How to maximize the life of your knives
Kitchen knives can be properly maintained fairly quickly with little effort. In the following, we explain exactly what you need to pay attention to so that your knives last forever.
1. The right cutting board
Finding the right cutting board is hard and easy at the same time. The reason for this is that there are many temptations waiting in the supermarket, which are not good for your knife blades. There you can often find cutting boards made of glass, bamboo and noble olive woods. However, these materials are too hard and not at all suitable for your high-quality knives.
Hard cutting boards are the nightmare of every blade. Not only can your blade be damaged, but the sharpness suffers extremely.
Therefore, we recommend cutting boards made of soft woods such as walnut, cherry, oak, maple, hinoki, teak and beech. Also suitable are cutting boards made of plastic and special types of rubber. These soft materials are particularly gentle on blades and extend the life of your sharpness to a maximum.
If you are about to buy your new cutting board or are simply interested in this topic, check out this blog entry, which deals with it in depth.
2 Choose the right knife for the right situation
This sounds obvious to some people, however there are also many who have a favorite knife that is used for every cutting task.
Apart from not being able to take advantage of the strengths of the different knives, this approach also causes the knife to dull and wear out quickly.
Since you are using your knives less often, this means that you are extending the life of each of your knives. A side effect is that you also have to sharpen the blades much less often.
3. Wash your knives properly
We recommend washing and drying knives immediately after the work is done. It is especially important to do the washing by hand instead of using the dishwasher.
Leaving your knife wet in the sink for too long will not only damage the blade, but can also damage the wooden handle (if present) and cause cracks. If you have knives made of carbon steel (not stainless), quick rinsing and drying is essential to prevent rust.
In most cases, just water or a soft sponge will do the job. A hard sponge surface can scratch or dull your blade.
4. Oil your blade
This point is only relevant if you have non stainless blades made of carbon steel. To protect the blades from rust, they should be oiled regularly with blade oil when the knife is not used for a long time or in humid areas.
5. Store your knives properly
Proper storage ensures safety for you, your family and the blades.
You should never store your knives loose in a drawer with other kitchen utensils, as they can easily be damaged in this way.
We recommend three storage methods:
- Our favorite are magnetic blocks or strips. They are safe and gentle on blades. In addition, this is the best way to display your knives and enhance your kitchen decor.
- A knife block is also a good choice. Preferably made of wood to protect the blades.
- Alternatively, a kitchen drawer can also be used. It is important here, however, that this drawer is used only for knives and the knives are separated and neatly inside. Of course, you should make sure that this drawer is not accessible to children.
6. Sharpen your knives regularly
Even the sharpest and best blades eventually become dull. Therefore, it is important to maintain sharpness to ensure the best cutting results.
To maintain sharpness, we recommend a sharpening steel (for knives up to 62 HRC) and leather strops (for knives above 59 HRC).
These two helpers will straighten the edge and extend the sharpening period by 2-6 months.
If you are using the tools and your knives are not getting any sharper, it is time to sharpen your knives properly.
This is best done with our Iki Ruixin Pro™. Our sharpener uses the finest whetstones, which sharpen your knives at a constant angle. This way you can get your knives to razor sharpness in under 10 minutes without any experience.
Alternatively, you can use a whetstone. However, the use of this requires a lot of practice and skill. A guide to the proper use of different sharpening methods can be found here.
Conclusion: If you know what's important, knives are pretty easy to take care of. With our tips, they can last a lifetime and make your work in the kitchen a pleasure.