Caring for your kitchen knives

“The key to fruit and vegetable cooking is a good knife” – Mollie Katzen

And once you’ve decided upon a new knife, and used it even once, you’ll know what Mollie was talking about, and why I so enjoy my kitchen knives. You’ll want to take good care of yours, so that it will stay sharp and last a long time.

Friday I talked a bit about choosing a good kitchen knife. Let me share a few tips for knife care ensuring that your knives last a lifetime:

• Use a honing steel each time before using your knife. A honing “steel” is a 10 to 12 inch metal rod with an abrasive service. Sweep the blade from heel to tip, across the steel at about a 15-20 degree angle, four to five per side. The experts recommend drawing the knife toward the handle (I prefer away from me). Always sweep in the same direction, and never using a “back and forth” motion. The steel doesn’t really sharpen the knife. Rather it “hones” it, removing burrs, nicks, and jags, bringing the blade back into alignment.  Richard, our cutlery expert from Friday’s post, shared this link to a short video demonstrating the proper use of the honing steel:

http://www.cooksillustrated.com/videohome.asp?videoid=173#topOfPage

• Use your knife only with wood, plastic, or composite cutting boards; never use metal, stone, or glass. The former “catches” and “absorbs” the blade, thereby reducing the risk of damage or dulling.

• Never scrape your blade across the board.

• Wash your knives right after use in warm, soapy water.  Immediately wipe them dry with a soft cloth and return them to their wood block.

• The best place to store knives is in a wood block. Good alternatives include using a knife sleeve or case in your drawer, or hanging them on a magnetic strip. This will keep them from scraping against other objects that will dull or damage the blade.

• Never wash your knives in a mechanical dishwasher. The risk of the blade striking other surfaces can damage the edge. In addition, since the blade of the knife is made of steel and the handle is made of wood or polypropylene, the rapid heat fluctuations in the dishwasher cause them to expand and contract differently. This will cause the handle to loosen over time.

• Never wash your knives in acidic products, like lemon juice (lemon juice and salt is a great way to sanitize cutting boards, but not knives!). Remember, “Stainless” steel means stain-“less”, not stain-“free”. And since there is a greater or lesser degree of iron in all steel, there is the risk of rust as the iron oxidizes.

• Remember, the honing steel really doesn’t sharpen the knife. Your knife should be professionally sharpened at least once per year, depending upon how much you use it, on the surface you typically cut, and how much you pamper it. I bring my knives in for sharpening right after the New Year…it’s easy to remember. The cost of the sharpening is typically $3 to $5 per kitchen knife, and worth every penny many times over. Or, of course, you can learn to sharpen your knifes yourself.

Take the extra bit of time and energy to take good care of your knives and preparing fresh, seasonal foods will be a joy.

In health-
Jess