If you store your knives in the original wood block they came in (like I do), you are probably dulling your knives inadvertently!  My aunt taught me this trick when she was visiting us once.  It was one of those lightbulb moments where I was like, “Duh!  Of course that’s the better way to do it!!”

I think we all tend to store our knives with the sharp side down, perhaps because that’s how we hold a knife when we actually use it.  But if you think about it, it makes a lot more sense to store them with the sharp edge up.  With the sharp edge down, you are dragging the cutting surface across the wood block each time you pull it out or put it back in–obviously this dulls it little by little over time.  You can stop this from happening by simply flipping your knives over–store them with the flat side down and the sharp edge up.  Your knives will stay so much sharper that way!  We have had our knives now for 13 years (since we got married), and they are holding up really well–we rarely sharpen them.  (I’m also a believer that they last so much longer if you wash them by hand…)

As for the slots where the knives sit horizontally–well, I’ve got nothin’ for you there!  :) Maybe just try to pull the knives in and out without touching the wood too much–almost like playing Operation back in the day!  Consider it your daily challenge… you can see if you’re surgeon material!

Can you see how you drag the sharp edge across the wood over and over when the knives are stored this way?  Just flip them over–problem solved!

Was this a lightbulb moment for you, too?  Or maybe it was just me who didn’t see the obvious when it was right in front of me!!  :)

I hope this Friday Fast Tip was helpful!