Welcome to our big cutlery tray test 2023. Here we present all the cutlery trays we have tested in detail. We have compiled detailed background information and added a summary of customer reviews on the web.
We would like to make your purchase decision easier and help you find the best cutlery tray for you.
You will also find answers to frequently asked questions in our guide. If available, we also offer interesting test videos. Furthermore, you will also find some important information on this page that you should definitely pay attention to if you want to buy a cutlery tray.
Summary
- Cutlery boxes help you to store cutlery properly. They can also help you keep your kitchen utensils tidy.
- Cutlery trays come in many different types and designs. Before buying, think carefully about which version will meet your requirements.
- Cutlery trays range in price from two euros to 150 euros. The price depends on the type, the material and the quality.
The Best Cutlery Tray: Our Picks
Guide: Questions you should ask yourself before buying a Cutlery Tray
What is a cutlery tray and what is it good for?
Another important benefit of cutlery boxes is that the boxes protect the cutlery from moisture and dust, ensuring the necessary hygiene. In cutlery boxes, the cutlery is protected from dirt and can be used without hesitation even after longer storage.
Cutlery boxes come in very different designs. Sometimes very different things are called cutlery boxes. Cutlery trays are usually equated with drawer inserts. In addition to drawer inserts, however, there are also free-standing cutlery boxes with lids and cutlery boxes that can be attached to the wall.
Cutlery boxes are the right thing for you if you want to give your cutlery a permanent place in your home. Cutlery boxes are also good for bringing order to your cutlery assortment.
What size do I need?
Before buying, find out which sizes are suitable for you. Nothing is more annoying than buying a new drawer insert that doesn’t fit in the drawer.
For free-standing cutlery trays and cutlery trays for the wall, you should also consider how much space you can devote to your cutlery tray.
How much does a cutlery tray cost?
| Cutlery tray material | costs |
|---|---|
| Plastic | from 2 € |
| Metal | from 6 € |
| Wood | from 10 € |
The price also depends on the equipment. Some cutlery trays, for example, can be extended by pulling them out. Such special functions naturally increase the cost.
How durable are cutlery trays?
In addition to quality, proper care of the cutlery tray is crucial. Without care, the cutlery tray can rot and dirt can build up, making the cutlery tray unusable. We have compiled some tips for the care of cutlery trays for you below.
In general, it can be said that cutlery trays can serve well for several years to decades if they are well cared for. Since cutlery trays only store cutlery and are therefore not moved much, wear and damage are usually limited.
What Types of Cutlery Trays are there and which is the right one for you?
You can distinguish between four different types of cutlery trays, each of which has different advantages and disadvantages:
- Drawer inserts for the dining table
- Drawer inserts for the kitchen
- Free-standing cutlery trays
- Cutlery trays for the wall
In order to provide you with the best possible information, we will briefly discuss the different types and their advantages and disadvantages in the next section. Before making your purchase decision, think carefully about which type is most suitable for you and suits you best.
What distinguishes a drawer insert for the dining table and what are its advantages and disadvantages?
The first type of cutlery tray is a drawer insert for the dining table. These are devices that can be inserted into the drawers of the dining table. In a next step, the cutlery needed for the meal can be placed in these compartments.
Many people have high expectations of their dining table in terms of design and comfort. For this reason, more elegant cutlery boxes made of wood and bamboo are often used for dining tables, which go well with the often wooden tables. Since only normal cutlery is usually needed when eating, three to five compartments are usually sufficient for a drawer insert for the dining table.
What distinguishes a drawer insert for the kitchen and what are its advantages and disadvantages?
Drawer inserts for the kitchen are used to divide the drawers of the kitchen cabinets in a sensible way. The kitchen utensils used can be sorted into the compartments created in this way. Since the kitchen is often rather functionally furnished, cutlery trays made of plastic are often used here. These are cheaper, more robust and easier to clean.
Because the kitchen often needs to store not only cutlery but additional kitchen utensils, drawer organisers for the kitchen usually need more than three compartments to meet the needs at hand.
What distinguishes a freestanding cutlery tray and what are its advantages and disadvantages?
