Kapoosh Knife Block (not recommended)

ouch. a seemingly good idea that actually isn't . . .

thanks for saving me the temptation!

I have a 'std' block, came up short on slots, so I took it down the shop and cut a couple extra kerfs in in, the used some scrap rock maple as a 'side car' for my fork, thermometer and paring knives. actually I'm debating getting a custom made or making another myself - no room for my santoku.

You missed an option (if I parsed the "vertical knife rack" thing correctly) -- A knife magnet! I currently don't have a place to put mine in my current apartment, and if you don't have a place to mount something else, you might still have trouble finding a place for the magnet. But it was completely customizable, safe for the knives, and avoided knife block germ concerns. And was super easy to use, clean, etc.

Yes, I did forget to mention a knife magnet (or two or three). Unfortunately, we did consider it and it's always been my number one choice (Tina hasn't always been comfortable with the idea of exposed knife edges - I think she's okay with it now) but the problem we have now is I don't want to mount one in this house and in the new house they're putting in a tile backsplash that I probably don't want to drill into. We also considered knife racks in the drawers, but I don't want to take up a drawer for eight or a dozen knives.

Right now most of my knives are stored in knife bags with edge protectors.

Sorry. I like the Kapoosh. I have it full of at least a dozen knives, from small gave-away paring to large chef's knives (3). I just keep sticking them in and they stay put. Just my opinion.

You might look at knife racks that drop down from below your upper cabinets.

I wonder if you could replace the plastic thing with a couple pounds of rice? You could even get forbidden rice, for the stylish purple look. Anyway, you wouldn't end up with plastic bits in your food (rice bits being preferable, IMHO). You wouldn't ever need to wash the rice. It's cheap, just replace at will. And rice is really good at absorbing water, so I doubt you'd have moisture problems.

I bought a Kapoosh block because I have a variety of large knives (and smaller ones) that wouldn't fit in a conventional block. They all fit into the kapoosh and I love that you can throw it in the dishwasher (top rack). I have never had any problems with plastic bits on my knives and although it may take a little longer to dry we're not talking days. I would happily buy another.

I've had one of these for at least ten years and while it's not the perfect knife block, it does well for the assortment of knives we have which includes two chefs knives, a santoku, and a bread knife, all pretty long.

If you don't load in the long knives with the thickest bolster first, they won't go all the way in. (After everything is loaded in, taking one knife out and returning is generally problem-free.)

If the block is too tight when you put in the knives you run the risk of bending the plastic rods (in addition to slicing as you described)

This happened over time and the bent rods prevented the knives from slipping all the way down. Frustrated, I pulled the block out and pulled out all the bent ones with needle-nosed pliers. Although I wound up with an impressive pile of bent rods, the block didn't look the worse for it.

When I put the block back in I discovered a nifty side benefit...the block was less 'tight' and I was able to fit a couple more knives in.

When I have washed it (not very often and in the dishwasher), I splayed out the plastic rods and it dried just fine. Of course when you push the block back in, the rods go where they're supposed to.

So if you can't return the one you have, try pulling out random rods and see if it doesn't work better. I do agree, though, that it's far from perfect.

I have a magnetic knife block which sits on my kitchen counter, like this one http://www.cooking.com/products/shprodde.asp?SKU=761252&CCAID=FROOGLE761252. While the knife edges are technically exposed, they are held so closely against the wood that I think I would have a really difficult time cutting myself by accident. I really like mine. It also seems much more sanitary than the old block I had which eventually accumulated crud in the slots.

My MIL is a bit of a QVC junkie and bought us a knife set a few years that has been surprisingly useful, but did not get the knife block. Turns out the block to hold the full set is more expensive than the knives since it goes from garnish knife up to a cleaver. This knife block made those knives usable for us, and I didn't have to store them in the box they came in. It has a few downsides (the cleaver's blade sticks out a bit) but all in all we love it.

Although I did not know that was it's name.

I have a few large (12") chef's knives, a sankotu, a cleaver, a sharpening steel (a very long, marquise (pointed oval) shape), fillet, bread knives in mine. I never had plastic flakes. I bought mine at Harbor Freight for $20. Got 3 more for my father and brothers. It works great for the odd assortment of odd shaped knives we have. We do a lot of butchering, utilizing curved, rubber handled boning knives which never fit traditional knife blocks. They all find homes now! Even the scissors. No prob!

BTW, why would you want to wash the block? Mine is clean. I never put dirty knives in it.

You could probably use the shell that came with it and craft you own custom block insert from cut pieces of wood.

I use Knife-Safe blade covers so I can put my knives into my regular cutlery drawer:
http://www.kidsmartliving.com/knifkitknifc.html

I also have a kapoosh, and I also love it. I keep a steel, two large chefs' knives, a medium santoku, a small chopper, and two paring knives, with no problem. Keeping the thing clean doesn't seem to be much of a problem, but then I'm pretty aggressive about cleaning my knives.

