Knife Storage

So, I now have 2 nice knives to add to my Victorinox in my kitchen and am wondering what is the best way to store them. I don't like the idea of a drawer as they slide around and the two new ones don't have a sheath for them. I've seen a few knife magnet blocks, but I'm not sure how good those are for the knives. A Knife block is usually sized for a particular set and these are mis-matching.

Any recommended storage from any of you kitchen gurus?

You can buy plastic sleeves which hold themselves on any blade by spring action. They work very well and are easy on your edge. They're also cheap and come in lots of sizes. Search for "Blade guard" and you should find a whole bunch of options.

I have one of those magnetic strips for my knives. They are convenient and save counter space, but be aware that knives do fall down from a magnet strip unless you put them in place very carefully. And be sure to give it a good wipe-down to remove any metal particles when its brand new, because your knives will get scratched. Actually, even after you wipe it down, your knives will get scratched. I don't have any that are really expensive, so it doesn't bother me, but if you've got some nice Wusthof or Ken Onion or Japanese chef tools, that might be a concern.

If you are willing to sacrifice a little counter space and want a block that will take any and all knives regardless of size and shape, check out this product:
http://www.amazon.com/Kapoosh-Knife-Block-Light-Woodgrain/dp/B000Q4I9LM

I use a magnet strip I got from Target for about $15. It is bare metal and has nothing to keep the blades safe. My Japanese knives stick to it like glue, but my Wustof boning knife does not. My Victornox boning knife holds on just fine. When removing and replacing, I twist the knives to the spine and then pull straight away. It keeps the edge safe and prevents scratches as long as you don't slide it on and off. There are more expensive magnets that are protected and don't need as much care when removing and replacing. It's easy, so long as you pay attention to what you're doing.

I bought one of these 7 slot holders for my Japanese Chef's knife and Japanese paring knife...I mean SWMBO's paring knife. She just filled 4 of the knife slots with some cheapo paring knives she likes to use for rough stuff, and the other slot has a longer bread knife. Works great.

http://www.everythingkitchens.com/w...-storage-tray-7-slot-wusthof-knives-8000.html

dpm802 said:

If you are willing to sacrifice a little counter space and want a block that will take any and all knives regardless of size and shape, check out this product:
http://www.amazon.com/Kapoosh-Knife-Block-Light-Woodgrain/dp/B000Q4I9LM

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I'll second that recommendation for the Kapoosh. I've had one of those for 8 years or so. You can arrange your knifes any way you want and can fit wide or odd-shaped things too.

Robertology said:

I'll second that recommendation for the Kapoosh. I've had one of those for 8 years or so. You can arrange your knifes any way you want and can fit wide or odd-shaped things too.

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I don't have a Kapoosh, but I saw it a couple years ago at Bed, Bath and Beyond and it impressed the heck out of me.
My countertop space is at a premium, but if I had a larger kitchen, I'd get one for sure.

Thanks for all the great suggestions so far. I'm thinking about a wooden covered magnet for the wall. The Kapoosh block looks interesting as well.

simon1 said:

I bought one of these 7 slot holders for my Japanese Chef's knife and Japanese paring knife...I mean SWMBO's paring knife. She just filled 4 of the knife slots with some cheapo paring knives she likes to use for rough stuff, and the other slot has a longer bread knife. Works great.

http://www.everythingkitchens.com/w...-storage-tray-7-slot-wusthof-knives-8000.html

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Wouldn't this one dull the blades of the knives? It looks like they are resting on the blades themselves. It would be a nice space saver in a drawer though.

lowjax said:

Wouldn't this one dull the blades of the knives? It looks like they are resting on the blades themselves. It would be a nice space saver in a drawer though.

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Someone, with more experience than I, may have to chime in, but I just trued up a sharpening stone today and touched up the edge of the paring knife the SWMBO has used extensively for a few weeks. Pulled out the Chefs' knife to see if I needed to sharpen it, and it still will shave ya. I haven't had a problem with the block.

YMMV.

lowjax said:

Thanks for all the great suggestions so far. I'm thinking about a wooden covered magnet for the wall. The Kapoosh block looks interesting as well.

Wouldn't this one dull the blades of the knives? It looks like they are resting on the blades themselves. It would be a nice space saver in a drawer though.

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I use these as well. I have one I picked up in a high end kitchen store for about $60. As my knife collection grew I saw another at the local WalMart and picked it up for $20. It was inexpensive, good quality and easily available so I figured why not. Honestly not a great performance between the two at all. These are perfect for me because my wife doesn't like knives in view as it kinda freaks her out. I thing maybe she saw too many horror movies as a kid.

In using these I haven't noticed any degradation of the edge what so ever. They are just as gentle as using a wood block. They pretty much stay put unless you are really slamming the the hell out of the drawer all the time (don't do that) and the drawer isn't opened all that often for them to slide around not that they do anyway.

If you go the wall magnet route then you do have to take care here as well to not lead with the blade or you can cause damage that way as well. I've seen a lot of chipped blades from inexperienced people putting them back on the magnet so keep that in mind also.

I bought a large knife block with steak knife slots as well. My knives may be mismatched, but they are immediately accessible on my counter and with a sideways oriented block they don't rest on the blade.

Robertology said:

I'll second that recommendation for the Kapoosh. I've had one of those for 8 years or so. You can arrange your knifes any way you want and can fit wide or odd-shaped things too.

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They are not deep. 8" so your 11" knives will stick out somewhat dangerously if you have kids or others who may not pay too much attention to what they are doing.

This is what I use. Bed Bath and Beyond. about $25. The insides are made of thin plastic rods. The inserts are removable and dishwasher safe. It fits my 10" chef and 12" Granton slicer easily. small knives in the front section.

Khedquist said:

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This is what I use. Bed Bath and Beyond. about $25. The insides are made of thin plastic rods. The inserts are removable and dishwasher safe. It fits my 10" chef and 12" Granton slicer easily. small knives in the front section.

Click to expand...

You can make the same thing using an appropriate sized vase or container, and bamboo sate skewers.

+1 for this solution.

simon1 said:

I bought one of these 7 slot holders for my Japanese Chef's knife and Japanese paring knife...I mean SWMBO's paring knife. She just filled 4 of the knife slots with some cheapo paring knives she likes to use for rough stuff, and the other slot has a longer bread knife. Works great.

http://www.everythingkitchens.com/w...-storage-tray-7-slot-wusthof-knives-8000.html

Click to expand...

Legion said:

You can make the same thing using an appropriate sized vase or container, and bamboo sate skewers.

Click to expand...

+1 for this version. I've seen it done and it works well.

Our very own Jim used to make wood racks with super strength embedded rare earth magnets. They were beautiful. I can't imagine a better combination of form and function.

My daughter even got an A on a science project with one of his magnets.

I used to like those plastic straw hold anything knife racks, but over time I found that they dulled out the tips and blades faster than normal esp with a sharp knife. I'd probably use it for 'throw away' knives from target and the like, but with a good high quality blade, I think you're better off with a universal sleeve if you want to keep it in a drawer.

I got a magnet strip from Ikea that works well and grips like crazy for most of my beater knives but for my Shun Ken Onion I use display stand on the counter because comeon' who wants to hide such a beautiful knife:


http://www.amazon.com/Ken-Onion-Rain-Knife-Cradle/dp/B00FBLLYE4/

I like a magnetic knife rack myself.