My grandson asked why I always put the cheese grater back in the drawer but grate cheese directly over the pot on the stove

I told him it's called workflow optimization.

The grater has a home—that's the drawer. But when I'm making mac and cheese at 5:47 PM with one hand stirring and the other fielding texts about whose turn it is to feed the dog, I'm not about to dirty a bowl, grate into it, then transfer the cheese into the pot like some kind of recipe-book overachiever.

Punchline

I grate straight into the steam because I'm efficient, not aspirational.

The drawer is for storage. The stovetop is for momentum.