The Best Utensil Crocks

We liked that this crock was roomy and stable. We could remove and replace utensils without their handles getting tangled thanks to the crock’s handy removable divider. This crock came with a separate stainless-steel lazy Susan that you could place under the crock. It remained stable and spun steadily even while it held 20 utensils. We had one small quibble—the nonslip pad on the bottom of the lazy Susan was a little harder to keep clean since crumbs often stuck to it. 

Although this crock has a wide opening, its walls curve in slightly and limit the number of utensils it can hold. As a result, it holds up to 18 utensils. It doesn't have a divider. The outside of the crock was easy to wipe down with soap and a sponge for a quick postcooking cleanup. Bonus: This crock is available in different colors.

Twenty utensils fit easily into this stainless-steel crock, which had the largest diameter of the models we tested. With such a large diameter and no dividers, the utensils tended to fall across one another in the crock and became easily tangled. It was difficult for us to pull out just one utensil at a time. This model’s wide base was sturdy on the counter, and it never wobbled.

This simple, stable ceramic utensil crock held 16 utensils, slightly fewer than some of the larger models in our lineup. As in other models without dividers, the utensils sometimes became tangled with one another when we were trying to remove just one. We loved that this dishwasher-safe model was easy to clean.

This crock has perforations, each about the size of a pencil eraser, on its sides. We didn’t mind the holes (or find them particularly useful either) until we tried to clean the crock’s exterior. When we wiped the sides with a soapy sponge, the tomato sauce pushed through the perforations to the inside of the crock, spreading the mess and even dirtying the handles of the utensils. This is the lightest utensil crock on our lineup, weighing just a little less than a pound, but it never tipped over. The 7¼-inch walls (the tallest of the round models in our lineup) ensured that utensils stood straight up instead of falling over one another but made it slightly challenging to remove short utensils, such as our pastry brush.

Unlike other utensil crocks in our lineup, this holder had small grooves in the bottom that acted as landing spots for the bases of utensils’ handles. There were a total of 18 grooves across the three sections created by dividers. That was a fair amount of utensils—but it mattered which section we placed the utensils in. The smaller sections at either end of this oval container were able to hold fewer utensils than the middle section, so bulky items such as tongs took up a lot of space and were easier to remove when stored in the middle section. We had to pay more attention to where we placed larger utensils.

This expandable crock can be adjusted to suit the number of utensils you want to store. For our tests, we expanded it completely. It is especially long and skinny, with up to three compartments that could accommodate a maximum of 16 utensils. The two permanent dividers separated the utensils, but they took up valuable space in this relatively small crock, and it was difficult to remove one utensil quickly when the crock was full. When spot-cleaning this crock, we realized that there was a space where the sides of the crock overlapped; the sauce between the overlap was hard to reach. This holder had an additional knife block designed to fit three knives. Knives with long blades, such as our winning serrated knife, stuck out of the knife block, but smaller knives like our winning paring knife fit nicely.

This unique crock rotates on its base like a lazy Susan, which is intended to make it easy for users to find utensils quickly. However, it wobbled as we added and removed utensils. It was also unstable when we spun it around. It was the only model in our lineup that didn’t sit securely on the counter. There are some promising features in this crock, such as its wide opening, removable dividers, and silicone mat, but those features didn’t make up for its instability.

We love the look of this oval bamboo utensil crock, but we were disappointed that we could fit only 10 utensils in it. It was particularly challenging to remove and replace utensils in the tapered ends of the oval. This model must be washed by hand, since it’s not dishwasher-safe, and because of its shape and small size, it was a bit uncomfortable when we tried to fit our hand in it when cleaning. Lastly, the bamboo color faded slightly after 10 washes.

This spacious crock easily fit 20 utensils. It sat sturdily on our counters. We liked its removable divider, which kept our utensils from sliding around and taking up more space. Its smooth ceramic surface was a breeze to clean—either in the dishwasher or by hand. 

This round ceramic crock is large enough to comfortably fit 20 utensils. The removable dividers organize the utensils and allow the user to remove one utensil quickly without it getting tangled up in other utensils. A removable silicone mat sits at the bottom of the crock, giving utensils a soft place to land while minimizing noise. Because the crock is dishwasher-safe, it’s supereasy to clean when it inevitably gets splattered with food from the stove. Lastly, it’s offered in a variety of colors to match any kitchen.