- Monday 29 July 2019
Cutting edge tips on how to keep your knives in top condition!
The most important tool in a cook’s arsenal is a good knife. But how do you look after your knives to keep them at their best? Read on to learn all the basics of knife care – from cleaning to storage, and how to hone and sharpen dull knives.
Honing & Sharpening
Keeping your knife sharp is the best thing you can do for it. Even the best knives soon become useless without proper care. A properly sharpened knife is not only more effective, but much safer to use – much less likely to slip unpredictably and cause an accident...gives you better control over the blade.
There are two steps to keeping your knives work-ready – honing and sharpening. Honing your blade maintains your knife’s sharpness, by straightening out and realigning its edge as a solution to daily wear and tear. Hone your blade after every 2.5 hours of use, or whenever you feel it losing its edge.
Eventually your blade will become blunt, and it is noticeable honing does not solve the problem. That means it’s time to create a new edge through sharpening.
How to stay razor sharp?
There are three options for honing and sharpening – pull through models, steels, and stones.
If you’re just starting out sharpening your own knives at home, a pull-through sharpener is a great foolproof method to safely keep your knives in check. We stock two types – this incredibly user-friendly model from AnySharp which features a hands-free suction base, and this one from Wusthof, which has both a honer and a sharpener. Both can be used for straight, serrated, and scalloped knife edges – ideal for beginners. Holding the handle, pull your knife through the sharpener a couple of times and it will be done before you can even say knife!
The next best option is our handheld sharpening and honing steels, which with a little bit of practice are easy to use – and allow you to sharpen your knives to your preferred angle. This honing steel from Wusthof is a popular product with our customers; watch the video below for a crash course on how to use it!
If you’re looking for the best possible professional-standard care for your knives, you need a whetstone. We stock dual-sided ceramic waterstones and diamond stones, which you can find here. Using a whetstone requires practice and technique, but is worth the time and effort if you love your knives – it will keep your favourite knives at their utmost best.
But if the DIY approach isn’t for you, why not try our in-store knife sharpening service? Leave your knives with us, and we’ll sharpen them back to their best at just €4 a blade.
Washing & Drying
Always wash your knives right after use – this stops any potentially corrosive or acidic materials damaging the metal. Dishwashers are very tough on knives, exposing them to high temperatures and harsh detergent, as well as battering them around off each other. Instead, treat them kindly by handwashing them with a mild detergent like these from Meraki, and promptly dry them with a tea towel.
Storage
There’s no use pouring time and energy into making your knives the best they can be, only to throw them loosely into an over-filled kitchen drawer! If knives are left loose, rattling around and banging into things, they could lose their sharpness. As a quick solution, you could invest in a drawerstore which keeps them neatly in place, or covers which protect the blades.
However if you have the space, the best option is a magnetic wall holder. Whereas drawer stores or traditional knife blocks affect the edges of your blade over time, as the knife is inserted and removed with each use, magnetic holders are a space saving option that do not affect the edges at all!
(P.S - If you’re looking for storage on the go, we also stock canvas knife wallets.)