Westie, I *love* those anitnesting slots! That's one of the coolest things about these machines. I usually use one of the small sections as a covered small items basket as you indicated.
I also like those fold down things on the top that you can use either to lay things on or hold stemware in place.
The design of the top rack also holds your glassware and things in place better. On the old Maytag, it was just sort of a flat track, and things could slide around, and I often would wind up with chipped edges on my glasses if someone pulled the rack in and out too hard or fast.