Caring Properly for Kitchen Knives

Regardless of how you sharpen your knives, be sure to wash and dry them both before and after sharpening. Once you get used to having a sharp knife, you’ll know right away when yours is losing its edge. Suddenly, cutting becomes a lot more difficult. One easy test is sliding your knife along a peach or tomato, exerting no pressure. If the knife is sharp, it’ll pierce the skin right away.

This is just an introduction to the advantages of sharpening and caring for kitchen cutlery. Read on for some more recommendations.

Sharpening Knives and Other Tips for Caring for Your Kitchen Knives

Owning a set of kitchen knives, regardless of their type, requires certain use and maintenance in order to keep them sharp and working correctly. Whether you invested in quality kitchen knives or own a set of discount knives, you will want to keep them sharp and handling well.

The first rule of use for your kitchen knife is to be sure that your blade lands on a soft surface, such as wood or plastic, instead of a hard surface like ceramic or metal. Striking your kitchen cutlery against hard surfaces will rapidly dull the blade and hinder the performance of your kitchen knife, even if you are using high quality ceramic or stainless steel cutlery.

It’s sometimes tempting to use the kitchen knife to pry something, use it as a screwdriver or chisel and many other actions for which the kitchen cutlery is not intended. Even using the handle of your knife as a hammer is not recommended, unless it is specifically built for that task. The pins, springs and handle can loosen or break, rendering your kitchen knife useless.

You should keep your kitchen cutlery away from sand and gritty materials. Be especially aware when you are using your knives outside, for instance if you are camping, fishing or just barbequing outdoors. Be aware of your kitchen knife and if it gets wet, you should immediately dry it. When you are washing your kitchen cutlery, do so in mild, soapy water and then dry it completely with a towel, instead of allowing it to drip dry. You should always wash your kitchen cutlery by hand and dry it immediately after.

Wood tends to swell, so it you have wooden handled knives, it is best not to immerse them in water for any period of time. You can rub mineral oil on wooden knife handles to help them keep their luster. You can also increase the lifetime of your wooden handled kitchen knives by rubbing lemon oil or furniture polish into the wood handle occasionally.

Stainless steel cutlery should not rust in the humidity and it can withstand acids that it is exposed to in daily use. However, stainless steel does not mean 100 percent rust proof. The coarser the stainless steel surface is, the more likely it is to corrode. To ensure your stainless steel cutlery is corrosion resistant, you want to purchase knives with finely ground or polished surfaces.

Another option for kitchen cutlery is ceramic knives which are durable and long lasting. However, ceramic knives should also not be put in the dishwasher. They are very easy to clean; a wipe and a rinse is all that is needed to keep them in great condition for years to come.

When storing your knives, it is best to choose a knife block to protect the blades. Never put your knife into the wooden knife block wet – wood absorbs water and you could introduce mold and mildew into your knife block which could effectually ruin your kitchen knives. If you are going to keep them in a drawer, be sure that they are not tossed around too much. Jostling against other knives or instruments could cause your knife blades to chip or dull unnecessarily. It is fine to keep them in a drawer, but they should be sleeved or in compartments to avoid colliding with other utensils or inadvertently cutting you as you search in the drawer for the knife you need. Forged cutlery or stainless steel cutlery should be properly stored to ensure it lasts a long time.

Taking care of your kitchen knives is quite easy if you follow the steps outlined above:

- Keep knives out of the dishwasher
- Wash kitchen knives right after use and dry them immediately after washing
- Store them in a wooden knife block, in sleeves or in a compartmentalized drawer

Taking good care of your knives and using them properly will ensure that you will have great kitchen knives for years to come.

Ben Anton, 2007

Ben Anton lives in the Northwest and writes for DLK.
Ben Anton invites you to read about proper kitchen knife maintenance at our easy to use discount knife and sharpener website.

Tags: blades, Cutlery, kitchen cutlery, kitchen knives, knife sharpener, knife sharpening

July 05 2008 | Cutlery | No Comments »

Is Your Cutlery Drawer a Mess? Take Heart, You’re Not Alone

Would you think cutlery as it sits in your cutlery drawer could tell something about how organized you are? We came across this story about a lady who was down on herself because she considered her cutlery drawer to be a mess. She took it as evidence that she was unorganized, and that her family was judging her for it. On the other hand, she may not be as unorganized as she thinks. It all depends on how the situation is perceived.

Read on for some insight, and, while you're at it, think about getting some better quality cutlery, since that actually can help make you a better cook, which you and your family will love.

Betty Seeks Organized Living

On the topic of organized living I would like to share with you a story about my friend Betty. This story illustrates the real purpose behind organized living. When people ask the question "How to get organized?" the question reflects an inner feeling of not being in control. The real benefit of organized living is not neatness or tidiness... it is control!

Here is the story of my friend Betty

One day my friend Betty lamented that she was indeed disorganized and that she could use my help.

This statement really surprised me as I had never thought of Betty as being unorganized so I explored this further with her.

Me: "Betty, why do you think you are unorganized?"

Betty: "Oh my cutlery drawer is a mess. My kids tell me nobody has a cutlery drawer like mine. They think there is really some thing wrong with me that I do not fix it up."

Me: "What do you mean your cutlery drawer is a mess?"

Betty: "Well everything is just thrown in there. All the knives and forks and things just in the drawer. My kids get really frustrated with it."

Me: " Do you get frustrated with it Betty?"

Betty: "No. I don't have any problem with it. In fact, somebody gave me one of those drawer organizers once because they thought it needed tidying up and I used it for awhile, but it made me rather anxious every time I looked at it so I stopped using it!"

Me: " I see, so you stopped using the cutlery organizer because it made you feel anxious?"

Betty: "Yes, I think I was just afraid that I would put something in the wrong place, I like it better with everything just jumbled in there. I guess that way I cannot make any mistakes."

Me: " So Betty when you go to get the cutlery to set the table for dinner can you find everything you need?"

Betty: "Yes"

Me: " And how long does it take you to find what you need to set the table?"

Betty: " Just a few seconds....but you should see my underwear box!"

Me: " Your underwear box?"

Betty: "Yes, I do not use a drawer I just have a big chest that I throw all my underwear and socks in. It is all jumbled up!"

Me: " I see. We seem to have a 'jumbled up' theme going on here. Betty do you feel your life is jumbled up?"

Betty: "No!"

Me: "Betty do you feel you have control over your cutlery and your underwear?"

Betty: "Absolutely!"

Me: "And how long does it take you to find your underwear to get dressed in the morning?"

Betty: "Just a few seconds."

Me: " Do you ever feel frustrated because you cannot find the cutlery you need or are you ever late for work because you cannot find the clean underwear you need in your underwear chest?"

Betty: "No to both questions."

Me: "Would you consider your home to be neat and tidy...most of the time"

Betty: "Yes."

Me: "Do you feel in control of your life, even your jumbled up cutlery drawer and underwear chest?"

Betty: "Yes"

Betty was pleased to learn and subsequently tell her children that she is not unorganized. She has a system for controlling her cutlery and her underwear! Just because others could not understand her system does not mean that she is unorganized.

Betty finally realized that she had already achieved organized living even though her children would tell her otherwise.

Betty was in control and would no longer feel compelled to ponder "How to get organized?"

My website http://www.organization-makes-sense.com offers insights into the fundamentals of organized living including one of the three simple truths which is that the goal of organized living is to be in control.

Tags: Cutlery, organized living, organizing

July 03 2008 | Cutlery | No Comments »