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Let me paint for you a maybe-not-so-hypothetical scene: An egg is frying nicely in apan, quickly approaching the ideal moment for over easy flippage. You reach into the drawer that holds all of your kitchen tools, grasping for a spatula to aid you in your endeavor and accidentally stab yourself with a cake tester. Then the drawer jams, because the masher end of apotato masherhas wedged itself in at some unfortunate angle. When you finally locate the spatula, it’s somehow entangled itself into the wires of a whisk and requires a full minute of dedicated fiddling to get free. Turning back to the stove, you notice the yolk of your egg has long since set, over easy far in the rear view mirror. You should have gotten the spatula outbeforeyou stared cooking, youknowthat you should have. But you thought, It’s just right there in the drawer. What could possibly go wrong?
When counter space is at a premium in your kitchen, anything that stays out on display full-time absolutely needs to earn that spot. But if you have even six square inches of available real estate—not enough for aflavor station,dish rack, coffee setup, orfour-slice toaster—I believe the best and most useful thing to keep out at all times is a collection of your favorite tools, corralled in a kitchen utensil holder. It may seem like a decorative choice or just a way to free up another drawer, but a well-stocked crock within arm’s reach of your stove is really a home cook’s tool belt: handy, accessible, and ready for anything.
Utensil crock, utensil holder, tool bucket, stuff cup—whatever you want to call it, having one will make you a better and more fluid cook. A big barrier in the kitchen, at least for me, is the time and effort it takes to assemble everything I’m going to use; I’ve been known to call an audible mid-recipe and make a whole cake instead ofcupcakesbecause my muffin tin is at the back of some crowded cabinet I’m too tired to navigate. Having my starting lineup of kitchen tools available at all times means I’m never interrupting my cooking flow to go retrieve aspider, which is annoying at best and the cause of overcooked dumplings at worst. I can move quickly and easily from one task to the next with the knowledge that (almost) everything I could need is ready and waiting to be deployed.
What to keep in your utensil crock is a personal choice; for me it’s a fewsilicone spatulas(my all-purpose favorite), two wooden spoons, a Microplane, a fish spatula, and aset of tongs. If you’re a big slotted spoon person or your Joyce Chen shears get a ton of play, by all means elevate them to utensil holder status—the purpose is to make the kind of cooking you do most often as easy as it can be.
Similarly, the kitchen utensil holder itself is a place for self-expression. Pick one that matches your countertops for a cohesive look, a cool ceramic number for an earthy vibe or something bright and poppy for a bold kitchen moment. Even a widemouthed vase or pitcher will do in a pinch. Whatever you choose, just be sure it’s sturdy enough to stay standing if you reach over to snatch a spatula at the last minute, so you don’t end up with well-done eggsandtools spilled all over the counter.
Neutral palette
Keep your utensil crock in the white or beige family to blend in with a neutral-colored kitchen.
Earthy ceramics
These handmade options are durableandpretty, the perfect combination for leaving out on your kitchen counter.
Metal details
Match the other metallic hardware in your kitchen with a copper crock or shiny steel number—or go for subtlety with a marble canister that has a thin ring of brass.
Statement pieces
Be bold with a bright ombré-effect pitcher or spattered enameled crock to hold all of your favorite tools.
