Go ahead, try to squeeze one more spatula into your utensil crock. I’ll wait.
If it feels like I’m setting you up to fail (I am!) it may be time to rethink your cooking utensil organization system. Or to consider any sort of system at all.
For years, my system was “stuff everything into one crock” because that’s where everything belonged. I mindlessly shoved new wooden spoons and the occasional promotional whisk into an already overcrowded countertop container, mostly because my husband and I couldn’t agree on what tools we truly needed.
I eventually developed a utensil organization system that makes perfect sense to me and only enrages my husband on occasion. About eight of our most commonly-used cooking utensils—spatulas, whisk, tongs, and my favorite wooden spoons—stay in a sturdy marble crock by the stove. The rest are divided among the aptly-named Commonly-Used-Utensil Drawer and the Uncommonly-Used-Utensil Drawer. Mesh sieves (which are too unwieldy for the crock but would get smashed in a drawer) hang from S-hooks on an antiquebrass railwithin arm’s reach of our range, along with ametal ladleandspider strainer. If we had more counter space, I might have added another crock or two, but this system (mostly) works for us.
Of course, my system won’t work for everyone, and the best way to organize your utensils depends on how you (and possibly your housemates) use your kitchen. Here are four ideas and 19 products for a more organized utensil crock in 2022.
Think outside the crock
A crock is ahandy placeto store cooking utensils, but it doesn’t have to be theonlyplace. The main benefit of a utensil crock is convenience; when it’s next to the stove, spoons, spatulas, and other tools are easily accessible when you need them. But there’s nothing convenient about reaching for a whisk and accidentally pulling out tongs and two spatulas along with it. So think about the tools you use regularly, and consider finding a new home for the rest. A strategically-placed hanging utensil rack can be just as convenient as a crock, and it will give your kitchen some cool industrial vibes, too.
Divide your cooking utensils among multiple crocks
Who decided residential kitchens get only one utensil crock each, anyway? If you have the counter space to spare, there’s no reason you can’t branch out from a single-crock system—especially if you use a collection of sleek, slender coordinating crocks. Dividing your utensils among three ceramic oblong crocks (or maybe two skinny stoneware crocks) can be beautifulandhighly functional. With the added storage space, you can easily divide your tools in a way that makes the most sense for your home (as long as you separate the whisk and tongs, that is).
If you’re not sure where to start, resist the urge to sort by color or material (silicone, metal, etc.) and organize by shape or function instead: Spoons with spatulas, ladles with whisks, and tongs with whatever’s left in a third crock. This way, when you’re in a hurry, you’ll have a general idea of where to find the utensil you need instead of digging through a crock full of assorted stainless steel to find your French whisk.
Organize your cooking utensils in a divided crock
If you’d rather not deal with even more items on your countertop, you can get close to the utility of multiple crocks in one vessel by using a divided utensil crock. A divided crock makes it easier to give your tongs and whisk a little distance from each other, but depending on how many tools you cram into it, you may still deal with some tangling or overcrowding.
Start fresh with a sturdy crock and pared-down kitchen utensils
Have your cooking utensils seen better days? Did some seem to magically appear in your crock even though you’re sure you didn’t buy them? Do you only use one or two with regularity? If you answered yes to any of those questions, the new year is a great time to start over with a new set of basic utensils and maybe even a new crock to hold them. At the very least, you should take this opportunity to pare down your collection and keep only what you’ll actually use. Because do you really need seven fuzzy wooden spoons, four whisks, three spatulas, and that oddly-shaped thing that’s supposed to getallllllllthe mayonnaise out of the jar?We think not.
