Are you guilty of making this mistake with your kitchen knives?

Do you have a knife block with vertical slots at home? Then you need this tip from Los Angeles Times Test Kitchen Director Noelle Carter:

To keep the sharp edge on the blade when storing, house your knives so the edge of each blade is facing up.

When knives are stored with the edge facing downward, the edge has to slide along the bottom of the slot as the knife is housed, dulling the blade.

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You might also consider a horizontal knife block (the slits run side to side). I picked one up a few years ago for my extra knives at home and fell in love with it.

Or spring for a magnetic knife rack if you’ve got the wall space and want to display your blades.