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Care and Maintenance of Kitchen Knives and Cutting Boards
Knives are tools. Tools are designed to enable us to perform certain tasks easier. The effectiveness of tools is based on quality, design and proper use. Using a tool for something other than what it was designed to do, usually constitutes abuse of the tool and leads to unsatisfactory results, damage, or injury.
Knife Do’s and Don’ts
- Do store knives in wooden blocks, on a magnet bar or in a knife drawer organizer.
- Do keep your knives as sharp as possible –
- Dull knives cause you to push harder to make your cut. When they slip, the result is usually a more serious injury because of the force behind the knife. Sharp knives require less effort to make the cut and allow you more control of the knife. Most often a cut from a “sharp” knife is not as deep and less serious. This is because less force was being used with the knife.
- Do keep your knives clean –
- Generally, you only need to rinse the knife clean and wipe it dry before food has a chance to stick.
- Do not put knives in the dishwasher –
- High heat and detergent attack the steel and will spot and pit the blade, especially the thin cutting edge. The high heat will also cause the handles to crack and corrode. If you are concerned about bacteria and sanitation, you can wipe knives with at least 70% isopropyl alcohol. There is no need to rinse and wipe dry. Most steels are nearly non porous and bacteria won’t live on them very long. Make sure you keep your storage blocks clean because the small slots for knives can accumulate food particles that can breed bacteria.
Cutting Boards
Wooden blocks make the best cutting boards because they will not dull your knives as fast as plastic. Tests have shown them to be as sanitary as plastic if cleaned with at least 70% isopropyl rubbing alcohol. Wooden cutting boards will not withstand regular cleaning in the dishwasher. Coat wooden boards with Mineral Oil. Do not use salad oils because they will ferment and create a bacteria problem. I never recommend the use of marble or glass cutting boards, plates or platters to cut on. Remember, anything that is harder than the steel in your knife will instantly dull your knife.
Care and Maintenance of Lawn and Garden Tools
Most generally, price will be an indication of quality. If you expect a tool to last a lifetime, spend a little more in the beginning and then care for it correctly. After operating a commercial and residential sharpening service since June of 1989, I have found that the most common reason for tool failure is the lack of care and maintenance.
Most people do not realize that items such as pruners, loppers, grass clippers, etc. require cleaning after each use and frequent oiling. Sap and pitch accumulate on these tools and make them sticky and gummy. They can easily be cleaned with WD-40 or paint thinner and then wiped with a thin coating of light weight oil. One other reason that loppers and pruners may not cut correctly is because of improper tension adjustment.
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