How to Store Japanese Knife?

Are you thinking about how to store Japanese knives most effectively? Storing your all-special Japanese Knife is a significant part of its maintenance. You may be asking yourself, “should I go for the knife blocks?” No, wait!

Is there anything wrong with using the original wooden sheath that comes with the Japanese knife itself? Or some other storage options would be ideal that offer more flexibility, such as in-drawer storage or magnetic knife holder?

Since all of these are reasonable options, it would be wise to check out each of these storage methods in detail here. In this way, you won’t be careless with your knife and can avoid any damage and blunt to its fine edge.

Let’s check out this elaborate guide on the Japanese Knife Storage methods here!

Method 1: Using the Knife Blocks

Let’s check out why knife blocks make a great storage option and what you should do to store the Japanese knife in this method.

Place Anywhere, No Drilling Required

The knife blocks make the most popular method to store the Japanese Knife. These are pretty straightforward knife storage blocks that don’t take much space in your countertop. Being versatile, you can easily place it on any worktop.

The knife blocks are designed in a way where you can suspend the knife blade by its handle while protecting its fine edge properly. These blocks are a great alternative to knife racks since you don’t require any drilling in your kitchen walls.

Don’t Bother Size

You can keep any of your Japanese knives regardless of their size as the blocks are universal and can accommodate all the knives and other accessories such as the honing rod.

Follow the Tip While Using This Storage

Make sure to insert your Japanese knife into the block in a way that the blunt side of its blade is pressed against the block; This will protect its cutting edge. Also, remove the blade carefully and without dragging the blade edge against the block.

All in all, storing your Japanese knife in a knife block is an effective and practical way, and the investment should be worth it.

Method 2: Using the Magnetic Knife Holder or Rack

Magnetic Knife Holder is a favorite storage option for many of the top Japanese chefs. It can maximize the kitchen space while adding an aesthetical touch to the workspace. Let’s check out how you should be going about this storage method.

Mount The Rack For an Aesthetical and Efficient Storage

The elegance in its design provides a wonderful way to showcase your valuable cutleries, including the chef-favorite Japanese knife.

You can easily mount this rack behind the backsplash, under the cabinets, or even beside the fridge in your residential or commercial kitchen. Make sure to leave enough space above and below for your knives so that they sit properly when mounted and don’t associate any risk of getting clipped.

It can utilize the unused space on the wall while maximizing your kitchen space. So you can use the countertop in a much more efficient way.

Put the Knives to Reach and Grab Easily

It’s not only about its aesthetics and space-efficient design but also about the convenience and efficiency of use. You can use this holder to keep all your blades readily available so that you can reach and grab your favorite one in a single glance.

These holders are unlike those inconvenient knife drawers where you need to pull out each knife to find the required one.

Place the Knife by the Beveled Edge

You should have your Japanese knife safely mounting the rack without making any contact with the cutting edge.

Techniques to Avoid Chipping or Scratching

To avoid unwanted damages like chipping or scratching, don’t overload the knife rack. Otherwise, it can run the risk where you might clip the heel of one knife over the other leading to big damage.

Also, make sure to use the blade spine as your first point of contact prior to rolling the blade sideways while placing your Japanese knife onto the magnetic knife holder. This will reduce the risk of chipping your knife edge against the holder and help you maintain a razor-sharp knife edge.

The magnetic knife holders are also the most ideal option when it comes to ease of maintenance. You can clean them by making minimal contact with your knife’s cutting edge.

Method 3: Using the In-Drawer Knife Storage

Let’s dive into the final storage option for your Japanese knife. It’s an ideal option if you want to conceal your all-special weapon from anyone. Although they require additional space, let’s check out how they can still make a good storage option.

Put A Bunch of Knives in A Bunch of Slots

It’s pretty common to own multiple Japanese knives or one Japanese knife along with some other ones. Whatever the scenario is, with the knife drawer, you can have multiple slots to put each knife in their own slot.

They’re a pretty straightforward storage option that prevents the jostling of your multiple knives. And you don’t really need much of the guidance to use this. People also like this drawer to put the knives out of your children’s sight.

Use a Saya

We recommend you use additional protection provided by the Saya while using the in-drawer storage for your Japanese knife.

In case you don’t know what a Saya is, it’s actually a wooden sheath that guards the knife blade. This will protect your knife’s cutting edge while you store it in the drawer.

It not only protects the blade from getting damaged but also provides safety to the user reaching into the drawer to get the knife.

Conclusion

In this article, we’ve discussed three methods on how to store Japanese knives. At first, we’ve seen the knife blocks as the most straightforward and versatile knife storage option, which is a widely used method as well.

But for us, the magnetic knife rack is by far the most elegant and space-efficient way to store the Japanese knife, which also provides ease of use and maintenance. Finally, we’ve seen the in-drawer storage, which might not be a space-saving option but provide an ideal way to keep the multiple knives in their well-organized multiple slots.

Although each has its own pros and cons, we prefer going with the magnetic knife holder as they provide a smart solution here.

An investment in good knife storage will save your initial investment, and if you can store your knife properly, you can rest assured to have it in service for years to come!