On Oct 29, 2:07*pm, "Edward Hennessey"
wrote:

Various analyses have shown what common-sense reflection has no
trouble endorsing: storing knives in slotted blocks (especially wood)
can put them in a great bacterial reservoir. Of course, if you
scrupulously
dry, chemically disinfect or autoclave your knives and maintain a
block in
germicidal condition, you're all good.

Hmmmm.... not likely to throw out my wooden knife block of 30 years.
I don't own an autoclave. I don't chemically disinfect. I wash my
knives after each use, dry them, and put them in the block.

Perhaps you should enhance your cleaning protocols. I have never
seen, smelled, or witnessed in any fashion bacterial growth in my
wooden knife block.

With millions in use around the world, I wonder why this so apparent
to you hasn't been an issue of "common sense"...

At any rate, to help you understand, this is a comparison of plastic
to wood for cutting board usage. I was able to determine that if
bacterial debris was able to be well managed on a wood cutting board
that has direct contact with raw meat, raw vegetables, etc., then
"common sense" tells me I am probably fine.

The knife block has a tremendous advantage over the cutting board
which sees more potentially dangerous use. The knife block receives
dry, clean knifes into a dry, clean slot. The cutting board deals
with all manner of raw foods at all different temperatures, and then
has them pushed down into slits cut into the surface from normal use.

Yet, according to UC Davis, the bacteria farming surface of a cutting
board can be easily managed.

http://faculty.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/fa...ttingboard.htm

Other research has verified this study. And the wood vs. anything
else issue for all manner of kitchen ware has been beaten to death.
DAGS is a great ally when understanding this issue.

After re-reading that study, I am betting that my dry, clean knife
block has an even better chance at a maintaining a clean, safe
surface, much more so than the wood cutting boards.

Maybe it's just me and a few million others....

Robert