No matter how sharp knife you have, every single blade gets dull eventually through normal use. Obviously there is also other damage to the blade that can make the edge dull: cutting food on ceramic plates and other hard surfaces, accidentally hitting hard objects with the edge of the knife, dropping the knife, washing it in a dishwasher and other similar misuse of the knife. All of that can be avoided with proper care. Below we put together a list of guidelines for correct knife care.
Basic care rules
- Keep your knife clean and dry. Leaving the knife dirty might lead to dangerous bacteria growing on the blade.
- Avoid using dishwasher. Wash your knife by hand instead.
- The edge of your knife is very delicate and can easily be damaged. Try to avoid hitting other objects with the knife’s edge. Doing so will dull the edge and may even cause a chip or a crack on the edge.
- Use cutting boards made out of softer wood. Plastic cutting boards and cutting boards from harder wood should be avoided.
- Store your knife in a safe way to protect the edge and the blade from damage.
- Do not bend your knife by force, and do not use the knife for the tasks it was not designed for. Use knives designed for frozen food to cut frozen food. Do not chop things with a knife that was not designed for chopping tasks. Do not force cut thick bones with your knives. There are better tools suitable for that task. If you misuse your knife, you are risking damaging the edge, cracking the blade, breaking the tip of the knife or affecting even more severe damage to it.
Washing the knife
Keeping your knife clean is essential if you want to enjoy using it for years and years to come. Try absolutely to avoid washing your knives in a dishwasher! The heated environment of a dishwasher together with the aggressive dishwashing detergents will without any doubt damage your knife. Wash your knife always by hand with a cloth or a soft brush under warm running water. Use only mild detergents for washing your knife. If you need to scratch off some dirt, try to use a synthetic abrasive sponge. The use of a metal sponge is not prohibited, but scratching with a metal sponge will leave much deeper scratches on the blade than a synthetic sponge would. Keeping the blade of your knife clean from fat and other food remains that got stuck to it is important also from purely hygienic point of view.
After washing the knife dry it with a towel and put for safe storage.
Caring for stainless steel knives
Caring for stainless steel knives is a fairly easy task. Stainless steel have high amount of free chromium in it, around 13% and higher. Because of the chromium, stainless steels can resist the rusting better than carbon steels would. That does not mean that a knife made in stainless steel would not rust if not properly cared for.
A simple “keep it dry” routine would do it with stainless steel knives. Just wipe the blade clean and dry with a towel after you are done using the knife. If you have a wooden handle on your knife, then wipe the handle dry as well. That will prevent the wood from catching on humidity which is the main source of deterioration with the wooden handles.
Caring for carbon steel knives
Carbon steel knives are, as the name suggests, manufactured from carbon steel. Japanese single bevel knives are more often than not made from carbon steel. Carbon steel offers unparalleled sharpness and outstanding edge retention. Unfortunately carbon steel is more prone to rusting than stainless steels are. But caring for a carbon steel knife does not mean that the owner of the knife have to keep it dry sterile conditions.
Just following a simple “keep it dry” routine is enough to protect your knife. Always try to wipe the knife clean and dry with a towel after you are done using it. If your knife is outfitted with a traditional japanese handle, then also wipe the handle clean and dry. That will protect the wood of the handle and at the same time minimise the risk of water getting inside the handle. If your handle is catching on water then the knife’s tang, that is inserted into the handle, will rust. Try to avoid storing the knife while still wet. The use of a Japanese wooden blade guard called “saya ” is strongly recommended. Check out our saya section to find out more about saya wooden blade guards.
If storing the knife for a longer period of time, add a small amount of food oil to the blade and wipe it well with a cloth. If you don’t have a saya, then wrap the knife in a towel or a newspaper. Try to avoid using olive oil, because it acts as an oxidant when coming into contact with knife’s blade. The best choice of oil for knife care is camellia oil. It is an expensive oil, so if you don’t have the budget for it, then use other cheaper alternatives.
One alternative to make a carbon steel knife more rust resistant is to force a patina on the knife’s blade. Patina is a thin oxidised layer that covers the blade. This layer actually protects the blade against more aggressive rust.
It is important to mention that different carbon steels oxidize very differently. Very pure carbon steels, like Shiogami White Steel, manufactured by Hitachi Metals Yasugi division, rust very easily. Less pure carbon steels, like Japanese SK series steels are a little bit more rust resistant. Alloyed carbon steels, like Aogami Blue Steel of Hitachi Metals, are also less reactive than very pure carbon steels. Alloyed steels oxidize with a more black colored patina.
How to store your knife
Try to store your knife in a safe way to protect it from damage. You must also consider protecting yourself and others from being accidentally cut by the knife. There are several good ways to store your knife safely. A wooden knife block or a magnetic bar is a safe choice for storing your knives. A separate knife organiser in a drawer is an acceptable choice as well.
A blade guard is another excellent choice for protecting your knife’s edge. We at hawatari strongly recommend Japanese wooden blade guards “saya” for protecting your knife. A great benefit of a saya is that the knife’s blade is safely stored inside the saya and you can easily take your knife with you anywhere. If you want to find out more about saya wooden blade guards and order one for your knife, check out our saya section.
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