The great New Zealand cutlery drawer debate lights up the internet

Not sure.....Ill have to ask the butler.

Why does everyone think that there is only one right way? The right way is the one that suits you.

The patent on toilet paper (or the holder, I cant remember which) says that the paper hangs over the front. Everything else is just an abomination unto the lord.

I just wish people would spell drawer correctly... its drawer not draw.You draw a picture or draw a card out of a deck of cards that might be kept in a drawer!

In the drawer same as on the table - pick up forks in left hand and knives in right and place them down without crossing arms.

I come from several generations of, from the left, knives, forks and spoons. Nothing else will do. :)

If you buy from Hafele or Blum they have aspirational photos to guide you. If you live with Mum or Granny you do as they do. If you are a husband you do the opposite from your wife. I had a friend admonish me for putting cutlery pointy end up in the dishwasher. My idea was that it cleans better than it the basket. He said a child had fallen into one in Guernsey and been impaled. I think I am right and, hey, its an excellent way to discourage children from getting piercings as teenagers. He thinks I am a sociopath. Really? As if its even an issue....

Knives in the middle is just wrong. Anything but that.

It really doesnt matter which way they get arranged but its like the toilet paper argument - just dont come in to my house & change it. My house - my rules!

Ive managed to solve most of the conflict areas by duplicating ( e.g. two TVs and seperate spaces to enjoy different things, two toothpaste tubes, ... ) but we only have one kitchen drawer so that isnt a solution for cutlery. Logically ( to my mind ) the phrase âcutlery drawer❠means a drawer for storing cutlery and similar things. However for my partner the key word is âdrawerâ, and a âdrawer❠is where you put things to keep the bench tidy. I live for the day when all I have to worry about is whether the cutlery is arranged left or right, up or down! My life is spent trying to find the cutlery underneath packets of pasta, boxes of Gladwrap, and all manner of other bits and pieces that have come to hand and been shoved into the drawer. Others may fantasise about wonderful Kitchens with multiple surfaces and all manner of gadgets â“ my dream is having two drawers!

As long as forks and knives are next to each other, I dont mind which way they go. Spoons MUST be one side or the other. And of course handles to the front of the drawer - otherwise youre getting your grubby mitts all over the eating end!

Loo paper should hang out UNLESS you are on a boat. On a boat, if the head window is left open, you will find that a roll of outie paper will have lifted gently in the sea breeze and unwound itself to take up the volume of the space. An afternoon at sea can result in a double roll wedged, wodged and wrapped around head, shower curtain, taps, heated towel rail.... :-o

fork in ell, youre right

Left chopstick on the left, right on the right, cutlery all mixed up in the middle

off the front is the only acceptable answer

That made me smile. Hubby used to use the pointy end up until he hurt himself a few times and came to his senses. Im just happy he helps out whatever technique he uses :)

A while ago I worked with a woman embarking on her second marriage after a long inbetween break. Didnt take very long at all till she came to work in tears talking big mistake, divorce. Why we asked very concerned. Turned out there were incompatible differences in the way the dishwasher cutlery was loaded, then put away after.This horrendous dispute got as far as mediation. It ended with hubby, whod been the one getting so angry and implacable about this, in charge of the dishwasher stacking and putting the contents away after.We all thought our colleague had won as she never had to do the dishes any more. What a huge fuss about something that was so inconsequential. Bit like the apparently set in concrete comments here.

No no, that is an American thing and totally wrong in proper society. Spoons go to the right of knives you fiend.

Why does everyone here keep the cutlery in the kitchen? Do they keep coal in the bath and, if not, why not?

I have a kitchen with TWO cutlery drawers! One is a sort of secret cutlery drawer that sits above the official one. Not really sure what its for apart from either an excess of knives forks etc or for storing the snail forks, cake forks, salad spoons, Winkle hooks etc that one uses on special occasions.