Are You Making One of These 3 Mistakes When Cleaning Your Knives?

Whether you are an amazing cook or are barely making your way through dinner, a good chef’s knife or paring knife makes the whole experience that much better. But once you’re done slicing, chopping, and dicing, do you give these tools the proper (and safest) cleaning?

How to Sharpen and Hone Kitchen Knives Like a Pro

1. Never (EVER) Use the Dishwasher

Even if a knife says that it’s dishwasher-safe, it’s a good idea to skip the cutlery basket.

“Dishwashers can expose knives to high temperatures, harsh detergents, and abrasive movements, which can damage the blades and handles over time,” says Washington, D.C. chef Chris Kyler, who competed on Food Network Star, won a season of Cutthroat Kitchen and is on the HUNGRY VX virtual reality platform. “Hand washing is the safest and most effective method to clean and preserve the quality of your knives.”

All that jostling can have an impact on the sharpness over time, but it’s really the wooden handles that can particularly be affected by the exposure to high heat and humidity found in dishwashers.

2. Keep the Blade Away

Professional chefs will tell you one of the first things you learn is to never, ever just throw a knife in the sink thinking you will “get to it later” to clean. This is for your safety. Besides never wanting to soak knives for a long time in a sinkful of soapy water due to water exposure, plenty of accidental cuts can happen when you reach into a sink full of dishes only to be nicked by that chef’s knife you forgot was in there. 

To stay safe when you’re cleaning knives, Kyler offers these tips:

• Wash from the back of the blade to the tip to avoid accidental cuts. This means facing the sharp part of the blade away from you both as you wash with a sponge and dry with a dish towel.
• Wash one knife at a time.
• After cleaning, store knives in a knife block, on a magnetic strip, or in a designated drawer with knife guards.

3. Dry the Knife Immediately

“Excessive exposure to water and prolonged soaking can cause the wooden handle to swell, warp, or crack,” Kyler says. “It is important to minimize the amount of water the handle meets during cleaning and promptly dry it after washing.”

Any steel knife can get rust spots. Rust is corrosion and is caused when the iron in steel reacts to water and oxygen.Some of the things that can encourage rusting include moisture, oxygen, salt, and acids. 

Knives that are not dried off immediately or that are exposed to air after cutting things like citrus, are more susceptible to rusting. Knives used with highly salted foods or acidic food like citrus fruit are also more likely to rust.

“To prevent kitchen knives from rusting, it is essential to keep them dry and moisture-free. After washing, thoroughly dry the knives with a towel, ensuring that no water remains on the blade or handle,” Kyler says. “Additionally, store the knives in a dry place, away from humid environments.”

You may also want to apply a light coat of food-grade oil or oil specifically made to protect knives.