Dishwasher -cutlery drawer or not?

[QuirkInTheMatrix]

Need a new slimline freestanding dishwasher. Really don’t want a white one either so options seem to be limited to £250 ones like Sharp/Hotpoint/hoover. Or I’ve seen a £550 Bosch one which has a cutlery drawer rather than a basket. Have read mixed reviews about whether a cutlery drawer causes issues with there then not been enough vertical space for plates? Any thoughts?

Cutlery drawer every time. Would never go back to the basket. Doesn't cause problems with height in the lower racks as it's very slim. More space in the bottom drawer as no basket. Cutlery gets laid out and therefore cleaned better. Less mucky and fiddly filling the cutlery drawer than the basket.

Basket all day. Current dishwasher has a drawer and we're forever re washing cutlery that hasn't been properly cleaned by the dishwasher, no matter the cycle or the kind of detergent used. Next dishwasher I'm insisting on a basket.

Drawer. Ours was installed when we did our kitchen 12 years ago so the cutlery drawer is next to the dishwasher.

I lay the cutlery out by type on the tray then can grab and dump the clean stuff straight into the drawer when done.

Easier to train stubborn DCs to use it and no arguments over putting the cutlery facing up but the sharps pointing down which they would inevitably cock up.

I recently used a dishwasher with a basket while away and found it more faffy as everything was mixed. Plus a person I was staying with puts all the cutlery in upside-down 🫣

Do it!

They didn't bat an eyelid 😂

I've always had one with a cutlery drawer as when the kids were little I was worried about them running and falling on the cutlery basket. When I replace this one though I'll get one with a basket.

I bought a Bosch just for the cutlery drawer, my friend has one so I’d seen it in action. It’s about 8 years old now and going strong.

team drawer here too!!

plus the auto-open function that means when the cycle finishes the door clicks open and lets the steam out.

I HATE the drawer. I’m getting a new dishwasher delivered today and I deliberately bought the cheapest Bosch so it didn’t have a drawer. Even with the adjustable height racks I can never fit everything. If the middle one is lower the arms wouldn’t rotate properly unless all the dinner plates were very carefully placed right at the outside and if the middle rack is higher glasses didn’t fit.
the drawer itself is easier but the height thing drove me crazy for years. I couldn’t wait to have an excuse to change the dishwasher

Heathen of course socks must be hung pout in pairs!! Poor little things left on the line to dry without their mates?! Knowing that their mates have not been swallowed by the washing machine monster?!

cutlery drawers definitely make it safer, especially for toddlers and pets!! (and clumsy Adults!!)

I could have this slimline Bosch without a drawer and it’s cheaper but it’s white. My kitchen is green, I really don’t think it would look good. Oh it kind of has a half drawer and a basket!

https://www.very.co.uk/bosch-series-2-sps2ikw01g-slimline-9-place-settings-freestanding-dishwasher-5-programmes-vario-baskets-4-options-48db-95l-white/1601011536.prd?sku=sku27688142&cmmmc=google--BAU+-+Generic--All--PRODUCTGROUPp80722182336[AdID]&utmcampaign=GenericElectricals+-+Shopping+-+Appliances+-+MDA&utmmedium=cpc&utmsource=google&utmterm=PRODUCTGROUP&campaigntype=generic&category=Electricals&gclsrc=aw.ds&gadsource=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD2k1i0ILJJ6rsHH4tU4-MXMtmCk9&gclid=CjwKCAjwktOBhBrEiwAV70jXrlLQevTcsuYzyeUlAnne4YmlHuNbXaviVsQjhOuAkJ6iBkDlarvHhoCNNUQAvDBwE

I have a miele one with a drawer/tray for cutlery
Pint glasses go in the middle and large Denby dinner plates in the bottom no problem.
I always fill and empty one drawer at a time anyway so the tray is perfect for us. So easy to put away. Handful of each straight in the section of the kitchen drawer.

Which make model do you have?

May depend on your set up. Our kitchen is narrow so when cutlery drawer on dishwasher and cutlery drawer on cabinet are open there's less than 6 inches between them.

Unloading that is far faster than basket with slots which I find unbearably fiddly.

I also think you lose a lot of space to a cutlery basket. Wine glasses etc go in top tray at an angle, shape is designed for it. So no problem with height.

@Bumpinthenight we did the exact same thing and the chaps in the showroom thought it was genius because everyone's plates/bowls etc are different shapes and sizes. We took one set of crockery, dinner plate, side plate, pasta bowl and cereal bowl and our tall water glasses because we wanted the cutlery tray at the top and wanted to make sure it didn't impede the baskets below.

It is the best way to do it especially in a showroom with lots of dishwashers on display. Plus I like to feel the quality of the racks etc.

Another downside about our cutlery drawer is that the slots for cutlery are so small and rigid, and the drawer height is too narrow. So anything larger or awkwardly shaped (the kids’ IKEA cutlery.l.) either takes up half the drawer and we can’t fit any cutlery in on that side, or has to go in the middle drawer and takes up loads of space. We can move the middle drawer up and down but not the cutlery drawer.

It doesn't take any longer to slide into a slot than into a basket. They are quicker to empty too as you tend to have knifes together so one handful and Into the drawer.

@QuirkInTheMatrix I am another one who would not go back to a basket. I have a Miele machine and ours come with a separate basket if you prefer over the drawer. I was certain we would default to the basket but years later it's just sitting on a shelf having never been used.

I’ve never used the basket either.

I hated the way the cutlery would tangle with each other and the basket in our old washing machine. I also think with a bit of care to slot the cutlery in, the drawer cleans far better.

If you don’t have a very big load of cutlery, you can even just sprinkle the cutlery across the drawer layer - though that happens rarely in our house!

100%

Did we need to know the brand of your dinner plates?

I think it was to give a size indication of a well-known style.

Thanks, that makes more sense!

Drawers absolutely take far longer to load. For a basket, it’s grab handful of dirty cutlery off plate, lob in basket. For drawers, you have to place each individual item in a slot, which may or may not fit your knives and forks. To unload, just take the basket to your drawer and sort the clean cutlery.

Cutlery drawers are not that convenient if the cutlery lives some way from the dishwasher. Ours does, and I specifically wanted a cutlery basket so I can take it over to the cutlery storage drawer in the kitchen.

I’m not buying that the drawer is easier. It is less ergonomic than a basket. I have had both. You have a plate and cutlery to load - open door, pull out bottom rack, add plate and cutlery. Mug and spoon - pull out top rack, add mug then drop spoon into basket at front of bottom rack. Emptying- take basket to drawer and unload. Not back and forth with and handful of spoons, then a handful of forks etc.

I’d just like to thank this thread 🙂

We got a new dishwasher recently - with a cutlery drawer - and had been having problems with our plates being too big to go in the bottom rack properly.

After reading some of the reply on this thread, DH & I went and had a proper look at our dishwasher manual - and our middle rack has an adjustable height! So our plates will fit after all!

Although getting back to the cutlery drawer vs cutlery basket question, we did keep the basket from the old dishwasher but haven’t used it as the cutlery drawer’s been working well for us once we got used to slotting the cutlery in there.