Professional cooks often bring their own knives and specialized tools to work. Even home cooks cook away from home on occasion, whether it’s at a holiday, party, or a Saturday afternoon college football game. If you want to keep your kitchen equipment in good shape, you need something good to transport it from place to place. Today, I’m going to review the Ergo Chef Gear knife bag.
Why Do I Need A Knife Bag?
A knife bag is not something you want to store your knives at home. They make knife blocks for that. You need a knife bag if you plan to cook away from home and want to use your own gear.
If you are in need of a knife block, check out this universal knife block holder from OOU.
A knife bag holds more than knives. I keep a meat thermometer, a micro plane zester, and sharpening steel in my bag along with a few knives. These are specific tools that not every home cook has, so I want to make sure I have mine if I’m cooking on the go.
For professional cooks, the need of a knife bag is obvious. Some restaurants have fantastic equipment on-site, but many do not. Even if their knives are sharp and high quality, some cooks just prefer their own. It comes down to personal preference. I carried mine to work every day for three years at my last job.
The Ergo Chef Gear Knife Bag
The current knife bag I am using is the Ergo Chef Gear Knife Bag. I’ve had it for about 4 years and carried it to work 5 days a week for 3 years. The heavy nylon/polyester construction has held up pretty well. It is still fully intact with no visible damage after 4 years, so the durability gets a thumbs up from me.
The bag is about 19″ long and 5.5″ wide when close. When unzipped and opened, it’s about 11″ wide. It features dual zippers so the bag can be sealed at either end. I recommend sealing the bag on the end opposite of the knife handles, so if the knives slip out there is no chance of the zipper opening and allowing them to escape.
There are two carrying straps that can be combined when the bag is close via a Velcro latch. They are nice and balanced, and the bag carries well.
The inside of the bag features 5 elastic pockets for holding equipment. As I said before, you can put more than just knives in the bag. The three inner pockets are larger than the two outer pockets.
Looking for a great knife to help fill out your bag? Check out my review of the OXO Good Grips Chef Knife!
The Verdict
If you plan on cooking away from home and want to bring some of your own tools, I definitely recommend the Ergo Chef Gear Knife Bag. It has served me well for four years, and I expect it to continue to do so for many more. It is super affordable at only $17.50 at Amazon. It’s a solid bag for a light toolset.