Hello my Foodie Friends! 

So many of us have cut our hands while washing our knives. I know my wife has (or did) and watched in horror as she held her hand above her head to stop the bleeding.  We are faced with the dilemma on how to properly wash our knives. Good knives are the engines of the kitchen. We slice, dice, chop, and cut with them, making them the shining stars of meal prep. While it might be tempting to throw them in the dishwasher, this is not an ideal method for keeping your knives in top shape. Viola Wüsthof, the first female CEO of her family’s knife company Wüsthof and a repository of seven generations worth of knife knowledge, says the biggest misconception about cleaning knives is that they can be washed in the same manner as other kitchen utensils. “A dishwasher can be detrimental to the quality of your knife,” she says. “They are often too abrasive and based on the type of detergent used, the process can cause rust or corrosion.” Think of your knives as investment pieces for your kitchen, a little sweat equity is a small price to pay to keep your tools in working order. Knives should not be put into the sink until you are ready to clean them. You want to prevent any contact from other dishes or pots and pans going into the sink. This helps to prevent blade damage.  Placing blades in your dishwater can also be dangerous as you can’t see what’s beneath the water. You don’t want to get injured. All knives, regardless of blade or handle material, should be hand washed in warm water, rinsed, and immediately dried. 

Cleaning sharp knives and cutlery can be a hazardous task, but there is an innovative washing-up brush that makes it easier. The knife cleaning brush by Joseph Joseph helps you to clean sharp blades safely. The brush has a unique, wrap-around design that cleans both sides at once. The brush is designed with opposed bristles for effective cleaning, has a textured hand-grip, and is easy to store. You can also use this brush to wipe food off forks, spoons, and butter knives. Just get it soapy and pull the blade through a few times. Your fingers stay protected and the sharp blade gets brushed clean.

This brush can be a game changer in how you properly clean and take care of your knives. Good knives need to be looked after. This means that you need to use, clean, sharpen and store them properly. If you take good care of your knives they will continue to amaze you time and time again. We advise you to always wash your kitchen knives by hand, even if the supplier states that the knife is dishwasher proof. A knife with a wooden handle will visibly get damaged and a riveted handle will eventually tear at the rivets. In addition, the handle can break because of the heat. Aggressive detergents can cause irreparable damage to your knife. Detergent can af-fect hardened steel and plastics and can leave specs of rust on the blade and leave you with dull handles.

Stop by Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store to get those game changing gadgets that help make life easier and safer in the kitchen. Remember my Foodie Friends: “Life Happens in the Kitchen.”

 Take Care,
John & Paula