How to Cook

If you ask pretty much any professional chef, “what’s your most essential kitchen tool?” they’ll probably tell you it’s a sharp knife. Our Test Kitchen pros confirm that a good chef’s knife is among the few baking and cooking tools every home needs. For everything from chopping onions to carving turkey, a nice sharp knife comes in clutch.  These slicing and dicing instruments are often sold as a knife set, and almost always in what’s called a “knife block.” Frequently constructed with wood or bamboo, knife blocks have slots that are designed to hold each blade in the set. But just because knives are often sold in blocks doesn’t mean you should store them in it, the chefs we spoke to agree. And often, that block is full of a bunch of knives you really don’t need…and don’t need to spend your hard-earned money on, they add.  Ahead, we slice through the misconceptions to fill you in about the worst and best ways to store knives, plus the only 3 knives you actually need. The Worst Way to Store Your Knives, According to Chefs Undoubtedly, storing knives on a counter or anywhere that’s within reach of pets or kids is truly the worst way. But when we’re talking about realistic options, a knife block is the worst way to store knives, all six chefs we spoke to agree.  “I never buy knife blocks for many reasons: it takes up precious counter space that I need, they can dull the knives, and bacteria can get trapped in the slots,” admits Clarice Lam, a New York City-based pastry chef and the author of the upcoming cookbook “Breaking Bao.” “Plus, I probably won’t ever use half of them.” Knife blocks take up a lot of precious real estate on your counter, echoes Roger Bowser, partner and head chef at Zingerman’s Deli in Ann Arbor, Michigan. And if the blades are repeatedly scraped against the wood or stored in the wrong slot, they can dull surprisingly quickly, adds Derek Piva, executive chef at Tu Tu’ Tun Lodge in Gold Beach, Oregon. The tips of the blades can also get chipped fairly easily as you slide the knives in and out. But the most serious reason why knife blocks are among the worst ways to store knives relates to safety. A knife block ranks at no. 7 on the “germiest items in the kitchen” list (just below the refrigerator meat drawer), according to a household germ study performed by the public safety group NSF International’s. Since dark and moist environments allow for germs and microbes to thrive, a knife block can get particularly grimy if knives are stored damp, wet, or have not been thoroughly cleaned. “If knives are returned to the block without being fully sanitized, they may retain residue that can lead to bacterial growth over time, especially with temperature changes,” explains George Guzman, chef at Carta Wine Bar in New York City.  The plot thickens when you consider how challenging it is to clean a knife block. Without proper cleaning and drying of knives and in the absence of regular knife block deep-cleans—which requires several tools and 12 hours of drying time— “knife blocks can pose real sanitation issues. I prefer not to use them,” Guzman says. Although it would be rare for dirty knives to make anyone sick, when not properly cleaned and sanitized, contaminated knives can harbor foodborne illness-causing bacteria, research suggests. It’s wise to take as many steps as possible to keep them spick, span, and sharp. (In case you missed it, dull knives are actually more dangerous than sharp ones since they require more force to make each cut, which can increase the risk of slipping…and slicing yourself.) How to Store Your Knives  “No matter where you store your knives, they should be clean before you put them away so they don’t harbor bacteria,” Bowser says. After each use, wash knives in hot water and dish soap, rinse clean with running water, then pat dry with a clean kitchen towel or paper towels, the American Cleaning Institute suggests. From there, be sure to hold your knives using the handles only, rather than any part of the blade, then store them in one of these chef-approved ways, ensuring that the storage vessel is also clean: A magnetic strip A slot-free magnetic knife block A knife roll In knife guards, then placed in a drawer A knife dock in-drawer system 3 Types of Knives You Really Need (Skip the Rest, Chefs Say) Beyond the tidiness and sharpness factor, another reason why the chefs we chatted with choose to skip knife blocks is the fact that they often include many more knives that most home cooks really don’t need. The range of knives included in a set or block varies by the company and model, “and some people will definitely make use of all the knives in a larger set. But for the average home cook, smaller sets are often more suitable,” says Ian Coogan, culinary director at Motel Morris in New York, New York. “It’s rare to need every option,” Piva acknowledges. “Typically, a few versatile knives cover most cooking tasks.” Below, the three knives that will allow you to accomplish all of the basic cooking tasks, according to Paul DiBari, chef-instructor of Culinary Arts at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City and our five other food