7 Effective Ways to Store Kitchen Knives
A proper cook always has a set of dependable knives in their kitchen. While knives are essential, they are also dangerous, and every knife owner should know how to properly store them to prevent injuries and accidents.
Owning knives can make one feel uneasy, especially if you have children. For this reason, it’s important to always keep them safely stored when not in use. Whether you want to have your knives out in the open for aesthetic purposes, or tucked away inside a drawer, either way is fine as long as it’s done right. Practicing proper storage is also important for keeping your knives in good condition. In today’s article, we’ll explore a few excellent ways to store your kitchen knives.
Sheathing Your Knives
While knives come in many different shapes, sizes, and specifications, they all share two things in common: a tang and pointed edges. Together, the tang and pointed edge equals a knife’s blade, and exposing your blade to air can lead to blunting. A simple way to prevent blunting due to air exposure is to purchase a sheath for your knives and keep your knife in the sheath at all times until you’re ready to use it. In fact, purchasing a sheath for every knife in your kitchen is an imperative first step when it comes to proper knife storage, so before you go any further in regard to knife storage, be sure to purchase sheaths.
Modern-day Ideas for Kitchen Knife Storage
Now that your knives are sheathed, it’s time to find an area where they can be stored permanently. Below are some ideal options to place them.
Magnetic Wall Rack
Magnetic wall racks are perfect if you’re someone who needs their knives to be easily accessible. With magnetic wall racks, you can save a lot of space on your tabletop and drawers and can simply grab the knife off the wall when you need to use them. While most magnetic wall racks are made of bamboo, eco-friendly plastic racks have been gaining in popularity in recent years and they offer superior point-edge protection and are easily changeable.
Drawer Tray
If you’d rather keep your knives hidden as opposed to always in-sight on the wall, then a drawer tray is a great storage option. A good drawer tray will have separated, divided spaces for multiple different types of knives such as a chef’s knife, cutting knife, paring knives, and cleavers among many others. The divided spaces make it easy to organize your knives and allows for quick spotting.
Knife Blocks
Not only are knife blocks inexpensive, but they can also be very aesthetic and take up very little space in your kitchen. A knife block typically measures 5×8 inches and can store up to 6 large knives or 10 smaller knives. One drawback of kitchen blocks is that they tend to easily capture food residue from sliced ingredients. Keeping your knife clean after usage will prevent this, however if it happens, knife blocks are easy to clean as you simply rinse it under running water for a few seconds.
Knife Bag
If you’re an active outdoors person, you’re going to need your knives to be easily accessible at all ties. In this case, a knife bag is your ideal storage solution. Not only will your knives be easily accessible, but the knife bag will protect your knives from rubbing against each other, protect your other belongings from coming into contact with your knives, and protect you from potential injury.
Knife Sleeves
If you’re deeply worried about the condition of your blades, them covering them up with molded plastic knife sleeves will bring you ease of mind. Custom made knife sleeves will ensure your blade is protected in the best way possible and offer much better protection than generic sized sleeves.
In-Counter
If you’re looking to make the most out of your limited kitchen space, then an in-counter storage would be another great option. With this option, a knife mounting surface will be built under the countertop. This is similar to a drawer tray.
Expandable Under-Drawer Tray
The expandable under-drawer tray is a newer innovation and has only become popular recently. These trays are compact and consume very little space under the countertop. They’re expandable up to 7 large knives and are a combination of the in-counter and magnetic wall rack which ensures your knives are well-hidden and securely mounted at the same time.
All the storage options we mentioned above can be easily found online. Whichever your choice may be, you’re sure to be making the right choice as your knives will be safely stored and secured.