Knife Storage

[KennethT]

Bumping this old thread.....

 

Has anyone used this kind of knife block?  Thoughts???

 

 

Mantello Bamboo Universal Slotless Knife Block (eG-friendly Amazon.com link)

 

[weinoo]

Feh.  Had one and then didn’t.

[AlaMoi]

personally not - but I have read multiple accounts where the bamboo and/plastic rods get 'chafed' and/or bend - essentially 'blocking up' the insert area.

 

which if one is prepared to simply replace the lot of them at some regular intervals, may not be problem -

potentially except previous reports said the manufacturer did not make "spare parts" available....

[weinoo]

@KennethT - do you want to store countertop, hidden, or on a wall? At least for the knives you use fairly regularly?

[KennethT]

3 hours ago, weinoo said:

@KennethT - do you want to store countertop, hidden, or on a wall? At least for the knives you use fairly regularly?

I used to store all my knives on a magnetic knife block on the wall , but the new kitchen has almost no usable wall space. I do have an out of the way countertop corner that is unused , so I figured I'd put a knife block there. I think I have about 18 knives (off the top of my head).

[AlaMoi]

the usual blocks did not accommodate my needs so I went to the basement and returned with....

 

[btbyrd]

I store mine in a shrine.

 

[chromedome]

18 minutes ago, btbyrd said:

I store mine in a shrine.

 

 

Everything about that space speaks to an absence of children.

[KennethT]

11 minutes ago, chromedome said:

 

Everything about that space speaks to an absence of children.

Also guarantees that it's not in a small apartment!

[KennethT]

56 minutes ago, AlaMoi said:

the usual blocks did not accommodate my needs so I went to the basement and returned with....

 

Wow - that looks great.  Do you ship to NY? 😁

[Kim Shook]

I have had something similar to this (no steak knives on mine) for many years and I love it.  Assumes you have a drawer to devote to knives.

[dcarch]

10 hours ago, KennethT said:

Bumping this old thread.....

Has anyone used this kind of knife block?  Thoughts???

Mantello Bamboo Universal Slotless Knife Block (eG-friendly Amazon.com link)

 

 

I don't see how you can really get this thing clean, deep down hidden in those tall and crowed vertical Flex rods. I suppose if you can't see the dirt, there is no dirt. I also think it will take many days for it to completely dry after you wash it.

 

Definitely not an aesthetic solution, with a variety of knives inserted randomly. 

 

dcarch

[KennethT]

1 hour ago, Kim Shook said:

I have had something similar to this (no steak knives on mine) for many years and I love it.  Assumes you have a drawer to devote to knives.

Unfortunately, drawer space is at a premium, but thank you anyway.

[AlaMoi]

@KennethT - that sucker is plenty heavy!

 

SIL wished one for Xmas - it's an abbreviated version without the dial therm and measuring spoons

(this prior to finishing/mineral oil)

 

 

[CentralMA]

16 hours ago, chromedome said:

 

Everything about that space speaks to an absence of children.

And an absence of my spouse.

 

Just sayin'......

[Gayle28607]

15 hours ago, KennethT said:

Unfortunately, drawer space is at a premium, but thank you anyway.

 

16 hours ago, Kim Shook said:

I have had something similar to this (no steak knives on mine) for many years and I love it.  Assumes you have a drawer to devote to knives.

I don't have much drawer space, but devoted one to the knives on a somewhat similar block that fits in the drawer - I can't find it now on Amazon, which is where I thought I got it. No steak knives here, either. I thought I might not keep the knives in there - you know, opening and closing a drawer to get a knife while cooking and with somewhat messy hands - so I thought the countertop knife block might be much better. 

 

But I'm a convert now, and have happily given up the drawer to the knives. It's been almost 10 years now! Something about my height, the drawer glides, being able to leave the drawer open at times and then just bump it with a hip to close it. It just works in a way that the counter knife block never did for me. 

 

These posts made me think about my experiment, and the eventual exit of the countertop knife block. Though with a beauty like @AlaMoi created, who knows?

[liuzhou]

I've been sorting out my knife collection and am looking for better storage. I was surprised how many I have.

 

I found this lot

 

 

but then remembered another box had some

 

They do all have different functions.

Storage options are limited here; I may have to improvise.

[rotuts]

@liuzhou  

 

please tell us more about this knife :

 

 

very interesting shape ive not seen before

 

how is it meant to be used ?

