Ina Garten Just Shared Her #1 Tip for Keeping Your Kitchen Knives Sharp (2024)

Having good knives in the kitchen is something that many chefs swear by, including Ina Garten. We know that Garten’s favorite knife is Wüsthof's Classic 8-inch Chef’s Knife—she claims the steep price is worth it because it “lasts a lifetime.” But no matter what knives you use, she does have a trick for storing knives so they are sharp for as long as possible.

“It’s really important to have sharp knives, and I try not to do things that dull them,” Garten writes in the caption of her recent Instagram post. “I choose knife blocks that hold most of the knives sideways. However, any knives that are held vertically, I have another trick for saving the blade.”

Want to know the Barefoot Contessa’s No. 1 tip for keeping your knives sharp in the vertical block on your counter? Here’s what she has to say.

For Garten, the trick to the sharpest knives is all about how you store them.

“Someone asked me recently why I put my knives in my knife block the way I do, and I realized I do it differently,” she explains, pulling out one of the knives to demonstrate. “If you put it in right side—the usual way—as you put it in, the blade is scraping against the wood and I don’t think it’s good for the blade.”

If you’re inserting your knives into your knife block with the blade facing down, according to Garten, that’s a no-no. Instead, you should do the opposite:

“I put it in upside down, and I think it saves the blade. Does that make sense?” It does to us, Ina!

Less pressure on the knife block means sharper blades, so we’ll definitely be utilizing this tip and flipping our kitchen knives around. If you’re on the market for new knife storage, consider buying a magnetic knife holder which limits any contact the wood would have with the blades.

For more kitchen and cooking advice from Garten, check out her 5 life-changing tips for roasting vegetables that you’re going to want to make a habit of.