I’ve been cooking in a new kitchen for the past week now, and it’s been interesting trying to figure out where to put stuff. It’s been even more interesting remembering what I originally decided, which means I end up opening, oh, about 2 or 3 different drawers before I hit the jackpot.
One of the biggest challenges for me, storage-wise, has been where to store my knives. In my old kitchen, I had one of those slot-free knife blocks that let me insert a knife anywhere it could fit. But now my wall cabinets are a little closer to the counter, which means I can either store the block next to the wall and scrape my knuckles against the wall cabinets every time I grab a knife, or keep it away from the wall with an awkward empty space behind it. Neither option appealed to me (I happen to like my knuckles intact), so I went online in search of alternative knife storage solutions.
Who knew there were so many options to the traditional knife block? There were in-drawer blocks, some using cork, others with carved slots, magnetic strips that mount on the wall, knife blade guards, under-cabinet swiveling knife blocks … I half-expected to find a programmable Roomba-type unit that could fetch the proper knife for you from the pantry, linked to your iPhone so you can have Siri send it commands. Maybe that’s next year’s model.
So today I thought—a bit selfishly, I might add—that we can talk a bit about knife storage. Tell us:
What are your favorite tips and tricks for storing knives?
Do you have any favorite storage tools? A link to a photo somewhere with your dream knife storage setup? Any advice, or cautions against a particular method of storage? Or do you have a question that someone else might be able to answer for you? Come share below!
41 Comments
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Cheryl on 5.27.2015
When it comes to knives the most important thing for me is safety. With two little ones in the house I am always careful where I leave them and this seems like a really good option… and it looks good!
Jenn on 3.3.2015
IKEA magnetic strip hands down. I think it’s $8 or so. Cannot beat the price, we even moved ours to our new house no issues. Plus with them being on the wall, with the cabinet/counter in between it safely keeps them out of the reach of crazy toddler hands. Not like I know that from experience or anything.
Av on 3.2.2015
I have a small-ish drawer that is perfectly located for my knives. I don’t have a huge collection, just a few very good knives (maybe 6 in total). I bought this for my drawer and love it. It doesn’t dull my blades. They are easy and quick to put away. If my knives had similar handles I might not like it, but they are all distinct and easy to pick out because their handles are different.
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/1/1/28557-knifedock.html
Rednek on 3.1.2015
Very cold but the snow is melting. A hot bowl of Texas Chili with make it all better.
Janine C. on 3.1.2015
Cool and more snow on its way.
Kay on 3.1.2015
More snow and it is beautiful. Spring is getting closer and I will enjoy that too.
Kathryn Cole on 2.28.2015
There’s so much snow that my “white” small rescue dogs could get lost in it. I could use something to “slice” them out!! Lol
Suzie on 2.28.2015
Bitter cold with a chance of more snow.
David on 2.27.2015
I’m on the Oregon coast and it’s beautiful for this time of year
Jenice on 2.27.2015
I store my good knives in a block that my son made me in shop class 45 years ago.
kay43026 on 2.27.2015
I have a full set of Cutco knives & store them on the counter in a wooden block. My ‘extra’ knives are stored along the edge of my towel drawer, in the sturdy sleeve protector that came with the knives.
I have a pretty small kitchen and that’s what works for me.
Deb on 2.27.2015
10°
Tiffany Waters on 2.27.2015
in a wooden knife block
kim on 2.27.2015
I have a small kitchen, with one tiny drawer for knives. So I have a small organizer that holds my (cheap, indestructible) steak knives and my paring knife. My bigger knives are ‘sleeved’ with paper towel rolls. Sounds kooky, but the sleeves are free, really, and they work great. If one starts to look tattered I just replace it the next time I finish a roll of paper towels.
KATHY W on 2.27.2015
Mine are in a knife block in a drawer…probably not the best way so i need this!
Hiromi on 2.27.2015
I ditto the magnetic strip from IKEA…I think it is for holding those spice cans but it works perfectly for knives also…everything is in plain sight and no guessing game.
Tracy on 2.26.2015
I use not one but two wooden bars with magnetic strips embedded in them, that attach to the wall under my cabinets, similar in concept to the one shown in this article’s photo. One is about 10″ long and holds my smaller knives (paring, tomato, sheep’s foot, bird’s beak, etc.) and a slightly longer one that holds my bigger, longer knives (bread knife, large butcher, carvings knives, filet knives, boning knife, etc.). I love them and will never use anything else. In-drawer is a pain, I’ve never liked the wooden slotted blocks (dulls the blades going in and out, gets dirty and hard to clean), and I’ve never had any nicking problem. Just being able to grab the knife I need and keep cooking is the best option for me.
Lana on 2.26.2015
I have individual sheaths for all my knives and keep them in a drawer. Most are a commercial, plastic-type sheath that opens on the long side. I also have made several from cardboard and tape that work very well to slip my knives into from the end.
Jen M. on 2.26.2015
I have a magnetic strip that I got from Ikea. I love it.
