Knife Maintenance

Sometimes people don't realize that you are more likely to cut yourself with a dull knife than with a sharp one.  If you need to use a sawing motion to get through a tomato skin; if a vein is popping out in your head while you're trimming chicken; if you need to start with a shoulder level swing to make it all the way through a carrot then it's time to sharpen your knives.

When you're struggling you have less control over the knife, you're more likely to slip, cut yourself and mangle your tomato.  When your knife slides easily through the food that you're preparing you have a much lower risk of cutting yourself.  If your knife is sharp enough then the weight of the knife with slight pressure should slice right through the that pesky tomato skin.

Sharpening a knife is an art though.  Unless you're very careful or experienced you should leave the sharpening to a professional.  It's an abrasive process and it's very possible to ruin a knife if you don't know what you're doing.  You should be able to find a sharpening service close to home that will do it the right way.  And, please don't ruin an expensive block of knives by using an electric sharpener.  I have yet to find one or hear of one that doesn't ruin a knife.  If you're serious about sharpening your own knives invest in equipment such as the Edge Pro Inc. sharpening system and learn how to do use it properly.

Now, just because there is an art to sharpening doesn't mean there aren't things that you can do to maintain the edge of your cutlery:

• It's a misconception that wooden cutting boards are unsanitary.  A properly cleaned end grain wooden cutting board is not only more sanitary than plastic, it's also easier on the edge of your knives.  To learn more about this read my article on cutting boards (link below).
• Don't put your knives in the dishwasher.  EVER.  Having your knives clank against other items wreaks havoc on the edge.  The heat and water can also delaminate composite handles and crack wooden handles.
• Don't use them to pry things open...Duh.
• Don't use them to slice open plastic bags. Just use kitchen shears or scissors. That's why they make them.
• Don't leave them in the sink.  Wash them immediately and stow them away in your knife block for the same reasons that you shouldn't put them in the dishwasher.
• Use a steel to hone your knives.  Honing is different from sharpening.  Honing merely aligns and straightens the sharp edge of your blade without removing material aggressively the way sharpening does.  Every time a knife gets used the razor sharp edge can bend slightly to the either side which reduces it's effectiveness.  You don't need to sharpen it to correct this.

P.S. I know what you're thinking... Yes, I practice what I preach.