Need Your Kitchen Knives to Keep Sharp for Longer? This Easy Trick Will Assist

Kitchen knives play an outsized function in cooking, however many house cooks deal with them with blatant disregard. My very own dad and mom take nice care in seasoning cast-iron and oiling picket slicing boards, solely to toss their finest blades loosely in a drawer after washing. This unholy act causes even probably the most well-crafted cutlery to endure untimely dulling and irreparable harm as edges clink in opposition to each other and the rest saved inside. 

So how do you have to retailer knives so that they keep sharp, last more and do not endure further put on and tear? I turned to Nina Dols, founder and CEO of mail-order knife-sharpening service KnifeAid. Dols, a passionate knife care skilled, shared her ideas about correctly storing kitchen knives and the most important errors to keep away from.

One genius hack Dols advised me includes storing your knives in the other way up in the event you use a picket block. This may hold the blades from rubbing in opposition to wooden when sliding them out and in.

This is every thing I realized about correctly storing knives. 

What’s one of the best ways to retailer kitchen knives?

“A countertop knife block, an in-drawer insert or a knife roll. Something that retains the knives separated and the sides protected. In the event you should hold your knives in a drawer and do not have an insert, be certain that to place a sleeve on every of them.”

Dols notes that she retains hers in a drawer. “We’ve got little kids and much and many knives. Due to this fact we now have a drawer with three inserts that has a child-lock on it. The knives we use much less continuously we hold in rolls.”

The worst errors folks make when storing knives

“Throwing the knives in a drawer and placing them away soiled and/or moist,” in line with Dols. “And it is best to all the time hand wash your knives and dry them fully earlier than storing them in a protected block, sheath or on a magnetic bar.”

“Whereas we’re at it, by no means put knives within the dishwasher. In the event you see a tiny little bit of rust in your knives, be certain that to take away it instantly with a scrubbing sponge.”

Are magnetic knife bars protected to make use of?

Dols stresses that magnetic knife bars are advantageous to make use of so long as they’re used appropriately. Nonetheless, when the knives are eliminated the fallacious means, the blades can scratch or bend, the latter being the most typical problem. 

“When placing the knives on a magnetic bar, begin [by] inserting the backbone on the bar and roll the remainder of the blade onto the magnet ending with the sting. When eradicating knives, carry off the sting first and roll off the remainder of the blade, ending with the backbone,” reversing the movement of inserting the knives on the bar.

Contemplating the additional effort and care that goes into correct use of magnetic knife blocks, this may not be the most effective technique for everybody. Utilizing a picket knife bar as an alternative of a steel model can assist mitigate dings to your knife’s edge.

In the event you’re utilizing a knife block, retailer them blades up

“Picket blocks are nice for storing knives,” Dols explains. One of the best knife blocks enable knives to relaxation suspended with out the blade rubbing in opposition to any machine materials. If you wish to be further light in your knives and your block has vertical slots, put the knives in with the backbone down and leading edge going through up.”

Do completely different knives require completely different storage?

Most knives ought to be saved as outlined above, however in the event you personal high-carbon knives, it is much more necessary to retailer them in a dry surroundings so they do not rust or tarnish.

For extra, see our record of 7 frequent errors that individuals make when caring for knives and the finest chef’s knives to purchase in 2024.