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60238645/
Patricia @ ButterYum on 2.26.2015
I sell knives and I always tell people rather than focus on a particular brand, they should buy what feels good in their hand. Any good knife place should have an area setup where someone can chop a few veggies to get a feel for whether or not a knife feels good. Knife sets are usually a great value overall, but they tend to include a lot of knives people don’t use. A great basic set should include these 3 knives: a paring knife, a serrated bread knife (great also for cutting cake, tomatoes, and soft cheese), and either a Chef’s knife or a Santoku/Nakiri (chef’s knife for those who like to chop with a rocking motion; santoku or nakiri for those who don’t like to use a rocking motion when they chop). Speaking of chopping, I’ll post a link below for the proper way you should hold your chef’s, santoku, or nakiri knives. For storage, I personally like to keep my knives on a wall-mounted magnetic strip. Keeps them out of the way and I can grab what I need whenever I need it. http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=knife+pinch+grip&FORM=HDRSC2#view=detail&id=D8E36B0ED3A10BD8155D91E19988F4C9FAA6B2AB&selectedIndex=1
Jant Martin on 2.26.2015
I use a block–it’s hand made and beautiful, but stores the knives vertically instead of horizontally–a VERY important thing to remember if you have this type of block is to store the knives with the blades upward so you don’t dull them by pulling them in an out with the blades scoring the wood surface
Betty on 2.26.2015
I have a wall mounted magnet and I love it!! Be sure to get one that is one solid magnet. The kind that have little magnetic strips such as in the photo above can cause nicks in your knives. Nobday wants that!!
slammie on 2.26.2015
I have a knife block for a set that I got free with credit card points YEARS ago. 99.9% of the time I only use my Asian cleaver so it’s always in the drain rack ready to go. I have a drawer of other knifes (other cleavers, etc) but never use them.
sheilahskitchen on 2.26.2015
I have one of the wooden knife blocks which is pretty handy.
Vicki in NC on 2.25.2015
Wall mounted magnetic holder.
Sandi W. on 2.25.2015
I have a traditional knife block but my one tip is to always insert the knives in blade up so when you pull them out they don’t drag across the wood and become dull quickly.
Bernadette on 2.25.2015
I just have all my favorite knives on two metal magnetic strips attached to the side of mycupboard. Knives are always handy to grab whenever I need them.
Pat on 2.25.2015
I have slot free knife block, but it was too deep to fit under my cabinets and stuck out too far not to be under them! The wood block didn’t offer enough flexibility. I have a wall mounted magnet, but occasionally the knives don’t quite stick to the magnet, so I’m always a bit in fear one will slip and without thinking, I will try to catch it. We have a sharps drawer, but then the pizza wheel moves in, so it’s a bit more of a hunt than I like. Still haven’t found a perfect solution.
Joan Hicks on 2.25.2015
I have a knife drawer that I can lock.
Kathryn on 2.25.2015
i have a bay window at the kitchen sink. When my son was born (he’s 14 now) I moved all the big knives to the very large windowsill. I have a full knife block and a magnetic strip on the wall to hold everything. It’s immediately accessible and after all these years I don’t have any drawer space where they would fit
C. L. ( Cheryl ) "Cheffie Cooks" Wiser on 2.25.2015
With so many knives I had a custom unit made to hold them inside a drawer.
Annette S. on 2.25.2015
I like the magnetic strip also, no clutter, and does not use up space. Thank you Natalie for sharing, this one is a beauty!
Erika (TK) on 2.25.2015
Natalie, that is one gorgeous knife strip indeed. Thanks for the link!
Natalie | The Devil Wears Parsley on 2.25.2015
Dudes. I just got this gorgeous live edge magnetic knife strip made out of black walnut, and it’s AWESOME! Frees up counter space like WHOA, and is so much better looking than the traditional magnetic strip.
Highly recommend!!! https://www.etsy.com/listing/196864666/large-live-edge-magnetic-knife-rack?ref=shop_home_active_8
Kim M on 2.25.2015
I store my knives in a drawer with plastic sheaths to protect the blades and my hands. They’re all in one place and I like that I can see the width of each blade so I can choose the correct knife at a glance. It used to drive me crazy to have to partially lift each knife out of the block to see which was which (I’m not the only one who cooks/puts things away in my kitchen.) Plus the sheaths come in different colors, so if you want to color-code your similar sized knives you can. I have seen white, black and grey, but I’m sure there are other colors as well. I didn’t have to mount anything to my cabinets or walls and best of all, there’s no knife block on the counter. I have enough stuff there!
Annie on 2.25.2015
I have a tiny kitchen with limited storage. I went to the kitchen supply store and bought sheaths. They are long white plastic “sleeves” that are open on one long edge and you simply slip over the edge for storage. Since they come in various lengths, I measured all my knives and took my list with me. I bought one for each knife. I absolutely love them because I really only have one drawer for silverware and it must share space with the knives. Otherwise they have to go in the “miscellaneous drawer” with the spatulas and measuring cups. The sleeves keep the blade covered so its safe and protects at the same time.
NancyE on 2.25.2015
My magnetic strip in in the bottom of the knife drawer. It keeps everything nice and neat and easy to find.
Rachel on 2.25.2015
We have a magnetic strip like the one pictured. I love it. Easy, neat, quick, convenient, doesn’t blunt the knives, doesn’t attract clutter. When we get our new kitchen a magnetic knife strip will be the first thing I plan for
Kelly H. on 2.25.2015
In my last house I had one of those under-cabinet swivel ones that I just loved! My current kitchen doesn’t have the right spot for one, so I’ve a standard-sized but horizontally arranged slot knife block that works well enough. I’m super careful to make sure my blades are in top-notch condition, so I only do horizontal-slot setups – almost no chance of nicks that way.
Gidget Shenefield on 2.25.2015
I want one of those magnetic strips… great idea
Chris Bell on 2.25.2015
I have one large drawer devoted entirely to my knives. I probably have a few more than I need, but not so many that I have to dig to find the proper one. Thanks to a remodel last summer I have a drawer for my wooden utensils, another one for my plastic utensils, baking utensils, etc. every cabinet has pull-out drawers on both levels plus many, many regular drawers. LOVE my new kitchen!