We used to have a magnetic bar on the wall, but the current place we live just didn't have room (poor us... too many cabinets!). The Kapoosh is a great solution for mismatched sets. And, frankly, there really is no other if you're restricted to a knife block for whatever reason.

I got the Kapoosh and it has solved my storage problems, I had 3 knife blocks taking up my entire counter top to hold about 10 knives. I put them all in the Kapoosh and my woes were over. I have seen the plastic flakes on the knives, however when I cook I always have a kitchen towel nearby or over my shoulder so it doesn't take too much effort to wipe the knife before using it, its almost one motion of taking out the knife wiping it and using it. I do agree that it took a long time to dry (2-3 days) when I washed it but it wasn't so bad for the space issues it fixed.

Micheal,

I made a knife rack that is similar to the Kapoosh Knife Block, but I think works much better. The secret - use skewers instead of the plastic insert. Just go buy a lot of skewers (you can measure to find the right size) and use them in place of the plastic insert. The skewers will not be held together at the bottom and will let the knives go in a little deeper, plus the wood doesn't leave a residue on the knives.

-Eric S.

Washington DC

>>wooden skewers

oh - deviously inventive!

easy to find,
inexpensive,
easy to replace...

sounds like a plan!

Hi!

What about this kind of a knifeblock:

http://www.evasolo.com/products-knifestand.html

I've seen it in a local store, but can't remember what the width of it is (at least more than 5 cm, I think). The material of the insert is plastic in this case also, but not that easily cut off. Plus, if I remember correctly, the insert was in parts, so it was adjustable.


maria

Hey! Wait a minute ...

I think that you didn't stick with that wonderful knife block long enough! I have had mine for at least three years, maybe four. I love it! I agree that the little rods can get tight when you stuff a lot of knives in there, but, at the moment I have 10 individual knives plus a hone stuck in mine and there is room for more. As for cleaning, I haven't felt the need to clean mine yet. But, thanks for the reminder, I will have a look and see if it needs cleaning.

Folks, I say give it a try. I think you will like it.

Chef John of Indiana

In light of all the positive comments, I'm willing to give the Kapoosh another try. How did you solve the problem of blades not going in all the way?

I also have had good luck over the past two years with my kapoosh. I washed it before I used it, which was even mentioned to me by the person who sold it to me. I thought that it might not dry either, but my wife was more afraid of exposed knife magnets and our kids. Suprisingly, it did dry out after one day everywhere I could tell. We have never noticed any black particles and we can fit all our knives in it. The large chef knife does stick out a little bit just like the picture, which is the biggest dissapointment. We use the other knives to surround it and it has been good so far. I mentioned to a friend this year and he bought one as well. He hasn't mentioned any problems over the past several months.

Like a previous poster mentioned, I would replace your plastic rods with bamboo skewers. I have a bamboo utensil holder that I filled with bamboo skewers, and it works great.

I bought my block and promptly filled it up and bought a second with the intention of placing the rest of the knives in it but, I also knit. Yep, I filled it up with knitting needles. It is the perfect instrument for putting needles into a "cataloging" system.

I love it! Have several different types of knifes and they all fit, also scissors. I always put the knifes away clean and dry. Never had a problem with it in the 3 years I have had it.

This plastic filled knife block sounds like a bad idea to me. I am surprised you bought one... I guess everyone has different ideas about how to solve problems.

I am leaning towards getting a magnetic knife rack, after seeing them in use on various cooking shows - handy, safe, dry, and non-dulling as long as the blade is handled correctly (the sharp side of the blade must be the last side down and first side lifted off, or damage is possible). While blocks are handy and nice looking, and may be slightly better as far as keeping dust off the blades, my own problem is that I also use a selection of knifes that didn't come in a set with a matching block, and thought I could probably build a customized block without too much trouble, like I said I am leaning towards a magnetic strip.

However, if I DID want a block to fit the knives I use, and likewise I would recommend you to consider this option:

Find someone in your area who enjoys wood-working as a hobby (net forum, the bulletin board at your local starbucks, etc) and offer to barter a custom-catered family dinner for a custom-built knife block - then you could exercise you hobby/talent in exchange for someone else with the appropriate skill, and avoid paying $100/hr for a professional. And once such a relationship is established, in the future you might be able to obtain neat stuff like custom cutting boards, cheap or even free cedar planks cut to size for baking fish, etc..

The only problem I had with the holder was the wood casing separated along the right side. Never had the flecking problem. And I fail to see how ``air flow'' makes any difference to a knife. I have about 9 or 10 knives in the holder. It seems ludicrous to stop at only two or three knives. They don't need to be jammed in all the way.

