Hi Marli. Thank you for reaching out. When using the knife block, you would need to skip every other slot so that the knives do not touch. Should you have additional questions, please reach out to our Customer Care team directly. You can reach them by emailing web-inquiries@scanpan.com or you can call our toll-free number at (877) 772-5467. Our Customer Care team is available Monday – Friday, 8am – 5pm (PST).