Storage idea for kitchen knives?

W

wigleys

Joined
Jun 30, 2003
Messages
6
Back in May, I posted asking for kitchen knife recommendations, and I finally made my decision and purchased some knives today. I ordered the Spyderco Santuko, paring knife, and two 6" inch utility knives (one plain blade, one serrated). I will be ordering a Sharpmaker too. (I'm a little nervous about sharpening my own knives, but at least I have some worthless knives in my kitchen right now good for practicing! LOL) So anyway, now my question is one of storage. We have two children, 5 and 3, who are always in the kitchen with me helping me cook, so safety is the biggest issue! Secondly, I just spent $130 on knives, so I definitely need to store them in a way that will protect them. What is the best way to store knives in the kitchen? I have a drawer that currently houses my knives, but I don't want to just lay them in there. I have seen the magnetic strips, which would look neat on the wall, but I'm concerned about curious fingers. (Yes, they sit on the countertops, so they would be able to reach the knives.)

Thanks for any ideas! I have to say that I really like this forum, and I've learned a lot by browsing here. I always thought knife collectors were a little strange, but I guess that's just not true. ;)

Jessica
 
Sitting on countertops exposes the kids to lots of risks as well as being unsanitary, you would save some trouble if you got them off the counter. One problem is that kids are likely to find ways to defeat drawer locks if they have access from above. That said, there are some pretty good child resistant drawer latches at baby stores. I liked a type where pulling on the drawer would slide a ball into a v-notch and prevented the latch from being disengaged until you pushed the drawer in a little bit. Basically you had to push on the release while the drawer was only one inch open or the latch would stay coupled. If you opened more than an inch before pushing down on the latch it got into a mode where it could only be released by backing the drawer in. I never saw a child defeat that latch.

If you use a magnet rack you need to put it over the stove or the sink where a child can't easily reach.

The other approach is to give the kids a small paring knife and an apple to peel. After they cut themselves a few times they will stop reaching for knives.
 
Jessica...

To protect them from curious fingers is an Easy fix...

Concealex slip sheaths.

not only will they protect young ones from cuts, they also protect the knives in general, Damaged tips, dings,dents and what have you...
And usually the fit of the knife in the sheath is tight enough that the child can't draw the knife from the sheath anyway...

You could actually safely put the sharpest knife into its intended sheath, and give it to your child as a play toy!

Wait,,Did I just say that? I take that back!! :)

These are simple sleaves molded from the same material I use to make a regular full blown sheath, except that there is no belt loop.

They can also be screwed down if need be, or mounted somewhere.

I have several clients who are chefs, one a traveling chefs. Both use my slip sheaths on all of their expensive kitchen knives, one takes them home with him each night in his breifcase.

Hope that helps..

ttyle

Eric....
 
Jessica,

The sheath idea sounds good. People have to get used to them (a little scary on that initial pull).

I'd like to add teaching to your "what to do" list.

I have 7 kids, so I've seen a lot. For some reason they have never played with knives. We do a lot of teaching with the toddlers. We use the "No Touch" phrase; followed by "ooowwwweee" when they are just 1 year old. Seems to have instilled a heathly sense of fear. Even the older ones respect knives.

Heck the electric stove top is, in a way, more dangerous than knives. Sometimes it's hot and sometimes it's not.

The only knife accident we've had is when the 12 year old boy was cutting an orange with a butter knife. All that pressure and it slipped. Cut the web between the fingers - some how - and needed stitching. If he was using a proper knife it probably wouldn't have happened.

Steve
 
Steve,

You're absolutely right that children should have a healthy respect for knives from an early age. As much time as my children have spent in the kitchen we me, they definitely respect all the "dangers" in the kitchen, such as knives and the stovetop.

I'm not concerned as much about them doing some "stupid" like reaching for the knife and trying to cut Barbie's arm, as much as I am just an accidental touching of a blade, especially now that I will actually have sharp knives!

I guess I just wasn't sure I wanted to lay super-sharp knives in a drawer like my dull ones are now, for common sense reasons. I do like the sheath idea, and I'm sure I'd quickly get used to it. I'm still interested in other options.

Jessica
 
Jeff,

You can't really be serious about letting a young child at an orange with a paring knife! Fear that would teach them; respect for a knife it would not.

I'm not really sure why a child sitting on the countertop is all that unsanitary. I don't really suspect it's a tangent that should actually be explored on a knife forum. For the record, if my children are on the countertop, they are sitting beside the cutting board or sink, not on a spot where I will later prepare food, unless I have sinced cleaned the countertops.

At any rate, the drawer latch idea may be a good idea in some homes, but not in mine. In the last (almost) 6 years of parenting, I have only had one cabinet locked, and that's because I had to store my china in there, for lack of a better space at the time. Also, my oldest child, who was not quite 2 at the time, mastered the magnetic locking system, that was advertised as virtually impossible for a child to open. (In fact, I know of two adults who could not open them at all.) Of course, my child didn't really have any interest in the china, especially not in hurting it. She merely wanted to open and close the cabinet. My children have always been allowed to explore our home, while at the same time, learning that some things are not for their play.

Thanks for the idea, though.

Jessica
 
If you want to lay them in a drawer, and have a VERY good child proof lock on to make sure, might look at one of those plastic divided trays for holding silverware. PUt one knife in each section, should work for all but the widest blades(since these will be on an angle, may end up sitting too high to close drawer again). But be absolutely sure kids can't get in there, as this often will end up with edges up, if you're in a rush, and would hate to see kids get hurt. :( It's something I"ve considered doing, if I get biggr kitchen, but I'm single, so kidsaren't a concern. FIgured I'd share it though, on chance you could make it work for you somewhow.
 
Slip sheaths, nice idea.

By the way, since someone mentioned a regular flatware tray, there are wooden knife "blocks" specifically for drawers. I have one by Henckels and have seen others. My 10" chef's knife fits in there, the 8" my wife usually uses is in a regular block on the counter. Some year we plan on upgrading the one on the counter. The 10" won't fit in the upright on the counter.
 
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