Everyone who has a kitchen will have kitchen knives for various purposes. That being said, some may be happy with a few cheap and basic knives, whereas others may prefer having a more extensive knife collection.
Either way, it’s important that you know how to properly care for your kitchen knives. This will help to ensure that they last longer and that they are easy to use. If you’re looking for some tips on how to take care of kitchen knives, then keep on reading!
Keep Them Sharp
Of course, most knives need to be sharp in order to work well. While this isn’t necessarily the case for things like butter knives, it is still true that other types of kitchen knives should be kept sharp.
Not only will this help you keep your knives in good condition, but it will also make it much easier for you to use them. Slicing through something with a sharp knife is much easier than having to see at it with a dull one. Even if your knives are of amazing quality, they will lose their edge over time, so be sure to invest in a sharpening stone to keep them nice and sharp.
Keep Them Clean
Next, you need to make sure that your knives are always clean. More than that, you need to clean them correctly. Knives that aren’t properly cleaned and dried can cause various issues.
For example, a dirty knife may be a breeding ground for bacteria, which is very unhygienic.
Improper cleaning techniques can also lead to your knives getting rusty. If you have any special knives, you may want to wash them by hand rather than in the dishwasher, just to be safe. Keep in mind that if you do wash sharp knives by hand, there’s always a risk of you cutting yourself, so it’s a good idea to know how to treat minor cuts at home.
Use Them For Their Intended Purpose
While most knives can be used for various purposes, some knives may have limits as to what they can be used for. If you use a delicate knife to cut something big and dense, you could damage the knife.
It is, therefore, a good idea to learn more about which knives are best suited for which purposes. That way, you will always know which knife to use for a specific task, such as cutting up a chicken.
Store Them Correctly
Finally, you need to make sure that your knives are stored correctly since if they aren’t, they could also get damaged. Tossing all of your knives into a drawer isn’t the best idea, as the blades may rub against each other. Plus, it’s a dangerous risk if you have to shove your hand into a drawer of knives to retrieve one.
While there are various ways of storing your knives, a knife block is the most effective. While you’re figuring out how to store and organize your knives, you might as well organize your whole kitchen.