I recently found out the hard way why kitchen knife guards are essential in
kitchens!
I have two knife blocks that I constantly use in my kitchen and I love
them. However, I have several chef knifes that I have been given over
the years that are not part of a set and do not have a "slot" in the
blocks. For 20+ years I have stored those chef knives in a kitchen
drawer, under my
cast iron trivets. Since the trivets sit on little feet, this has worked beautifully
for me for all of that time. I keep those chef knives because we need
them during the holidays when I share my kitchen with several family
"chefs".
A few months ago, I purchased a
Dexter-Russell 12" Scalloped Slicer. I have been wanting one since fellow contributor, Dawn Rae,
recommended the
Dexter-Russell 8" Bread Knife. I needed the 12" instead of the 8" simply because I need to be able
to easily cut cake layers in half horizontally. The Dexter-Russell 12"
scalloped slicer is fabulous! It can cut so much more than cakes or
bread and has been a wonderful addition to my kitchen chef knife
collection. I join Dawn in highly recommending the Dexter-Russell
knives.
Unfortunately, there wasn't room for my awesome new Dexter-Russell
scalloped slicer under the cast iron trivets so I set it, blade side down,
against the side of the drawer. I keep my hot pads laying on top of
the cast iron trivets. As you can imagine, things shift slightly when
hot pads are removed and then put back up.
By now, you can probably guess what happened. 2 weeks ago, I reached
for a hot pad without looking and my finger barely landed on my scalloped
slicer. It took over 30 minutes to stop the bleeding. It was the next day
before I could touch my finger without the bleeding starting again. As
soon as I could type, I went in search of a knife guard!
One mishap with a knife was all it took for me to seek out knife guards for
all of my unprotected chef knives in my kitchen drawer.
Recommended Chef Knife Guards
Fortunately, Dexter-Russell makes a
knife guard for the 12" Scalloped Slicer. It is just as wonderful as the knife itself and it is now
protecting my scalloped slicer from my frolicking fingers and hands.
Recognizing the previously ignored need, I also purchased guards for my
extra chef knives.
I also ordered a cover for my most beloved vegetable slicing knife, which was
originally my mother's knife that she gave me. Even though I keep that
knife in the drawer with our flatware, I realized it really should have a
cover too. After all, I use it all of the time because it cuts so
well. It needs to be protected from frolicking fingers too!
Due to the length and width of the knives, I purchased different knife
guard brands.
Mercer Culinary Knife GuardThe Chef Sac knife guards are the perfect size for my 8" chef knives, while
the Mercer Culinary knife guard is the perfect size for my long vegetable
knife. The 12" Dexter-Russell knife guard was specially made for my
Dexter-Russell scalloped slicer, so of course, it is
perfect. There are additional sizes available in the Dexter-Russell guards.
All of the guards are completely open on one long edge so knives slip in
and out of the guard with intentional pulling pressure, but they do not slip
out otherwise. The Chef Sac knife guards have felt interiors which I
am not crazy about, but they do the needed job of covering the knife blade
and they fit the knives.
Either
the Dexter-Russell or the Mercer brand (shown on the right) would be my
first choice in knife guards. Which one I would purchase, would be
determined by which brand offers the size needed.
I washed all of the guards in dishwashing soap before I used them.
The felt lined guards took 2 days to air-dry on the inside, which is why I
don't like them as well. I doubt the felt will hold up to a lot of
wear & tear, but it probably will reduce scratches on the knife blade as
claimed. Since I only use those chef knives during the holidays, the
Chef Sac knife guards will probably last years for me.
Chef Sac Knife Edge GuardsCheck Price Mercer Culinary Knife Guard, 10 Inch x 1.5 InchCheck Price Knife Guard, 12 In, Poly, BlackCheck Price Dexter-Russell KG8W Wide 8-3/8Check Price
Regardless of the chosen brand, I highly recommend covering all knife
blades with knife guards if they are stored in drawers or anywhere other
than a knife block. The guards are definitely cheaper than an emergency room visit and a lot less painful.
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
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