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Home · Bright Ideas · 7 Ways You’re Ruining The Most Important Thing In Your Kitchen

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7 Ways You’re Ruining The Most Important Thing In Your Kitchen

A good knife is the most valuable tool in any kitchen! Your knife can serve you for decades to come... as long as you're not doing these 7 destructive things to it!

Jill Nystul  ·  August 4, 2019
4.5 stars · 2 votes

ruining your knives

For the past few years, we’ve chosen to rent houses whenever we’ve traveled for family vacations. It’s typically cheaper than booking several rooms at a hotel, and we save on food costs by cooking our own meals!

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But cooking our own meals means using the tools provided in the kitchen, and those tools don’t usually look like they’ve been handled with care. My son-in-law is a chef, and he is always particularly appalled at the condition of the kitchen knives!

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There are a lot of ways to ruin a good kitchen knife, and I have to assume that those poor knives have suffered through most of them. So today I thought I’d share some of those knife-ruining habits with you, in hopes it helps us all take better care of our knives in the future!

7 Ways You’re Ruining Your Kitchen Knives

ruining your knives

1. You Use Them To Open Boxes

Repeat after me: I will not use my kitchen knives to open packages. (I’m repeating it as well, because I’ve been guilty of this in the past!)

Opening boxes with your kitchen knives is going to dull them quickly, and it’s not very sanitary either. Instead, spend a few dollars on a set of box cutters (like this $3 set) and store them wherever you tend to open packages.

ruining your knives

2. You Wash Them In The Dishwasher

Tossing your kitchen knife in the dishwasher might be the easiest way to clean it, but it definitely isn’t the safest. The spray of the washer arm can jostle your knife around, leading to dings, chips, and dulling.

Instead, take a minute or two to wash your nice knives by hand in warm, soapy water. It’s an easy way to ensure they stay sharp and damage-free!

ruining your knives

3. You Store Them In A Drawer

Just like the dishwasher, kitchen drawers are another place where knives often get banged up and dulled. Instead, store your knife on a magnetic knife strip or in a wooden knife block to keep it safe, yet still handy.

ruining your knives

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4. You Use Them On The Wrong Cutting Board

Another part of taking care of your knife is making sure you’re using it on the right cutting board. Wood and plastic cutting boards are both good options that will minimize potential damage to your knife.

Avoid stone, glass, or bamboo cutting boards if you want to keep your knife in good shape. These materials are hard enough to dull your knives and even chip them!

ruining your knives

5. You Scoop With The Sharp Edge

Scooping up ingredients with the sharp edge of your knife can dull it pretty rapidly. One easy alternative is just to flip the knife over and scoop with the spine of the knife instead of the sharp edge!

Another option is to get a bench scraper or pastry scraper. They’re meant to be used to scoop ingredients off of counters and cutting boards, and they aren’t very expensive either.

ruining your knives

6. You Don’t Keep It Sharp

Using a dull knife can be more dangerous than using a sharp one! You need to use more force with a dull knife, and if the knife were to slip, that added force could mean a much deeper cut!

Keeping your knives properly sharpened makes them safer and easier to use. Use a honing steel weekly to keep it sharp, and when it stops feeling like the honing steel is helping, use a knife sharpener to grind a new edge (or just take it in to your local knife shop and have them do it!)

ruining your knives

7. You Use It For The Wrong Tasks

A classic chef’s knife can be used for all sorts of different tasks in the kitchen, but other knives are more specialized. Take the time to identify what style(s) of knife you have and what it’s meant to be used for.

There’s a useful guide called “Types of Kitchen Knives” on Cook’s Illustrated that will tell you everything you need to know about your knives! Using the right knife not only makes the task easier for you, but it’s better for your knives too.

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Tell me about the knife that you use most frequently in your kitchen!

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Hi, I’m Jillee!

I believe we should all love the place we call home and the life we live there. Since 2011, I've been dedicated to making One Good Thing by Jillee a reliable and trustworthy resource for modern homemakers navigating the everyday challenges of running a household. Join me as I share homemaking and lifestyle solutions that make life easier so you can enjoy it more!

Every day I share creative homemaking and lifestyle solutions that make your life easier and more enjoyable!

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newest oldest most voted
Amy Allen
Amy Allen

When storing the knives in a wooden block, place them cutting edge up so they dont cut against the block every time you remove or insert them

Vote Up3Vote Down 
4 months ago
Becky
Becky

Hey, all these pictures show a beautiful bamboo board…

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4 months ago
Becky
Becky

…aaaaand my smiley faces didn’t make it. I’m smiling folks, just having fun here, no serious criticism. : )

Vote Up6Vote Down 
4 months ago
Cathy W.
Cathy W.
Love this post? Rate it: :
     

Great tips! Also the knife sharpener you show is the same one I have and it is so easy to use and gets my knives sharper than anything I have used before!! I was always cutting myself because my knives were dull until I found this on Amazon! It was pretty inexpensive which was a plus!

Vote Up0Vote Down 
4 months ago
Joan
Joan

Is there a right or wrong way to use one of these sharpeners? Got mine from EBay and not sure how to use it.

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4 months ago
Denise
Denise

My very favorite knife is a Zwilling Pro 7″ hollow edge rocking santoku. I use it for most of my food prep. It keeps a great edge, and is very comfortable in my hand.

Vote Up0Vote Down 
4 months ago
Sherry
Sherry

My favorite knife is a pampered chef santoku (misspelled?) knife. Putting knives in the knife block with the sharp edge up helps keep them sharp!

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4 months ago
Joan
Joan

Have a question? Is there a right or wrong way to use a sharpener such as the one that is shown in this post. Bought one off EBay and it had no instructions and not sure if I will damage my knives further.

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4 months ago
by Jillee
by Jillee

Hi Joan,
Here is a great article on the proper way to sharpen a knife. http://bit.ly/2YsQTPy

Vote Up1Vote Down 
4 months ago
Kathy
Kathy
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Don’t store them or put in the dishwasher cutting edge down.
If using a magnetic knife rack place the knives handle UP. If one slips as you are removing it the instinct is to grab it as it’s falling which means grabbing the blade.

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4 months ago
karen
karen

Thank you!!! i just cut my finger on a knife tip and stupidly never thought of storing them upside down!

Vote Up1Vote Down 
4 months ago
by Jillee
by Jillee

Good point, Kathy! :-)

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4 months ago
Terry
Terry

I’m (mostly) good on 6 of these but I’ve never heard of bamboo cutting boards being too hard – or certainly not harder than oak or other hardwoods! I picked up a couple (one was a gift) 10+ years ago and have used them almost exclusively since. I haven’t noticed my knives being too dull, although they are probably due for a professional sharpening. When our “bridal” set dwindled down to two knives years ago we invested in a wood-handled set made by Thiers-Issard, so we certainly want to take care of them! They don’t leave the house for pot-lucks… Read more »

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4 months ago
Isobel
Isobel

We have resorted to packing a “kitchen crate” for traveling because Airbnb etc places often have questionable tools. A content list ensures that nothing gets left behind.

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3 months ago

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Hi, I’m Jillee!

Every day I share creative homemaking and lifestyle solutions that make your life easier and more enjoyable!

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