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Knives are one of the most essential items in the kitchen. They’re useful for separating food, chopping dishes up into small chunks for preparation, and even eating food. As such, it’s important to take good care of knives so that they not only retain they’re sharpness and effectiveness, but also look good. Below we explore what goes into good knife care, and how to get the most mileage possible out of your blades.

Always wash directly after use

People usually leave the dishes until the end of a meal. While this makes sense from a practical standpoint, this is not ideal for knives. Good knife care requires you always wash your knives directly after use, especially if you used your blades to cut up acidic food. Hot water poured over a sponge and dish washing liquid should do the trick.

Always keep knives in a knife block

Knife blocks are useful in that they make access to the particular knife you may be looking for very simple. However, they’re essential for good knife care practice, too, since they protect the knives from the elements as well as the blunting effect of just being in a cabinet with other pieces of cutlery. Equally important is that a knife block ensures you’re less likely to cut yourself when digging for a blade since you will automatically be pulling at the handle.

Sharpen knives frequently

Good knife care requires you keep your blades as sharp – yet smooth in their sharpness – as possible. The whetstone and honing steel techniques are both easy and effective methods for ensuring your blades don’t become unnecessarily blunt, which makes using them both unpleasant, increasingly dangerous and bad for the blade, too.

Remember, when it comes to taking care of your blades, common sense and good practices carry equal importance. Ensure you’re always safe in how you use them, while being mindful of their condition.

Tags: kitchen aid