10 Chef Tips for Preserving Knives and Kitchen Tools

A sharp knife allows for more precise cutting of ingredients like vegetables, meat, and fish. Precise cuts enhance the dish's appearance and ensure the ingredients cook evenly. So how do chefs around the world maintain their knives and kitchen tools optimally? Here are some tips you should 'cut and keep':

Keeping Knives Sharp

Chefs tend to keep knives sharp as a sharp knife is safer than a dull one. In fact, chefs generally sharpen knives before each use using a sharpening stone. 

Do Not Put Knives in the Dishwasher

It's not a cliché. The soap and heat from the dishwasher harm the knife's quality, even a particularly good one. In a short time, a new knife you purchased can already lose its sharp cutting ability and its blade can become duller. Pots and other utensils should also be kept out of the dishwasher. 

Cleaning Knives

It's important to clean knives and keep them dry after each use. 

Cutting Board

If you tend to use a wooden or plastic board, you're behaving wisely. However, if for some reason you choose to use a glass or ceramic cutting board, you're damaging your knife. Also, it's important to clean the cutting board after each use, both for hygiene and because it preserves quality over time. 

Do Not Cut on the Counter

No matter how good the knife is, cutting directly on the counter damages the knife's quality over time. 

Match the Knives

Do not use a vegetable cutting knife for cutting meats and vice versa. 

Where to Store Knives?

If you ask knowledgeable chefs how to store knives, the answer will be almost unanimous: either in a wooden block or on a magnetic strip, not in a drawer. When knives are laid freely in a drawer, they touch each other or the sides, which can wear down the blade and dull it faster. On a magnetic strip, each knife is separated from the others and supported evenly.

Using Non-Stainless Tools?

Then it's important to dry them immediately and not leave them to dry on the counter, as they are more prone to rust. 

How Heavy is Your Knife?

It turns out you should consider this as well since a knife that is too heavy or too light makes work difficult. 

Wooden Spoons, Not Metal - Here's Why

Chefs prefer to work with wooden spoons rather than metal ones because they do not scratch the cookware and are more durable over time.