A magnetic knife rack is a handy way to store knives, but how do you attach the rack itself? Most come with attachments for screwing into a wall, but if you have an extractor fan or range hood, you might be able to stick it up magnetically.
Lifehacker reader and regular commenter 66biscuits found this solution worked well:
I have a kitchen with very limited wall space and an IKEA Grundtal knife rail and a few large knives. I was pondering where to put it when it struck me how strong the magnets were. I placed it on the edge of the steel overhead extractor hood and found it to be quite well-attached. It’s been up there for 2.5 years and has had up to 5 knives including the heavy cleaver and 2 full size chef’s knives you can see in the pic.
It seems to work in this position because I was able to seat the top on the edge. The magnets are not flush with the anterior of the rail, so it’s best to make sure there is as much magnet contact as possible. I’m sure for different hoods it may take a little machining to make it sit right.
IKEA doesn’t seem to sell a Grundtal-series knife rack any more, but still offers the Asker and Fintorp models. Definitely a good trick if you’ve got a large range hood and room to spare on its side. Thanks 66biscuits!
Que
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 8:54 AMThis is the best tip I have read from LH this year. Thanks!
Dazza from Darwin
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 9:59 AMWhat about the top of a freezer/fridge???
For any that don’t have a good with the space spare like this?
Chaps
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 5:59 PMI used some magnets from old Hard Drives to attach my Knife rack to the side of the fridge. They are just at the right height to grab (and too high for Kiddies) and it hasn’t fallen yet. I’ve had7 knives on there and it hasn’t moved at all..
Tim
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 10:31 AMNot having used a magnetic rack before, id be concerned with the danger of having the knives in such a place that could get in the way/knocked off.
greg253d
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 12:23 PMi’d aslo be concearned with the cleanlinessof the knives, im sure the side facing into the stove top area would get covered in oil residue, potentially making them slippery as well
Christian
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 5:20 PMif you kept your kitchen clean that would be a issue
NakedScribe
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 5:05 PMTim and Greg253d – I can tell you from using those knives in that picture that neither of the concerns you have raised are an issue – not at that location anyway. The rangehood is high enough that knocking the knives off would be quite difficult, plus the magnetism is very strong so even touching the knives directly requires more force than just brushing or bumping them. And they don’t get greasy. Maybe because they are being used reasonably regularly, maybe it’s just the angle the handles are at, maybe it’s the foods being cooked. No idea. But it’s not an issue.
Dennison
Wednesday, November 9, 2011 at 12:05 AMI use Kyocera Ceramic knives will this work? :-)
Cornelius
Friday, November 11, 2011 at 12:12 AMand stabbing yourself in the face when cooking
Margaret
Sunday, November 27, 2011 at 4:25 PMI just saw the Grundtal magnetic knife rack at Ikea in person and online…looks like they still have them!
Angus Kidman
Sunday, November 27, 2011 at 7:34 PMNo sign of it on the IKEA Australia site . . . link?
Phil Olson
Monday, February 6, 2012 at 12:13 AMI make and sell handcrafted hardwood magnetic knife racks that do exactly that – securely grip the side of a refrigerator. See http://shop.anniesarc.com/collections/products/magnetic