 

ie that ship blade , uv so many others 

 

to choose from

 

[liuzhou]

1 hour ago, rotuts said:

@liuzhou  

 

please tell us more about this knife :

 

 

very interesting shape ive not seen before how is it meant to be used ?

 

ie that ship blade , uv so many others to choose from

 

 

That is my most prized knife. Almost my most prized possession.

 

Several years ago there was a Xinjiang restaurant called AliBaBa, here in town. Xinjiang, for those who don't know, is China's westernmost province bordering Mongolia. Kyrgystan, Khazhakstain, Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is mainly Muslim. Their food is wonderful, but totally different from what most people think of as Chinese.
 

I ate there regularly with friends and got to know the boss, a Xinjiang native, quite well. He made a point of coming out of the kitchen to say a word or two before rushing back to cook the next order.

In 2003, he announced his upcoming retirement and I, with a couple of friends, went to his restaurant for its last service.The place was rammed full. Towards the end of the evening, he came out and announced to the entire restaurant that there would be no charge for dinner that night, but it would be a thank you to his loyal customers for their support over the years.

Tears were shed.

 

Then, after the crowd had thinned a bit, to my amazement, he came up to me and handed me the knife he always carried on his front-of-house visits. He said he wanted me to have it as he thought I might actually use and value it, now that he no longer would.

 

There is a story about Johnny Cash handing Bob Dylan his guitar as a mark of respect which blew Dylan's mind. I know exactly how he felt

That was the last time I saw him. He moved back to his hometown many, many miles away.

But your question was "how is it meant to be used?" My answer is "I don't really know." The only times I ever saw him use it were a) to slice naan bread (the local staple visually resembling pizza bases) into manageable segments and b) to slice mutton from the Xinjiang version of gyros. I think he mainly carried it for effect. It is 40cm / 15¾ inches long in total; the blade being 28cm / 11 inches long.

 

Xinjiang style mutton gyro

 

I mainly use it as a bread knife. Although not serrated and although I do have a bread knife, I've always kept this one as sharp as I can. I also use it to open durians. I used to use it to cut watermelons, but then acquired a dedicated watermelon knife. I do regret that I don't use it more.

And I miss him and his restaurant still.

Edited June 8, 2021 by liuzhou (log)

[KennethT]

4 hours ago, liuzhou said:

I've been sorting out my knife collection and am looking for better storage. I was surprised how many I have.

 

I found this lot

 

 

but then remembered another box had some

 

They do all have different functions.

Storage options are limited here; I may have to improvise.

For the flat bladed ones, can you use a magnetic knife strip?  You can screw it to the wall - it saves a ton of countertop or drawer space if you have the wall space.

[liuzhou]

6 minutes ago, KennethT said:

For the flat bladed ones, can you use a magnetic knife strip?  You can screw it to the wall - it saves a ton of countertop or drawer space if you have the wall space.

 

That is my preferred solution, but I can't find such strips here. At the moment most of the knives live in two knife blocks, but I hate them. Troublesome to keep clean.

Edited June 8, 2021 by liuzhou (log)

[KennethT]

3 minutes ago, liuzhou said:

 

That is my preferred solution, but I can't find such strips here. At the moment they nearly all live in two knife blocks, but I hate them. Troublesome to keep clean.

I can ship you one that I can get here (most probably made in China) but think of the carbon footprint! ha!

[Anna N]

4 hours ago, liuzhou said:

They do all have different functions.

What a fascinating knife collection. Yes designing a block (or anything else for that matter) to hold those would pose some serious challenges. 
 

I guess you did not buy the “All you need are three knives: chef’s knife, paring knife and serrated bread knife” slogan? Me neither. But my collection is very different from yours. 

[liuzhou]

Just now, KennethT said:

I can ship you one that I can get here (most probably made in China) but think of the carbon footprint! ha!

 

Right!

(Many things that are made in China aren't available in China! Or have to be re-imported and attract import duty!)

[liuzhou]

1 minute ago, Anna N said:

What a fascinating knife collection. Yes designing a block (or anything else for that matter) to hold those would pose some serious challenges. 
 

I guess you did not buy the “All you need are three knives: chef’s knife, paring knife and serrated bread knife” slogan? Me neither. But my collection is very different from yours. 

 

My Chinese friends are baffled. Most of them only have a cleaver and maybe a fruit knife. Yet, all those knives I bought or otherwise acquired right here in China.

 

I just learned many years ago that the correct tool for the job saves a lot of grief. I'm now looking at a dedicated durian knife, but I'll behave myself!