Caring for your Knifes
Whether you use professional chef knives at work or simply round the home or garden, then it is important that you look after your knives and understand how to care for them. This article provides some simple but handy tips to increase the life of your kitchen or chef knives!
Importance of Knife Care
Knives, especially chef knives, can be very expensive so obviously we want to keep them in top condition. A small investment in time to treat your knives will save a lot of money in the long term.
All types of knives will diminish in performance the more that they are used. However, with the right knife care you can bring them back to their full potential. Below we shall look at three of the best knife care tips.
Knife Sharpening
Knife sharpening is the most important way to take care of your knives. The blade of the knife is what makes it do its job, so if you allow it to go blunt you will not be getting as much out of your knife as possible.
Chef knives in particular can become dull and blunt quite quickly, as they are used constantly on a daily basis. Your chef knives should be sharpened every day to ensure maximum performance. Knife sharpening is very simple, and you can purchase portable electric knife sharpeners from a range of outlets and it takes just a few seconds to perform knife sharpening.
There are several ways to sharpen your knife, both chef knives and general purpose knives. You can choose between sharpening stones and manual sharpeners or use an electric sharpener.
Remember that a blunt knife can be more dangerous than a well sharpened one.
Washing your Knife Carefully
Knife sharpening isn’t the only tip you need to remember when dealing with knife care. Washing your knife both regularly and using the correct method is essential for looking after your knives.
It’s best to take the extra time to hand wash your expensive knives rather than using a dishwasher. Dishwashers can damage handles including dulling plastics and increasing wood rot. Wooden knife handles can be rubbed with furniture polish to keep them shiny and clean. Brass polish is ideal for brass knife handles.
Regardless of quality there is always a risk of rust setting in. Rubbing a few drops of oil over the blades and in the joints can help prevent rust. When washing knives make sure that you dry them as well as possible to avoid getting water in the joints and to minimize the chance of rust forming.
Salt water can badly affect knives, particularly chef knives that are used in fresh seafood, so if your knife comes into contact with salt water always wash immediately afterwards and rub with a bit of oil.
Use Only for its Purpose
Knives should only be used for the purpose for which you bought them. Use your knife only as intended and don’t use them for other uses such as a screwdriver substitute, can or bottle opener. This can be very dangerous for all involved as well as damaging the knife blade.
You should be able to make a good knife last a lifetime by following this rule in conjunction with proper cleaning!
Article by Richard at LimeLight Digital. Get the most from your kitchen and maintain a healthy lifestyle by chopping up more fruit and veg to lose weight
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