Dishwasher cutlery trays

[WombatStewForTea]

What fresh hell is this? Our dishwasher has gone kaput so looking for a new one. Half of them seem to have these cutlery trays at the top instead of the traditional baskets. I get that it gives you more space but surely it's a total pain in the arse to empty? My dishwasher is in the utility room so I'd have to traipse back and forth. Am I missing something and they're great?

Mine's shit. Honestly about a quarter of the cutlery doesn't get clean every time, the height lost means you can't get pint glasses in the middle rack unless you lower if and them you can't get 12" plates in the bottom rack.

Have had both including a Miele who originally introduced the tray back in the day. Would highly recommend the tray, you can put all the knives together and just lift them out straight into the cupboard.

We have a dw with a basket because we brought a new build but I would definitely buy a tray again when our current dw conks out!

Dsis has one with a tray, seems like a big faff putting everything in individually. I've also always put forks in one section of the basket, knives in another and so on so it doesn't need sorting once it's done. I would avoid one with a tray personally.

I was anti-tray before I had one. I thought it would be a faff to load and unload and generally be a pain. I got a dishwasher as part of a product trial and it had a tray. I don't find it a faff to load or unload, all the cutlery is ready sorted (if you load it sensibly!) and nothing sticks to other things. I am a convert.

it'd take forever to put everything in surely

That would be my concern. I'm too lazy to lay it all out neatly in order when I could just throw it all in the basket and it still comes out clean.

Fortunately our dishwasher is nearly new so it will be some time before I have to make this decision.

We bought one with that tray, it was a real pain unloading and loading. Now we have bought a traditional basket type online for it (from the manufacturer) and use the top tray for knives, wooden spoons etc and it works much better for us.

As long as you load it in sections it's very quick to unload.

I've found that our serving spoons and soup spoons need to go in with their handles on the outside, or they all get knocked out of the ridges and don't clean as well. No problems other than that thought.

I had an argument with DH when he brought home our new dw with a tray. But it is the business!

The tray is great.

Knives were always a problem in the basket - point down, they'd eventually break through the bottom. Point up.... ridiculous unsafe, people have been seriously hurt or even killed by falling onto upturned knives in an open dishwasher.

Everything is better spaced out too.

I love mine. Practically everything is adjustable in my dishwasher though. So I can adjust the height of the drawers, flip up or down the racks for wine and champagne flutes (I dont own a champagne flute ) and remove the plate holder. Thanks mumsnet for picking me to test it many moons ago. I could never have afforded one otherwise!

Hate it. Don't have any issue loading or unloading it, but if we use every slot, nothing gets clean, so we can only use every other one which is 50% capacity.
Also the loss of height for taller glasses is an absolute pain.
Unless you have a particular safety concern about having a basket, I wouldn't go near if I had the choice.
Aunt recently had to get a new dishwasher and was able to select a basket one.

I was sceptical as well but really like it now.
cuttlery gets clean and seems to get dry quicker than in a basket.
I love that I don't have to bend down to unload the cuttlery.

it's also great for drinks bottel lids and sticky lego pieces other small stuff

Love mine. Went from a basket to a tray about 9 years ago and wasn’t sure at first. When the dishwasher gave up and needed to be replaced, I would only consider one with a tray. Frees up so much space and everything comes out sparkling clean.

I group the cutlery items together so take the same items out in handfuls.

I group the cutlery too. Everything’s adjustable so I can fit glasses in etc.

I’ve had various dishwashers since my first in 1986 and this is the first one I have had with a tray.

Have had it for 2 years now and no way would I buy one with a basket now. 😍

The tray is way, way better. I'd never go back to one with a basket.

The tray is fab BUT we couldn't fit our plates and pint glasses in the now slightly shorter remaining shelves (drawers?). We could adjust stuff, but not enough to fit both in. It was a real pain.
So we had to buy new plates

I like the tray. Makes more room, easy to group cutlery together

@WombatStewForTea they're brilliant

It's quick enough to load the with all the knives together forks together etc. They get properly cleaned and if you Liss it properly it's super quick to unload. Would NOT go back to a basket!

and the long spoons fit a lot better in a tray

I have both. I used the top tray for long knives fish slices etc and all normal cutlery goes in the basket

No it's so much better! And you just have to load it the "right" way (the topic of many an argument in my house). But group forks with forks, spoons with spoons, etc. That way you just grab all of one thing and plonk it in your drawer when they're clean. So much quicker!

Love the dishwasher tray. No basket means more space for pans & bowls at the bottom!

Do people with trays load each piece of cutlery into the slots? I just chuck it all in on top but with the handles pointing down towards the front of the tray.

I love it. It removes the decision of do you put the sharp knives point down and wreck the basket or point up and potentially stab yourself.