Knife drawer

A Drawer Full of Knives

When we renovated our kitchen, I decided there should be a drawer just to house my knives. It sits right there below the counter, so I don’t have to reach very far to make my choice.

I do all the cooking at home. My wife tried boiling eggs back in the mid-80s—however, it went so badly that she decided she was done with cooking altogether. We eventually sold that house with burnt eggshell still on the ceiling.

So yes, the kitchen has very much become my domain.

Most people make do with a knife block, but that was never going to be enough here. I wanted everything in one place, laid out so I could see it all. So alongside a small block for the knives we reach for every day, I’ve got a drawer set aside purely for the rest.

And there’s a bit of everything in there.

Some of the knives I’ve made myself—each one tied to a point in my journey as a maker. Some are old favourites that have simply earned their place over time. There’s one I was given for my 21st birthday, which has followed me through a good part of my life. A few have come back with me from travels, carrying memories of places as much as they do a cutting edge.

Most of them get used.

Some more often than others, of course. There are days when I reach for the same knife without thinking, and other days when it’s more about how I feel—what sits well in the hand at that moment. And then there are times when the job dictates the choice, and there’s a very clear “right” tool for what I’m doing.

That’s part of the enjoyment of it.

Cooking, for me, isn’t just about the end result. It’s the process—the feel of the knife, the rhythm of the work, the small decisions along the way. Having a drawer like this means I’m not just cooking, I’m choosing how I want to cook.

Each knife has its own balance, its own weight, its own history.

And while a knife block might hold the essentials, this drawer holds something a bit more than that.

It holds options. It holds memories. And, in its own quiet way, it holds the story of how I’ve come to enjoy both cooking and making.