simple and beautiful idea. We have been using paded shipping foam sheets we recycledfor that purpose, but there is absolutely nothing pretty about those. I think making these is going to be a fun afternoon project to do with my girls. I can’t wait to go shopping for just the right pattern.
Kimberly Grabinski says
June 19, 2014 at 3:18 pmOoooh I’d love to see yours when they are done!
Ericka Chatman says
June 18, 2014 at 9:18 pmI LOVE This Project! It’s so simple and easy to make. I never would have thought to use the Duck Brand Shelf Liners to protect my cast iron pans.
Kimberly Grabinski says
June 19, 2014 at 3:19 pmThank you, it worked out very well and they are the perfect thickness.
Liz Mays says
June 18, 2014 at 9:11 pmYou’re a smart cookie! That’s such an easy to do fix for a very common problem.
Kimberly Grabinski says
June 19, 2014 at 3:19 pmThank you!
Wendy says
June 18, 2014 at 8:38 pmoh, isn’t that clever? I have inherited both my Moms and my Grandma’s cast iron pans,and I love and use them often but you’re right, it is a challenge storing them. I’m going to try this!
Kimberly Grabinski says
June 19, 2014 at 3:19 pmLet me know how it works for you!
Sue says
September 9, 2019 at 9:24 pmI inherited my first cast iron then added to it. I now have quite a few cast iron pieces. Some are brand new, some are vintage and some I got at the local thrift store. When we lived in our first house I had a walk in pantry with a pegboard on one wall where I hung all my skillets. That’s one house feature I really miss. Now I have no choice but to stack my pots and pans. Love the shelf liner insert for protecting them. I’ve been using old kitchen towels because they are washable but they are little more than rags now and not pretty at all.
Teresa Foskey says
June 18, 2014 at 8:11 pmI absolutely love this. My dad has a huge cast iron pan collection that this would be perfect for. Going to email this post to him now. Thanks for sharing.
Kimberly Grabinski says
June 19, 2014 at 3:20 pmThank you for sharing this with him!
Denine, from We Know Stuff says
June 18, 2014 at 7:30 pmWhat a great idea!!
Kimberly Grabinski says
June 19, 2014 at 3:20 pmThank you! I admit I kind of impressed myself but I honestly didn’t expect it to turn out so well LOL
Digna D. says
June 18, 2014 at 6:42 pmWhat a great idea. I would have never thought of something like this for cast iron pans.
Kimberly Grabinski says
June 19, 2014 at 3:21 pmThank you! Sometimes the best solutions are the simplest!
Lynsey @MoscatoMom says
June 18, 2014 at 6:23 pmI do not own a single cast iron pan …. I must fix that soon!
Kimberly Grabinski says
June 19, 2014 at 3:21 pmOh wow, yes. The food tastes better cooked in cast iron! And no toxic fumes 😉
Kecia says
June 18, 2014 at 6:03 pmI never thought to use shelf liners with my cast iron pans! Great kitchen hack!!
Kimberly Grabinski says
June 19, 2014 at 3:21 pmOoooh hack! I like that word. Thanks!
Angela S says
June 18, 2014 at 5:53 pmThis is such a clever use for shelf liners. I would cut some circles to go between my plates in the cupboard.
Kimberly Grabinski says
June 19, 2014 at 3:22 pmI do think it is a versatile idea for many kitchen items.
Kathleen says
June 18, 2014 at 5:45 pmThese are brilliant. I have been using a paper towel when camping, but it blows away all the time.
Kimberly Grabinski says
June 19, 2014 at 3:24 pmOh yeah, outside would be a great use for them too!
Rachel @RunningRachel says
June 18, 2014 at 2:14 pmWhat a cute and crafty clever idea!! I don’t have cast iron pots/pans… BUT hopefully someday… adn when I do I will remember this idea! THanks!
Kimberly Grabinski says
June 19, 2014 at 3:25 pmWe love cooking with them! They aren’t a scary as I thought they were either.
Alison says
June 18, 2014 at 1:57 pmKim you are so talented! Now I just need to get some cast iron pans so I can think about making these.
Kimberly Grabinski says
June 19, 2014 at 3:26 pmhah thanks, I really was not at all confident this was a good idea or would even work. Then I saw the pictures and was very happy with how it turned out.
cindy says
June 18, 2014 at 1:24 pmthis is genius!! great idea – pinning it for later 🙂
Kimberly Grabinski says
June 19, 2014 at 3:26 pmThank you!
[email protected] says
June 17, 2014 at 5:38 pmThat’s so clever! Awesome idea!
Kimberly Grabinski says
June 19, 2014 at 3:26 pmThanks!
Robin (Masshole Mommy) says
June 17, 2014 at 4:46 pmEasy peasy and they look super cute. What a great idea.
Kimberly Grabinski says
June 19, 2014 at 3:26 pmVery easy, thanks!
Nichol says
June 17, 2014 at 1:04 pmMy type of crafting girl, trace, cut, place! Love how simple this is. Going to do this with mine.
Kimberly Grabinski says
June 19, 2014 at 3:27 pmI know, right? I was all “I used scissors, I ROCKED this craft” LOL