The sharper your knife, the easier your life, or so the old saying goes. Whether you are a professional or a the chef in your kitchen, protecting your knives is an essential and necessary thing to do. Mindless knife usage can lead to damage and eventual destruction, which can be unhealthy for your wallet as well as your wood cutting board. If you want to maintain the cutting precision of your knives, and save money along the way, then make sure to follow these tips on shielding and cleaning your knives the right way.
While most knives are made to last, they can become dull or destroyed with improper usage. As such, you must treat your knives with care. Following are a few tips to remember.
Should you need to cut, slice, or dice food items, do so on wood cutting boards, such as walnut. Not only are they sturdy, wood cutting boards can help prevent the spreading of nasty bacteria such as Salmonella and Listeria.
Side to side movement, when done repeatedly, can bend and misalign your knife very quickly. Make sure to use the back side of the knife to move the ingredients off of your walnut cutting boards.
Not only can they injure you if you carelessly reach for them, leaving them loose in drawers will leave them unprotected from damage caused by movement.
Not only is this dangerous for you, your knife might end up sliding around the slippery sink, which can lead to surface damage or more serious damage.
While using the dishwasher might be tempting, the high-pressure water can end up dulling the blades.
Don’t leave it to air-dry like other kitchen utensils, as doing so can lead to microscopic pits. These can become easy breeding grounds for rust and bacteria.
As it has been mentioned, manually cleaning your knives is the best way to keep them in good condition. Being extremely simple, all you need is warm water, mild soap and a brush.
Utilize the soft side of the brush when cleaning the blade and the handle to prevent damage.
To remove stubborn rust, spray the area with rust remover or apply with a cotton swab. Let the solution sit for a few minutes before cleaning the rusty area with a brush. Avoid spraying/swabbing solution on uncontaminated areas to remove the chance of unnecessary damage from happening.
For harder-to-reach areas such as the pivot and insides of the handle, make use of a flattened cotton swab saturated with cleaning solution. Clean the blade in different angles so that you can fully sanitize the knife. Be careful when cleaning near the springs though, as they can get entangled with the cotton swab.
Protecting your knives means using them properly and cleaning them accordingly. By following the aforementioned tips on using and disinfecting your knives, you can extend their lifespans and save a lot of money in the long run. Make sure you have a hardwood walnut cutting board ready for whenever you need to cut by visiting our products page and choosing your favorite model now!
