Do you want to free up some kitchen cabinet space and have your pots and pans hanging from a pot rack within easy reach? And do you want to have your cookbooks, cooking oils, and your basil and thyme herbs displayed neatly on a wall mounted pot rack as well?

Then the stylishly decorative and practical hanging or wall mounted pot rack might just be the storage space solution and energy saving kitchen device for you.

Possible origins of pot racks

The idea of hanging cookery pots in the kitchen may have originated from the 17th century practice of using an arrangement of links and hooks or trammels to suspend, raise or lower cooking pots in a fireplace to control cooking temperatures.

Up to the 15th century, most wealthy European homes had spacious kitchens with several adjacent anterooms, including whole rooms just for storing pots and pans and other utensils. However, it would not be surprising if poorer families with less spacious kitchens used pot racks, either in the form of tripods standing on the kitchen dirt floor or hooks hanging from the ceiling or wall, to store their pots and pans and other utensils.

How to choose a pot rack for your kitchen

1. The first question to ask is "Where do I want to put my pot rack?". If you are going to put it on top of a kitchen island, for example, then you will probably need a pot rack hanging from the ceiling. If you are going to put it against the kitchen wall, then you may need to have the wall-mounted shelf type variety with a grid.

2. If you are going for a hanging pot rack you have to know how tall your ceiling is. Most pot racks are designed to fit 8 or 9-foot ceilings for easy access to cooks of average height. However, households with shorter cooks or taller ceilings need not despair. Most pot rack stores, whether online or down the road, carry a wide range of chains or extension hooks to solve the situation.

3. The next question is: "Do you want to match your pot rack to your kitchen's decor?" For example, if you are going to hang your pot rack in a modern kitchen above a built-in kitchen island with stainless steel countertops, cooktops, ovens and dishwashers, then a stainless steel pot rack might be best for you.

However, if you are you are going to hang your pot rack in country cottage style kitchen next to oak timber cabinets and coffee black kitchen appliances, then a black hammered steel pot rack might be a good match.

4. And equally important is "How do you want the pot rack to look?" If you want a more modern look, then the clean lines of glistening stainless steel may be your best bet. If you are going for the antique look, then the decorative swirls of brassy copper may do the job.

5. What type of material do you want your pot rack to be made of? Do you want the country elegance of oak or natural cherry? The practicality and durability of painted or powder coated hammered steel? Or the sleekness and strength of stainless steel?

6. What size and shape do you want your pot rack to be - rectangular, round, oval or square? This may be dictated by the number of pots, pans and other cooking utensils that you want to fit in as well as the kitchen space that you have available.

7. Do you need additional light? If the pot rack is above a cooking and food preparation area, then you may need pot racks that come with downlights to illluminate as well as add ambience to your working space.

8. And last but not least, how much do you want to spend for your pot rack? A quick comparative shopping on the internet will reveal that sales abound and that:

- For a budget of $50 you can get a lovely powder-coated wall-mounted pot rack in bookshelf style to put your pots and pans as well as your favorite plant and recipe book side by side.

- A budget of $150 can get you a hanging stainless steel oval kitchen pot rack with grid.

- For $359.97 you can get a modern styled Oneida lighted pot rack with center grid and two downlights.

- And if you have $2000 to spare you can get a pot rack used by professional chefs in high tech stainless steel and with two rack levels that provide more storage and hanging space.

But if you are someone who does not own a lot of pots, loves the hunt and a good bargain and have $4.95, you can go to Ebay and get a pre-loved black wrought iron pot rack that attaches to the wall and holds 5 pots. That's a start.