I LOVE my Kapoosh! Yes, you have to modify the plastic rods to solve problem of fitting a full load in. I did--it's simple. I cut a few rows from the outside perimeter right at the base, using sturdy kitchen scissors. Guess what, it worked like a charm, and now my Kapoosh is packed as full as the handles of the knives will allow. As for cleaning, I occasionally remove the rod unit, turn it upside down, and shake and brush the tops of the rods. I have washed it once in the 3 or 4 yrs I've had it, but usually the above procedure combined with rinsing the upper part w/ 5% dilute bleach solution while upside down is fine. That way the whole thing need not get wet if you're in a hurry, and it dries quickly. The bottom doesn't get dirty anyway, putting clean knives in! I like it so much I have given 2 as gifts. (And I'm pretty picky about quality) Nuff said..Works 4 me! Mary ;)

As another poster commented, you can duplicate this system on the cheap with Bamboo skewers. For my setup, I bought a three-bottle wine carrier from World Market. It is made of solid wood, with metal hardware and has been stained and distressed to give it a rustic look that goes well in my kitchen. The top is hinged and I use it to prop up the carrier at a convenient angle. If you look for one that got a little too banged up on the sale rack you can often find one (as I did) for up to 70% off.

For the skewers, you can find them sold in bulk online for very cheap. If you're using the wine carrier, you will probably need to go with 12" skewers, but measure first to be certain.

One of the reported problems with this plastic model were familiar to me with the skewers as well. However, rather than black plastic bits, I occasionally get short Bamboo threads. Also, when you pull a knife out, a skewer or two might partially come out with it. They can be a little prickly when you push them back in. I've not considered cleaning, but I would strongly suggest that you not attempt to put the skewers in your dishwasher. Still, my knives are clean before I store them and in three years I've not yet had problems with dust.

One advantage of the skewers is that you can pull a few out if they're packed too tightly to fit more knives.

I ran out of room in my knife set block and needed more room for myother knives. I bought the kapoosh thinking I could put unlimited knives -wrong. Same thing as other people, I could only fit 1 knife in all the way. All of my santoku, carving and chef knives are sticking out about 2-3 inches. Not very safe if you're rushing to grab a knife. I think the product display was for inserting 50 plastic knives...

I don't have any problem of my Kapoosh knife. I love it.

:huh: I've had mine for a while, and I've had no problems. I got a large red one and it has two sections - one for longer knives and one for shorter ones. Let the rods air dry for 24-48 hours each time you wash it. How often are you going to wash it anyway - you're only putting clean knives in it. I don't really see the problem - and it sure beats having the knives stuff in a drawer because they won't fit in the traditional knife block.

A knife magnet is great, if you have beautiful knives to display - but if you have a bunch of odd pieces that you want to keep, but not display, I think the kapoosh is ideal.

I REALLY like the idea of using rice, wooden skewers, etc. to replace the plastic rods---if the need should arise over time. I wonder if you could get enough rice or skewers to create a dense enough environment to keep the knives from moving around because of gravity, too little friction, etc. (I suppose that's the reason the individual Kapoosh rods have such a small diameter).

At the risk of stating the obvious, one thing I've done since I started cooking was place all my knives upside down in the conventional knife block. This has two obvious benefits: it prevents the knife edge dulling from repeated contact with the wood block, and it protects the knife block from unsightly grooves caused by sliding the knives in and out.

Obviously, this can be done with the Kapoosh, but the knives can also be placed on their side, if you wish. The upside-down placement should help prevent getting the little bits of plastic on the knife which may have been sliced off, and will protect the knife edge as well. Great site!

The wooden skewers knife block is called Schaschlik Knife Block by Martin Robitsch
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/09/schaschlik_knif_1.php
You can DIY http://lifehacker.com/5441608/build-a-diy-schaschlik-knife-block-on-the-cheap
HTH in finding it.

I am very happy with mine, a useful product with a silly name. I used to have a magnetic holder on the wall which worked...OK, but occasionally I wasn't careful enough replacing a knife and it would fall off onto the counter. Now our backsplash is tiled and the Kapoosh is a good solution for me.

We have bought three and think they are the best knife solution we've ever had. Our friends think so too. Anyone who wants to sell there one please get in touch. We would love to buy another one for our son.

I have one of the large two compartment models, and I am very happy with it. One thing that did occur to me: are the people having trouble inserting the knifes spine down or edge down? Spine down is what I have always done (so that gravity is forcing the broad spine into the rods and not the sharp edge) and I haven't had any issues with black flecks or warped tines, even with my most sharpened knives.

Maybe I have just spent too much time around katanas, but that is what made sense to me.

I, too, love the Kapoosh. I've had it for about 4 or 5 years now and (I hate how this makes me sound) but I've never washed it. I put clean knives in so why would I expect them to come out dirty? And I agree w/the reader above -- what's the difference if there's air around the knives? I never got plastic flecks either. I can't even imagine washing the rods in the dishwasher or otherwise -- how would you ever get them back in the base? Yikes! My only issue is the butcher block wood split open so now it's being held together with several large rubber bands (tried using wood glue but that didn't work). So I need another one. Went on the Internet to search for "knife blocks" not remembering the name as being Kapoosh and happily, I found this blog! Now I have to find where they sell it as I got it as a gift.

Claudia, you should be able to purchase them from Bed Bath and Beyond. In the store, you can use a 20% off coupon (in the mail - if you don't have one, your neighbors probably do). Online, it's currently $30.