So I looked up to see if there is a difference. It turns out that there is a subtle but important difference. "Use" is appropriate when something is used for it's intended purpose, while "utilize" can be used when an item is used for another purpose.  The example was "I used my frying pan to cook dinner", versus "I utilized my frying pan to fight off a home intruder".

The consequence is you can use "use" in place of "utilize, but not the other way around.

Interesting. The more you learn.