In addition to drawer inserts, there are also freestanding cutlery boxes. These are small boxes into which the cutlery can be placed. Free-standing cutlery trays are usually made of wood and have a lid so that they can be covered.
Unlike drawer inserts, free-standing cutlery trays need their own space in the kitchen or living area. Think carefully about whether you can find the space for a free-standing cutlery tray before you buy one.
What are the features of a cutlery tray for the wall and what are its advantages and disadvantages?
Finally, there are cutlery trays that can be mounted on kitchen walls.
These are usually small square boxes made of plastic, wood or metal that can be screwed to the wall. Cutlery boxes for the wall are open at the top so that various kitchen utensils can be inserted from above.
Such cutlery trays create order in your kitchen and are used to store kitchen accessories. Wall-mounted cutlery trays require a free wall to which they can be attached. Before buying, think carefully about where you can mount them in your kitchen.
Buying Criteria: You can use these Factors to compare and evaluate Cutlery Trays
As you have seen, cutlery trays come in many different types and designs. To help you find the right product for your purchase decision, we have summarised all the important criteria:
In the next section, we will briefly go into all the points and tell you how you can quickly compare cutlery trays.
Shape
As we have seen, there are many different cutlery trays. In addition to cutlery trays for the drawer, there are also free-standing cutlery trays and cutlery trays that can be attached to the wall.
The type of cutlery tray is one of the main criteria when choosing your cutlery tray, as the cutlery tray should meet your needs.
Before you make a purchase decision, you should think carefully about what kind of cutlery tray you actually want.
Size
Cutlery trays have to fit in terms of size. As a drawer liner, they must fit well in the drawer. They must not be too big, otherwise they are completely unsuitable. Even if the drawer liner is much smaller than the drawer, problems can arise.
For free-standing cutlery trays and cutlery trays for walls, you should consider how much space your cutlery tray can take up. Of course, this depends on your individual kitchen and living situation.
Material
Cutlery trays are available in different materials. The most common are cutlery trays made of plastic, wood and metal. Wooden cutlery trays fit better into wooden dining tables and plastic cutlery trays fit better into the kitchen.
The wooden cutlery trays can again be subdivided according to material – after all, there are many different types of wood. Very different types of wood are also used for cutlery boxes.
Cutlery trays made of bamboo are particularly common. Bamboo impresses with its great appearance, low weight and robust character. In addition to cutlery trays made of bamboo, there are also examples made of beech, oak, ash, birch, willow and pine.
Finally, there are cutlery trays made of metal. Here, cutlery trays made of stainless steel are particularly noteworthy: Stainless steel makes a noble impression, is robust, hygienic and corrosion-resistant. In addition, stainless steel cutlery trays are great eye-catchers.
The material of the cutlery tray is often unjustly neglected when making a purchase decision. Yet, as has been shown, the different materials each have different advantages and disadvantages and should be used in different places. The decision on which material your cutlery tray should be made of is primarily based on your personal taste.
It is therefore worth considering the material of the cutlery tray when making your purchase decision.
Design & colour
In addition to the material, the design and colour of the cutlery tray are central to whether the cutlery tray fits visually into your kitchen or your living or dining room. Especially with cutlery trays made of plastic, there is a huge variety of different colour designs. But cutlery trays made of wood and metal also come in different designs and variations.
Make sure that the cutlery tray suits you and your home. It should not stand out in terms of style, but should fit into the whole as a functional and visually appealing part. Simple designs that are compatible with most living situations and remain attractive and modern over time are particularly recommended.
In addition to these design aspects, however, the deisgn is also important from a practical perspective. There are some things to look for in the design to avoid problems.
The design of cutlery trays is important for your purchase decision not only for visual reasons, but also for practical reasons!
With wooden cutlery trays, you should make sure that the sides and edges are smooth and that no pieces are sticking up. This way you can avoid unpleasant experiences with splinters. If the individual parts of the wooden cutlery tray are screwed together, you should make sure that the screw does not protrude.
If the cutlery tray is made of metal, make sure that the corners and edges are rounded to avoid injuries. The same applies to plastic cutlery trays, where sharp edges and protrusions from production can also cause problems.
