Kitchen Knife Care: 10 Tips

Even with our bi-weekly knife delivery service, there are ways to help keep your knives extra sharp between shipments. Here are 10 tips on how to maintain your edge.

1.) Store Properly

—Loose, unorganized knives are much more prone to damage. Protect your edge by using a knife rack or block (or any storage option that best suits your needs!). For more info on knife storage options, click here.

2.) Wash Knives by Hand

—Dishwashers are tough on blade edges and knife handles. Carefully wash by hand to preserve your edge and handle.

3.) Use the Right Cutting Surface

—Hard cutting surfaces quickly dull your knife blade. Use softer surfaces like wood or plastic. No glass! For more info on cutting surfaces, click here.

4.) Slice, Don’t Chop

—Slicing properly will greatly increase the life of your blade, so be aware of this when performing food prep. Use a fluid, rocking motion, rolling the blade from front to back as you cut.

5.) Use a Honing Steel

—Honing frequently is a good way to preserve your knife’s edge. How frequently? A good rule of thumb is to hone before and after each kitchen task. Remember: honing isn’t the same as sharpening. Which brings us to…

6.) Avoid DIY Sharpening

—There are many DIY sharpening tips and tricks out there, but most of the time you will only wind up damaging your blade. Let your knife service do the heavy lifting, we know what we’re doing. If the edge needs a little help, only use a round honing steel to align the edge.

7.) Clear with the Spine

—When clearing a cutting surface with the your knife, clear with the spine down and the edge up. This way your cutting edge won’t receive any unnecessary damage.

8.) Don’t Soak in Sanitizer

—While sanitization isn’t inherently bad for your knife, the chemicals in most sanitizers will eat away at the blade over time, so make sure the knife doesn’t soak for too long.

9.) Keep Away from Heat

—Whether you’re cooking at home or in a commercial kitchen, be aware of where you place your knife. It can be easy to let it rest for a moment near a burner or other heating implement, and the next thing you know, your handle has melted into something that looks like chewed gum.

10.) Return Used Knives Promptly

—It’s Knife Day! As soon as your new red box arrives, send out your old knives. That way we can get them fixed up as quickly as possible, and you can stay sharp longer.

Well that wraps it up! Stay sharp, and, if you haven’t already, learn more about our knife subscription service here.

We offer a knife rental service that includes commercial kitchen knife sets for restaurants in need of a knife service, as well as personal kitchen knife sets for home cooking.