Carousel | Rotating Grain Dispenser

A grain bin that has to be lifted down and prised open gets used once a week and forgotten the rest of the time. This one turns on its own base, so the compartment you want comes round to meet you, and it releases from a drawer at the front rather than being poured from the top. In a corner of a worktop or a deep cupboard, that is the difference between a store cupboard and a working one.

The upper drum is clear and divided into wedge-shaped compartments, so rice, pulses and grains stay separate inside one object rather than colonising four, and the level of each is visible at a glance without lifting the lid. Below it sits a solid base with the dispensing drawer set into the front. The body is a thickened plastic moulding, sealed well enough to keep out damp and dust and rated by the maker as mildew proof, which is the honest test for anything holding grain from one season into the next.

The finish is gold-plated white — bright enough to lift a dark run of units and to hold its own against stainless steel, rather than disappearing into it. It weighs around 2.4 kilograms empty, substantial enough to stay put while it turns.

• Body: thickened plastic, sealed against damp and dust
• Base: rotates through a full circle
• Upper drum: clear, divided into separate wedge compartments
• Dispensing: drawer at the front rather than pouring from the top
• Weight: approximately 2.4 kg empty
• Finish: gold-plated white