John Myers
Quality wins. Even with the knife. The higher quality it is, the longer you can use it to cut vegetables, meat, or herbs. At the same time, you can do your bit if you sharpen, care for, and clean your knives properly. Find out everything you need to know here.
Sharpen knives properly
It sounds a bit paradoxical. The images of sheets of paper simply gliding through the air, only to be cut apart by a knife blade without much effort, can evoke a little uncertainty: Isn’t such a sharp knife dangerous? On the contrary. In fact, sharpness increases safety. Because while blunt blades can slip off and injure hands and fingers a little later, sharp blades constantly slide through carrots or onions. You should sharpen your knives regularly. Especially when they are really blunt, it is worth going to an expert who will sharpen them precisely and professionally.
In principle, you can also sharpen your knives yourself. One option is the whetstone. Wet it first before drawing the blade over it at a 15 to 20-degree angle, describing a small arc from left to right towards the tip of the knife. Five to ten times per side is enough. Another option is to re-sharpen with a sharpening steel, which is more suited to keeping knives sharp. Here, too, you describe an arc towards the top, but from top to bottom. The angle remains the same as with the whetstone.
It’s even easier if you use a machine to sharpen knives. The angles of the whetstones are set to perfectly fit the blade and all you have to do is pull the cutting blade through. Since this method is less precise, it is less recommended for high-quality knives. Our experts have provided you with further tips if you want to sharpen knives yourself.
Take care of your knives
At some point, sharpening kitchen knives is essential. However, you can delay it if you take proper care of your knives, with proper cleaning only serving as one building block. In addition to water and a little washing-up liquid, you mainly use oil to properly care for kitchen knives.
On the one hand, there is the handle. If it is made of wood, it can become brittle and swell over time through contact with water. You can counteract this with a simple touch of rapeseed or olive oil. Rub this into the handle and give it a little lotion. Even more important – especially with models made of carbon steel – is of course the blade when it comes to knife care; and oil is also suitable for them. Using the right grade, regular greasing will prevent the steel from oxidizing, which in turn will prevent rust and discoloration. The right time to do this is right after drying. Just don’t use cooking oil and make sure that it doesn’t have an acid content. It is best to use special blade oil for knives, which then has to be food-safe.
If you use your knife regularly, greasing is less necessary. It has a major impact when you go on vacation and the knife is not in use for a long time. All care instructions in terms of oil and regularity also apply when you care for damask knives. Stainless blades, on the other hand, do not need to be greased at all.
Knife care: storage and cutting mat
In fact, you also take care of your knives with the help of the right storage place. The drawer next to forks, spoons, and other knives is not suitable for this. Instead, use a knife block or magnetic strip where the blade doesn’t constantly bang against other metal objects and therefore ends up staying sharp longer. The cutting mat also contributes to this. Because if the cutting edge regularly grinds over hard materials such as steel, glass, or stone, it will become blunt over time. Wood and plastic, on the other hand, protect the blade better.
Clean knives properly
It could be so easy. dishwasher on. knife clean. dishwasher closed. Here we go. Exactly this process blunts your knives much faster, which is why kitchen knives should never be put in the dishwasher (by the way, neither should pizza stones – read here how to clean pizza stones properly). The reason for this is the acid contained in the dishwasher detergent, which attacks the special blade steel of your knives. Instead, use warm water, a sponge, and a small drop of washing-up liquid. Then dry the knife and blade immediately and put it in the knife block or hang it on the magnetic strip.
In addition, you can polish your knives. You can use the fine side of your whetstone for this, for example. The question that remains is how you react to rust. If you discover spots on a rust-free knife, it can only be a question of rust film. It only sticks to the surface and can normally be removed by wiping. The situation is different with carbon steel models. When cleaning these knives, rust can actually play a role. Use a rust eraser or a fine steel sponge to remove it. However, always use caution when doing this.
