Taking care of your Kitchen Knife

Here’s how to take good care of your knife for its longevity and optimum performance.

Just like many tools and equipments, the secret to their longevity and optimum performance is on how you take good care of them. Any material when not well cared for will easily break down or perform poorly. Kitchen knives are included in the tools that will perform best as long as the appropriate care is followed.

You have carefully searched for the right knife or knives for yourself. You have even probably invested sizable amount to acquire the best quality to aid you in your different preparations in the kitchen. It would be a shame to see these knives perform poorly later on and even go to waste just because you failed to properly take care of them.

Don’t worry. This simple guideline on how to take care of your knives is easy and once you know the basic principles, taking care of your knives will feel just like an ordinary routine. So, read on and help your knife perform its optimum potential for the entire duration of its service to you.

Cleaning

Even if most knives are dishwasher safe, there is not much necessity in that. Wiping clean both sides of the blade as thoroughly as possible is the simple trick in cleaning the knives. It helps also that your choice of knife must have a smooth join on the blade and handle area. This is where dirt accumulation happens which usually comes from bits and pieces of food that found their way to the corner. This is a good thing also to have in mind when choosing a knife.

Sharpening

Sharpening with the whetstone is the more advisable method although using sharpening steel could be done in between using whetstone. There’s not much difference on the method. What’s more important are the steps being followed in sharpening knives?

Whetstone

Before proceeding with sharpening the knife, make sure that the stone is wet. Hold the knife at a 10-15 degree angle with the stone and push it back and forth across the stone maintaining the angle all the time. Do the same with the other side of the blade.

During the process, a powdery residue will appear. Do not wipe it off as this is what sharpens your knife. Continue with the process until there are no burrs on both sides and the knife is sharp enough. Then wash the knife with hot water and towel dry.

Sharpening Steel

Hold the sharpening steel and the knife and make sure that the heel of the blade (the edge nearest the handle) is positioned near the tip of the sharpening steel having an estimated angle of 20 degrees. Then slowly pull the cutting edge across the sharpening steel doing a slight arc. Do the same with the other side. Repeat the same action between 5 to 10 times or until there are no burrs. Keep in mind though that you must maintain the angle and alternate either side of the cutting edge sharpening the full length each time.

Following these two simple steps will make all the difference for your knife. Now, there’s no more excuse why your prized kitchen knife will not always perform its best for as long as it matters.

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