Tips & Tricks to Keep Your Knives Sharp

5 Tips & Tricks to Keep Your Knives Sharp

It can be a struggle to keep knives as sharp and fresh as the day you first bought them and nothing is worse than pulling a knife out to cut your vegetables or meat only to find that it has dulled so much it the process is twice as difficult. Fear not, I have assembled the best tricks to keep all of your knives as fresh as the day you bought them from Discover Gourmet!

1. Cut on the right surfaces! The easiest way to lengthen the life of both your knives and your surfaces is to make sure you’re cutting on the right ones. Avoid cutting on stainless steel, granite, and aluminum. Cutting on wood, polyurethane, plastic, or a glass cutting board is just fine. I personally like to have a thick cutting board rather than a thin plastic sheet, so I make sure to avoid damaging the surfaces underneath with any chopping.
2. Wash by hand! Although it is easier and quicker to put your knives in the dishwasher, the barrage of the heat, water, and detergent all serve to dull your knives quicker than if they were hand washed. I have also seen tips of cheap knives break off in the dishwasher. If you want to avoid this, I definitely recommend getting a good quality set of knives such as the Wusthof Gourmet 16-Piece Block Set or the Wusthof Epicure 12-Piece Block Set. Wusthof is such great quality that you will love them!
3. Store Your Knife Properly! As simple as it sounds, have a designated place for your knives where they won’t get mixed in with other kitchen utensils. It will help prevent unnecessary wear and tear on them.
4. Never cut frozen food! Or partially frozen food. While it might be easier to cut food while it is partially frozen, it actually dulls the knives faster. Something else that dulls the knives faster? Picking up food with your knife. Scraping the blade across the cutting board may look cool since all the celebrity chefs do it but it is so bad for your blade to scrape it against the cutting board like that. Instead, use a scraper or your hands. It will save you in thee long run.
5. Invest in a Honing Rod! Some sets of kitchen knives may have already come with a honing rod (or sharpening steel), but if yours did not, we suggest you invest in one to really keep your knives as sharp as the day you got them! A perfect example id this Wolf Gourmet 10" Honing Steel Rod! To use it, hold the knife in your dominant hand and the rod in your non-dominant hand. Making sure to keep your fingers away from the blade, hold the knife at about a 15 - 20 degree angle and swipe the knife across the top of the rod all the way to the bottom. Always be very careful and go slowly until you get the hang of it. This video gives a good example of exactly how to sharpen your knives.