July 26, 2019

Knives For a Lifetime - Simple Cleaning Tricks

It’s one thing to have sharp quality knives at your disposal, but it’s another to maintain them properly to ensure they stay in prime condition for a long time to come.

Have you been taking care of your knives properly and cleaning them the right way after each use?

Cleaning and maintaining kitchen knife blades:

Experts often recommend stainless steel and ceramic knives for the kitchen due to their long-life and durability. It is very easy to clean ceramic knives because they are chemically neutral which allows them to resist corrosion in the long run. In order to clean cermaic knives made with zirconium dioxide, simply put them under running water and let them dry.

Similarly, cleaning stainless steel knives is also very easy as they can also resist the oxidization process due its to rich chrome material. One can easily wash these knives in hot water and clean them using normal dish soap. After cleaning, dry your kitchen knife with a cotton rag.

If you have kitchen knives made up of carbon steel, they will require more care to keep them protected from corrosion. It’s important to follow a few essential rules:

Never allow your carbon steel knife to soak in water.
After cleaning, dry the knife blade immediately.
Carbon steel knives like those from Friedr Dick should not be left out for air drying.
It is better to store these knives in a dust-free drawer or a specially designed knife block.

Friedr Dick Knife Block Set - demands respect and care!

And in general here are a few rules of thumb when cleaning your knives:

Hand-wash your knives: throwing them in the dishwasher may cause your blades to stain and rust over time by repeatedly being soaked in water. And if that’s not enough, the blade may also become blunt if they are rattling and bumping into other utensils in the washer mid-cycle.
Hand-dry your knives: letting your knives air-dry will cause them to lose their edge over time as steel rusts when exposed to water and air.

Home-based cleaning tricks:

If you feel that your knife blades have lost their appeal and shine, it is good to use some home-based cleaning tricks. Here are a couple of tricks you can try at home:

Use vinegar:

You might be aware that vinegar has amazing cleansing properties, and if you try to clean your knife with heated vinegar, it may just get your knives looking brand new once more.

Use potatoes:

If you are using Furi kitchen knives, for example, the starch present in potato can easily improve the resistance of the steel material towards rust so that your knife blades stay in working condition for the long run.

Tojiro Hammered Chef Knife 24cm