Home cooks don’t necessary need a collection of knives and blade for the tasks they do in their kitchens.
However, for the knives that they have, it is paramount that they take good care of them for purposes of minimizing injuries as well as enhancing the longevity and durability of the blades.
When it comes to caring for knives, most of the procedures you need to do are pretty basic.
There are very limited procedures that will require you to go out of your way.
The tips on caring and maintaining knives include:
1. Sharpen your knives
The single most crucial aspect of taking care of your kitchen blade is keeping it sharp at all times.
Dull knives not only make working in the kitchen more challenging and near impossible, but it is also a safety hazard.
Blunt knives tend to cause more injuries than sharp ones.
With a dull knife, you will need to apply additional pressure than you would if you were using a sharp blade.
This makes the blade likely to slip from the hands and inflict cuts and other injuries.
You can always sharpen your knife by yourself using an electric sharpener, a whetstone, a stone sharpener or even honing rod.
2. Store your knives appropriately
Knife edges tend to get damaged when stored inappropriately.
This is especially due to collision with other cutlery and utensils.
For purposes of ensuring that the blade remains in a pristine condition, always store your blades in a knife block or drawer organizer.
This storage helps in ensuring that the knives remain in a dry space that is free from moisture/water or contact with other utensils.
You can also mount a magnet on the wall for storing the blades especially if your knife collection is not too large.
Always store your knifes in a space where they are safe and easily reachable.
3. Clean and rinse your knives after every use
Cleaning is an important aspect when it comes to maintaining your kitchen knife in a pristine condition.
There are food types such as excessively acidic foods that may have a damaging effect on the blade.
After every use, wash and rinse the blade using soap, water and a soft cotton towel.
Running water is usually the best but can still wash it in a sink then rinse with clean water.
You should never wash your knife in a dishwasher due to collision with other utensils.
4. Cut on the recommended surfaces
The surfaces which you will cut the knife have a direct effect on the overall condition of the blade.
Avoid using hard surfaces such as granite, stainless steel, maple countertops and aluminum.
Instead, cut on surfaces such as chopping board, polyethylene or plastic.
These surfaces are usually soft and hence are not likely to cause any damage to the blade.
5. Enhance your cutting technique
Having the right cutting technique is incredibly important as far as care and maintenance of knives is concerned.
As long as you use the blade correctly with the necessary movements, the knife will not only be safer to use but will also last for long.
For instance, when slicing food, it is advisable that you use the sharp narrow edge first before you use the rest of the blade in slicing the food.
Additionally, it is recommendable not to use your knife for transferring chopped food ingredients from the board to a bowl or pot.
Running the blade across the chopping board tends to make the edge dull at a faster rate than normal.
6. Use every knife for its specified task
There is no better way of damaging your knife than by using the blade for wrong tasks.
For example, you should not use a paring knife for cutting through hard bones or smashing hard meat pieces.
Additionally, do not use your kitchen knife for purposes such as picking locks, opening piggy banks, or even removing nails from wood or walls.
These knives are not designed for such tasks.
7. Don’t leave the knife in a kitchen sink
There are people who are fond of leaving their knives and other utensils in kitchen sinks after use.
For starters, this is quite risky and dangerous as it can inflict cut injuries to whoever will wash the dishes in the sink.
Secondly, it is bad for the blade as the cutting edge can easily get scratched or even the tip can bend or worse, break.
For wooden handles, exposing them in water for too long can be damaging to the handles.
Essentially, your kitchen knives will serve you well as long as you take good care of them accordingly.
If you neglect the blades, you can be certain that they will fall apart and become useless within no time.
For more expert advice and suggestions about kitchen knives, you can visit Knives-Sensei.com for more info.
