Knife Care 101

• Posted on 17 August 2024
• By Skyler Spartan
• 0

Most people treat their knives like the do the rest of their silverware and throw them in the dishwasher, or leave them out and dirty when they're done with them. Why is that such a bad thing?
Read on and we'll explain some simple and easy ways to keep your knives sharp and make them last for life.

A good quality knife is made with different steels than your standard set of stainless flatware. That's why they're such an investment. It's an investment that you're going to want to protect. Why throw that money away if you don't have to?

With higher end knives, you'll want to spend just a little extra time and effort to make sure they stay nice for years to come. In fact, and good set of knives should really last you your whole life if you care for them properly.

One way to do that is to make sure you keep a fresh edge on them so that 1. They stay sharp, and 2. They stay safe to use. The most dangerous tool in any kitchen is a dull knife!

The easiest way to maintain your edge is just simple, frequent use of a honing steel like this one from Wüsthof.

Here is a simple guide to using a honing steel to keep your knives sharp along with a video on best practices for doing this.

Another way to keep your knives in the best shape possible for a long life has to do with cleaning habits.

It is really best to clean, dry, and put your knife back in storage immediately as soon as you're done using it. This will also keep little fingers from getting hurt by a sharp knife, too.

Again, remember that these blades are made using special steels that aren't made to resist stains, rust and other damage the same way a fork would, and you don't want to leave them out, dirty, or with moisture on them. You especially don't want to put them in a dishwasher to clean, and doing so can void your warranty!

Here is an example of a brand new knife that was left dirty from cutting tri-tip for far too long before being cleaned.

You'll notice that the salts, enzymes and other naturally occurring elements from the cooking process have taken quite a toll of the edge and spine of this knife, even though it was made with an advanced and specialized Swedish powder steel that is well known for its excellent strength and edge holding attributes.  The stainless tongs that were stored with it came out unscathed, but this $200 knife will now need to be reconditioned and have quite a bit of material removed in order to hopefully return it to a factory finish.

This is the result of not properly caring for your knives, so take an extra minute to wash, dry, and put your knives away so that they can continue to serve you throughout the years free of trouble.

If you want to go more in depth on your blade care, you can use a kit like this one from Cangshan to sharpen and condition your knives.

Here is a simple yet  elegant video on how that's used.

If you have any questions about your blade care, would like to have your knives professionally sharpened, or are looking for a new set of knives to use at home, feel free to reach out to us and we'll be happy to help you with your blade care!