Ditch The Bulky Knife Block And Use This Storage Solution To Save Counter Space
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Kitchens have a tendency to be in a constant state of clutter and mess. This is to be expected, as they're one of the most-used rooms in the house. From making meals to running meetings from the island, people are constantly filtering in and out of the area. Because of this, counters are usually cluttered with all sorts of things, whether that means dishes that haven't made their way to the sink or papers that should find their way back into the office or your kid's backpack.
Since this is a daily battle, people have been clearing stuff off their counters to help keep the visual clutter to a minimum. That means that small appliances are finding homes inside cabinets, paper towels are being stashed in drawers or pantries, and decor is being pared down to the bare minimum. But what about your knife block? Instead of keeping your knives out on the counter, it turns out there is an easy way to organize them so that they're out of sight but still easily accessible. The solution is to use a specialized drawer insert.
Luckily, you don't have to run to a cabinet maker to have a custom insert made for your knife set. Instead, you can get an affordable version from places like Amazon. These inserts have special slots in them that allow you to store your knives horizontally rather than vertically. This keeps them out of eyesight, making your kitchen appear neater and less avalanched with clutter.
How to use a knife drawer insert to save counter space
To avoid a knife block taking up counter space in your kitchen, you can move your knife collection into a drawer by investing in a drawer insert. This is a much safer solution than just storing your knives loosely in a drawer or throwing them into a cutlery holder. That's because each slot cradles the blade, keeping it safely down and pointed away from you. When you want a particular knife, you just grab it by the handle and slide it out of its designated spot.
You can find a wide variety of inserts on marketplaces like Amazon, allowing you to choose the size and style that best fits your designated drawer. For example, if you have ample space and a robust knife collection, you can select a 16-slot bamboo insert that is 10 inches wide and 16 inches deep that costs $37 on Amazon. If you need it to be slightly smaller, you can choose a 12-slot version instead, which is 9 inches wide and 17 inches deep for $28 on Amazon. Or, if you have a lot of knives but can't dedicate a whole drawer to the insert due to limited space, you can get a more compact 16-knife insert that is only 5.3 inches wide, which costs $29 on Amazon. Whatever your particular requirement, you can find an insert to fit it perfectly — you just have to browse around!
Additional advantages of hiding your knives
There are plenty of advantages to moving your knives off the counter and into a drawer. Not only does it free up valuable kitchen counter space and make the area appear tidier, but it's also one less thing you will need to dust and clean on chore day. Since knife blocks are usually situated close to the stove, it's not uncommon for a thin film of grease to coat them. When dust attaches itself to that film, you're left with a difficult item to clean. Rather than quickly wiping it down with some cleaning spray, you might have to create a mixture of grease-busting dish soap and water to effectively cut through the buildup. By moving them into the drawer, you'll remove this task from your to-do list.
The second advantage of doing so is that you'll be tapping into the latest kitchen trend of minimalism. People now want to decrease their decor to make their kitchen as functional as possible. "Less is more — resist the urge to decorate your countertops. There's no need for extra knick knacks in this highly functional space," Eleanor Trepte, Lead Designer at Dekay & Tate Interiors, told MyDomaine. "They simply create a visual busyness and take up space you could be using for meal prep." By moving your knife block out of view, you're also effectively modernizing your kitchen.