Having the right tool for the job is an essential aspect of cooking. One look in most any kitchen drawer will confirm as much; they are often cluttered with a horde of cooking implements. One option for keeping long-handled pieces out where they can be easily reached is the old-fashioned crock jar. For some, that unorganized look just won’t do, but there is another solution.

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Kitchen clutter has a way of getting into everything. From food products that get shuffled to the back of the pantry, to countertops populated with gadgets and gizmos, kitchens everywhere suffer from the ever-burning question of where to store it all.

The Prepara Flip Masher won’t clean out the junk drawer for you, but it can at least be made thin enough to slide into it. With a mashing head that rotates 90 degrees when the sides are pressed in, the utensil transforms from a bulky, odd-shaped kitchen tool, to one that is easily stored. Sometimes it’s the small victories that count, and at a cost of $19.95, this one has a price to match.

Measuring spoons. Handy little devices–when you can find the one you are looking for. Even the ones that come attached to a plastic ring tend to get separated and subsequently lost. Forget building a better mousetrap, at least when it comes to baking essentials, it’s all about corralling those measuring spoons.

This set of Foldable Measuring Spoons at Sur La Table would do nicely. Including four of the more commonly used measurements of ¼ tsp., ½ tsp., 1 tsp. and 1 Tbsp, the one you are looking for is always at hand. Assuming, of course, you don’t misplace the entire set. For $3.95, maybe picking up an extra set isn’t a bad idea.

Kitchen gadgets are easy to accumulate: they are fun, encourage you to cook and make excellent gifts. One measure as to the usefulness of any kitchen gadget is how many degrees separate it from being a unitasker. Any device meant to do one thing is just going to end up cluttering up the junk drawer. If a gizmo can do two things, great. Three things, even better. But four? Hey. I’m on board.

Okay, this Zyliss 4-In-1 Multi Slicer/Grater might be pushing it, as almost any grater will at least offer the choice between fine and course, but not as many can handle slicing too. If you got a mandoline hanging out in your kitchen, there’s a good chance it doesn’t do any grating (although many do). Likewise for your grater, the slicer portion can be woefully inadequate. With the added bonus of a finger guard, this grater-meets-mandoline makes for a fine addition into the collection of kitchen gadgets designed to do more than one thing.

Most utensils suffer from a lack of notoriety. It’s not the fault of any particular cooking implement; most are resigned to spend their time buried in the junk utensil drawer. While utensils, in general, do not seek out the limelight, they could use a little more face time with the kitchen.

Yesterday I wrote about the Swissarmius, a storage/display option for utensils, and following up on that trend, today we have the Tate Otama from Mikiya Kobayashi Design. The freestanding ladles offer an elegant design married with practicality. Always at the ready, the ladle stands tall and proud—if just given the opportunity.

(Via Domestic Geek)

Has your utensil drawer decayed into a mish-mash of semi-pointed objects in which the needed tool is always just out of reach? Admit it, it’s easy to stay unorganized when it comes to cooking tools that we can store out of sight. Perhaps the best thing might be to bring the dark corners of your utensil collection out into the light. With the Swissarmius you can store all of your kitchen essentials right out in the open, organized and with style. Plus, it gives you a chance to really examine your need for owning three melon ballers. Trust me, you can let one of ‘em go.

(Via Wired)