As you may know, I’m a huge advocate for starting a side hustle.
One of the many reasons is due to the amount of learning that takes place when you try to monetize something you do.
In 2016 I started a knife sharpening side hustle to raise money toward my Applied Permaculture Project.
You can’t NOT become opinionated about how to store kitchen knives after sharpening as many as I have.
Here’s how to store kitchen knives, from my favorite to least favorite, with some personal commentary on each.
Drawer Block
This is a smart, safe way to store blades, but I must confess that I don’t use one for my own knives.
The advantages are that it keeps the edges of the knives safe from getting damaged, and the open style of the block makes it easy to keep clean.
The downside is that it takes up drawer space, which might not even be an issue for you.
Counter Block
This is the method I use for most of my knives.
The block keeps the edges of the knife safe from damage, but the inside of the block is difficult or impossible to access for cleaning. I’ve heard stories of unsanitary conditions inside the slots on the block, but have never suffered the problem myself.
The other downside of this method is that it does take up a considerable amount of counter space, but the advantage is that the knives are readily available.
Magnet Strip
I also use a magnet strip, but as we work down the list we work into the methods that I generally recommend against.
If you use a magnet strip, please be diligent about placing the spine of the knife up against the magnet and then rolling the flat part of the blade against the magnet softly. If done incorrectly this can be very damaging to knives. Also, when removing knives, roll the flat face of the blade off the magnet so that only the spine of the knife is against it, then pull the knife away.
Loose in Drawer
Please don’t store any knives loosely in a drawer. The opening and closing of the drawer will jostle the knives around, bang them against each other so that in a best case scenario they get dull quickly, or, in the worst case scenario, the edges get chipped.
Suitcase
Throwing this in because I’ve seen some professional chef’s use a suitcase. The purpose built suitcases will have little friction slots to grab each knife. This is a good way to travel with blades, but probably beyond the scope for most people.
Bonus Material
Since I’m preaching about knives, I want to take a minute to throw in another few nuggets of advice.
How to Clean Knives
I’m not going to get totally worked up over this, but I do have a few knives in the kitchen that only get washed by hand. One is a 6” carbon steel Japanese chef knife, and my other is my Victorinox 8” chef knife. They’re the ones I use ALL the time so I want the edge to stay fresh as long as possible.
For the special knives and especially carbon steel knives: hand wash, dry, and put right back in the block.
All the others can go in the special silverware tray in the dishwasher, but please don’t put any in the bin in the dishwasher where they’ll clang around with all the other silverware.
How to transport knives
As said above, the suitcase is classy.
Next up, I love the canvas rolls. I have aspirations of making them for my extra favorite customers at The American Edge.
Paperboard knife sleeves are pretty good but since those cost money I usually just wrap sharp knives up in packing paper and bind with some string.
Many of my customers drop off knives wrapped in a dish towel, which works well, as does some cardboard folded over and clasped together with a binder clip.
Now you know how to store kitchen knives
Those are my favorite methods for storing and transporting knives. The most important thing to remember is to minimize the edge from contacting anything other than food and a cutting board.
The edge of the knife is where the two sides meet to form an extremely THIN piece of metal. It’s fragile. Take care of it and it will last you longer and provide you a better cooking experience.
Remember, though, even the best maintained knives get dull, so get your favorite knives sharpened at least every year by someone you trust, preferably me 🙂
Stay sharp!
NHMan
Be sure to check out my store for your knife and block needs, as well as great gift ideas.
[sibwp_form id=2]
