Knife Holder
There are a variety of knife holders in the market. Some are drawer based, others are a stand.
For a long time, I had the stand variety. The problem I found was that knives could stick out a bit, exposing the blade, which could be a bit dodgy. I wanted to find an alternative and also ideally find a way to display my knives since they are handcrafted with specialty handles made of exotic materials.
I found my solution at Japana. It is a strong stand with magnets that hold the knives in place. You simply lay the knife in place and, to remove it, hold onto the holder and pull. The only thing to watch for is to make sure your knives are not too long. In the picture, which is mine, you can see I had to put the holder on a stand as one knife was a little too long. Service was fast and responsive, and I thought reasonably priced.
Cutting Board
A good cutting board is one of those basic things that makes cooking easier.
I like having a few sizes around depending on what I am doing. A smaller board is perfect for quick prep, while a larger board gives you room when you are working with bigger cuts of meat, vegetables, or anything that needs space.
The one thing I try to avoid is using anything too small when I am doing a lot of chopping. You end up fighting the board instead of cooking. Simple, solid, easy to clean — that is really the goal.