In the case of plastic cutlery trays, you should also make sure that the cutlery tray is sufficiently thick at all points to prevent the tray from breaking even with a small amount of incorrect loading.
Compartment design
The design of the cutlery tray’s compartments is also central to your purchase decision. After all, it should meet your requirements. For example, if you want to use your cutlery tray as a drawer at the dining table, three compartments, one each for knives, forks and spoons, may be sufficient.
In the kitchen, on the other hand, you often need a lot more cutlery, such as scrapers, slotted spoons, kitchen knives and the like. A cutlery tray with more compartments is a good choice here, as all the utensils can be sorted.
The spoon is the most primitive eating utensil and is used in almost all cultures for eating. The shape of the spoon originates from the shape of the scooping hand.
Facts worth knowing on the Subject of Cutlery Trays
Can I build a cutlery tray myself?
Do you enjoy making and building things yourself and are you willing to invest a little of your precious time? If you are a bit crafty and have time to spare, you can build your own cutlery tray.
All you need is some squared timber and a very thin wooden board as the base of the cutlery tray. You also need a folding rule, wood glue, clamps and sandpaper to work the wood properly.
The thin wooden board serves as the bottom of the cutlery tray. On this board you can arrange the squared timbers that you have bought at the DIY store or cut yourself.
Next, glue the squared timbers together with the wood glue and fix them with the clamps. When the wood glue has dried, you can smooth the edges with sandpaper and put the cutlery tray in your drawers.
When building your own cutlery tray, make sure that it is the right size. The base plate and the squared timbers must have the right dimensions so that the cutlery tray fits into the drawer of your choice. Therefore, before you start, take the measurements of the drawer with a folding rule and then follow the next steps.
Before you start, think carefully about how many compartments you need and how they should be best placed for you. If you build your own cutlery tray, you have the unique opportunity to build exactly the cutlery tray you want. Make sure you take advantage of this opportunity.
In the next step, the cutlery tray can also be fitted with another wooden plate as a lid and thus be used as a free-standing cutlery tray.
What care does my cutlery tray need?
Cutlery trays are used to store the cutlery that is used every day for cooking and eating. Proper cleaning, care and hygiene is therefore essential. You should regularly wipe out your cutlery tray with a damp cloth to keep it clean.
Please note that, depending on the material, you will have to handle the cutlery tray with care. A wooden cutlery tray, for example, should not be drowned in water, as it may rot if it comes into contact with too much water.
If you want to clean the cutlery tray not only with water but also with a cleaning agent, you must be aware that not every material tolerates every cleaning agent. It is therefore essential to use a cleaning agent that is really suitable for the material in question.
After cleaning, it is also important to dry the cutlery tray thoroughly. Only when it has been wiped with a soft cloth and, if necessary, air-dried, should it be refilled. Otherwise, not only the cutlery tray but also the cutlery can be damaged by oxidation.
It is also important that you never put cutlery wet into a cutlery tray. Cutlery trays are designed to protect cutlery from moisture. However, if puddles of water form in the cutlery tray itself, the cutlery tray can no longer fulfil this function. In addition, the water can damage the material of the cutlery tray.
Where do cutlery trays come from historically and culturally?
Cutlery trays are mainly used for storing and sorting cutlery. Without cutlery, there would be no cutlery tray. It is worth noting that there are cultures in which (eating) cutlery is not used. Instead, the fingers are used for eating or the food is brought into the mouth with the help of chopsticks.
In Europe, too, people mostly used their fingers to eat until the Middle Ages. Cutlery was hardly ever used. It was only through the change in table manners that cutlery became popular and widespread.
So cutlery boxes are indeed not a matter of course. Only in societies where people use cutlery to eat do people come up with the idea of building, buying and using cutlery boxes.
The chopsticks, which are about 25 cm long, are used to hold morsels that have been cut into bite-sized pieces beforehand. Besides China, chopsticks are also used in Japan, Korea and Vietnam.
This is due to the cultural influence of China on these countries. However, chopsticks are not used in the other Asian countries.
Image source: 123rf.com / 42962089
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