It looks convenient, but my OCD germ-phobia kicks in the thought of the business end of my flatware touching something I can't easily clean. I'll stick to plastic flatware containers.

Great idea, but you need a deep drawer for this and most kitchen drawers, at least the ones at a convenient height, are shallow.

I'm with Kathryn on this. You can't see, or easily clean what is lurking at the bottom of the cube. Plus, wouldn't the ends of the silverware bang it up rather badly? I'm thinking fork tines digging in and even regular table knives sometimes have a point at the end that would quickly scratch the bottom.

i'm with kathryn. it kills me when utensils are stored like this. who knows what kind of dust bits are collecting at the bottom.. i think only knives are acceptable to store "face down", so you don't grab the sharp end when removing.

that's how flatware is stored in restaurants. You'd need removable compartments so they could be cleaned easily and to not care about your forks getting banged up.

You just need a deep drawer and the type of pots you put silverware in on the draining board. Then you can take the pots out and clean them.

I think for your everyday flatware, this is a great idea, and yes, removable storage so you could clean the drawer would be a must. But ever since I waited tables after college, I have kept my everyday stuff upright on the counter - it's just so much easier! Keep grandma's real stuff in the silver chest.

I actually really like this idea, but mostly I like any built-in cutlery storage. Right now we have one of those plastic cutlery trays and it slides all over the drawer it's in making everything a mess. The germy thing doesn't bother me at all, but I can see how it might bug some people.

okay, if you don't like the idea of the eating part being in contact with the bottom of the drawer, why not have little metal baskets, so the bits fall through, but the cutlery itself is raised above it, you can pull out the baskets and clean underneath

Not for me for several reasons
- the hygienic issues raised above
- I like to see exactly what's there without having to remember
- I hate it when the metal slides across metal, and the metallic/sour flavor it can create. And it would be hard to remove it without it coming in contact with the other silverware
- I don't truly see the advantage. If I were lucky enough to have deep drawers, I'd use if for items that were impossible to store in flatter drawers.

I have a family of six and we also often have dinner parties for twenty. We have a smaller kitchen and I think this is a very efficient idea that would work great for us.

I would assume that the divider is removable for easy cleaning. I don't think it would be any dirtier then horizontal storage. A cutlery tray would just be slightly easier to clean.

Put a liner or a wide glass inside so you can clean it out regularly. When you pull out a piece of silverware, even in a flat drawer, it is good to have a clean towel or rag to briefly wipe it off.

My biggest fear is the fork tines bening form storing the fork on them.

*"bending from" I wish these comments were editable.

I've seen very few drawers deep enough for this to work.

Great idea...
...if you just happen to be remodeling your kitchen.

Umm... if you're really worried about germs, you could go handle-down, too.
I like lifeofwiley's suggestion of baskets, too. We have a basket at my cabin that we keep silverware in because it's easier to get to the frequently-used stuff if it's right there on the counter. Then we can just pick up the basket and take it outside for when we eat on the deck!

I don't know why you wouldn't just store them handle down.

When we replaced our silverware, the new stuff is fatter than the old stuff and a full stack of spoons or forks is almost an inch taller than our plastic silverware tray (that we got at the dollar store and have had for 17 years). I've been debating standing the silverware (handle down) in mason jars or crocks on the counter.

Handle down will put fingers on the business end of utensils. You could get cut from knives or poked from forks. If you do this make sure you wipe down the utensil before using.

If you think conventional silverware drawers are more hygienic, think again! It's about how often you clean the storage, not what position you store the silverware in.

Most people I've seen put their silverware away, pull it in bunches from the dishwasher, putting their paws on all the "business" ends, before lying them down in filthy silverware drawers.

Just sayin'.

amazing storage solution!

"Handle down will put fingers on the business end of utensils. If you do this make sure you wipe down the utensil before using."

Seriously? I'm guessing that "sanitary" is an oft-used word for you. Germs happen, and unless you unload your dishwasher with dirty hands, where's the problem?

The level of germ phobia among AT readers never fails to astonish me.

This would only work if all of your cutlery is the same length/height. Unless you put a little block in the bottom to raise shorter cutlery.

Seems like a waste of storage? What's in the back of that space? What goes there? Unless you have some odd-shaped, tall, but shallow drawer because of an island sink or something?

Ahhh! I wish I had a drawer deep enough that I could do this! We have mismatched silverware, so trying to lay the pieces flat doesn't work very well because they don't nest.

Cosign, teagirl. This is a fix for a nonexistent problem. Nobody I know has ever complained about having something they really wanted to store in one of every kitchen's standard shallow silverware drawers. I mean, "but where will I store my collection of vintage rolling pins???!!" No. We all have a silverware drawer, which is perfect for storing flatware, you know, flat.

Granted, this is Different, which tends to appeal to designy folks, whether it solves an actual problem or makes one up, then "solves" it. :) There's a lot of that on AT, but I've learned to read around it.

I have mixed feelings about this one... I mean it looks cool, but as far as practicality is concerned, I think I'll stick to the traditional way in the flat drawer with dividers.

My mom actually has a clever way to store the everyday silverware that has become a mismatched collection over the years. She has 3 vases sitting on top of her island... one for regular forks and tablespoons, one for knives (butter and steak), and one for coffee spoons and small forks. Everything is handle-up. She uses ceramic vases so you do have to guess at what you're grabbing. I would probably do this with glass vases so you could see exactly what you need.

On another note, for the germaphobes (myself included)... I have a rule in my house: wash your hands before unloading the dishwasher, before drying dishes by hand, and before reaching into the silverware drawer. Also, the silverware drawer organizer i have is plastic so it can easily be thrown into the dishwasher once a week (the fancy wood and metal ones have to be cleaned by hand).

I think it makes sense for some kitchens. Mine has two small flat drawers and three deep ones. Rather than have the utensils take up half of my precious flat drawer space, I could use one of the deep drawers which are in abundance.

shanalulu,
I worked in several restaurants in HS. I am well in the habit of keeping my hands on the stems of glasses, handles of silverware, and mugs, and off of blades, tines, and rims.

I have an idea that will resolve all previous concerns: You can use a DISHWASHER CUTLERY BASKET to store silverware in the vertical fashion. Various sizes, will fit any drawer, low-cost, no dirt collects at bottom, plastic does not scratch, etc.