Master of the kitchen
Your kitchen needs only one knife – the good kitchen knife. And the good knife itself needs just one thing as well- to be sharp for the purpose it has been made for. This lord-of-the-kitchen-kind tool is by far one of the most important and necessary things we need and use in the kitchen. But since it’s the most important and useful like everything else it can go blunt. That’s why we give you few of our basic and favorite tips for maitaining the long life of this ancient tool.
Hone is like a must for knives
Most of the good knives you can buy come with a textured steel rod that will actually maintain your blades’s sharp edges. So the idea is that when using a knife, go on and give it a quick honing first. The technique is easy once you get the hang of it: With one hand (the nondominant) grab the and hold the steel vertically, with the tip secure on a stable surface. With your dominant hand, hold the knife horizontally. The angle is 20-degree. Then draw the blade down and toward you, across the steel, from the heel to the tip. For times per side is absolutely enough.
Sharpen once a year
You see, blade needs to be sharpen. Thats for sure and you probably know that already. But here is why it is so important- it repairs nicks and other mars on the blade’s edge. And there is a way to tell if the knife is ready to be sharpened. If it is so, it will slide right off the skin of an onion. There are electric sharpeners, but we do not recommend cause they will strip away too much metal. Most chefs prefer pumice-like water stones, but they can be tricky to master. But nevertheless use such as them, because it’s more natural in manner and gives you a lot more control on the process.
Be careful when cutting
Don’t use your favorite knife as some kind of a viking axe, chopping down trees or carrots, with up-and-down cutting motions! This way you will blunt the blade. The main idea is that knife stays in contact by sliding to the cutting board. Which means that the knife must not hit the board, but slide along it. It’s important that you avoid glass cutting boards or such made of stone or acrylic. So stick with the wood or plastic ones. And one more thing – when scraping parts of the food from the cutting board, do it with the spine of the knife. Just in case.
Wash it carefully, but by hand
Since we rather recommend more natural ways of maintaining kitchen stuff we tend to prefer the washing machine only if it is highly necessary. So do not put your favorite knife in it. Cleaning is an easy-peasy procedure. Wash it with warm soapy water, and by all means keep the blade away from you. Cause you need all of your fingers, right? If your knife is made of carbon steel, wipe it dry instead of letting it air-dry. This way you will stop the eventually formation of rust and blotches.
The importance of storing
You don’t just put away the knives just like that and wherever you like. You have to store them properly and sometimes away from other utensils, which can be harmul to them. Some utensils can nick and ruin knives if you throw them in with silverware. You can use plastic guards which come with some knives. Another great looking and absolutely useful idea is to “stick” them on a magnetic board on the wall.
