Care

Prolong your edge-life with 6 easy tips

Nothing makes prepping food as quick, easy and fun as a freshly sharpened knife. But from the moment you’re putting it to use, your knife will dull gradually. That’s why it’s important to sharpen your knife regularly.

When cutting with a dull knife you’ll apply more pressure, damaging the edge, damaging the cutting board, damaging the food you’re preparing and you’re more likely to damage yourself.

I recommend sharpening, or getting your knife sharpened at least twice a year. But in my experience most daily-used knives benefit from three or four or maybe even more proper sharpenings a year, depending on the way it’s used.

Don’t be afraid to lose too much of the blade’s height. Sharpening on whetstones will only remove the slightest bit of steel from your knife’s edge. Probably less than you’ll lose when applying too much pressure, damaging your edge, when cutting with a dull blade. 

To prolong the edge-life and reduce the amount of sharpenings, please follow these 6 easy tips:

1 Cut on a soft surface

A soft surface won’t damage your edge. Soft wooden or synthetic rubber cutting boards are preferred over hardwood, plastic, or bamboo.

If you’re afraid of getting stuck or damaging a soft wooden board, you’re probably applying more pressure than necessary. You can let the blade do the work. 

Do you feel you have to apply more pressure? Then it might be time to sharpen your knife.

2 Cut with straight movements

It’s best to make light pressured straight cuts in a chopping or slicing motion, following the direction of the edge. Wiggling or scraping will apply sideway pressure to the edge and cause damage. 

Rocking is a cutting technique deeply rooted in Western cooking. By keeping the knife on the board when cutting, you're wiggling it slightly with every cut. And by keeping the knife on the board, it’s hard to notice how your edge is performing and  how much pressure you’re applying. You might notice your edge will dull faster at the area that makes more contact to the board. Rocking is a useful technique for speeding up your prep but keep in mind you’ll have to sharpen your knife a bit more. 

Most damage is done by wiggling wildly when chopping up herbs. Try to chop your herbs instead of rocking.

And do you want to move food to a corner of your board? Lift your knife slightly or scrape spine-side down. 

3 Wipe off food or liquids

As a sharpener I see way more damaged stainless steel than carbon steel knives. When a knife is classified as stainless, it doesn’t mean it’s indestructible. 

Food and moisture damage knife steel. A carbon steel knife will show you right away. It will spot or rust when leaving it exposed to food or moisture for more than a couple of minutes.

Stainless steel on the other hand doesn’t stain, but it will form pitting over time. The pitting effect isn’t visible until the damage is done. It will look like little dark spots that are actually cavities in the steel. A lot of material has to be removed when fixing a pitted knife.

So, wipe your knife if you want to put it down to do something else for a moment. 

4 Hand wash and dry thoroughly

Salts, chemicals and excessive heat won’t do your knife any good, so dishwashers are out of the question. Hand wash your knives with warm water, a bit of mild detergent and a soft sponge or brush. Then dry thoroughly. 

More often than not, your dishcloth will be slightly damp. To evaporate the last traces of moisture leave your knife to air dry for a couple of seconds before storing it.

5 Store with the edge protected

You want to prohibit the edge of your knife bumping into other knives or utensils. Store your knife safely in a sheath, a knife block, on a rack or a magnet. If you choose a magnet, one made of wood or lined with cork or leather is preferred to prevent scratching the side of the blade. 

Again, make sure the blade is dried thoroughly before storing.

6 Hone regularly

When cutting, the edge will endure impact and pressure from different angles, bending the edge slightly out of place. By honing your knife regularly, you’ll keep the edge as straight and clean as possible until the next proper sharpening is due.

Very light sharpening motions, or light stropping motions on a finishing grit whetstone will touch up the edge just enough to keep it going without removing too much material.

A leather strop could be used regularly without removing material but with less effect. It will only work to maintain a very sharp knife.