A sleek, easy-to-clean crock

Take charge of your clunky, disorganized collection of kitchen tools by replacing your old crock with this welldesigned utensil holder. Its oval shape allows it to sit closer to the wall, making more room on the counter. The crock has three partitions that help keep our spatulas and wooden spoons in order, and the bottom of the crock comes off for easy cleaning.

OXO stainless-steel utensil holder, $19.99 atOXO.com.

A box worth its salt

We like to keep our kosher and sea salt in containers on the counter, so it’s easy to season whatever we’re cooking. It’s annoying, though, when salt spills out or unwanted food particles fall in, so we’re partial to this nifty salt keeper; it’s got a swivel top that’s easy to open, protecting the salt but making it easy to access.

Salt keeper, $14.95 atCrateandbarrel.com.

A scale for the wall

Although scales are indispensable kitchen tools, they can occupy more space on the counter than you’re willing to give, especially if you’ve got a small kitchen. That’s why we like this sleek, wall-mounted scale from Soehnle; it frees up counterspace, folding out when you need it and folding back up when you don’t.

Soehnle Bernina scale, $49.95 atCooking.com.

A place to store bread and slice it, too

We like these boxes for their handy built-in cutting boards—Polder’s stainless-steel box boasts a board that slides out from underneath the storage compartment, while Nigella Lawson’s roomy bread bin has a lid that doubles as a cutting board.

Polder bread box, $59.99 atAmazon.com; Nigella Lawson bread bin, $89.98 atCheftools.com.