Have you been searching for a guide on how to clean kitchen knives? Well, good news: You’ve just landed yourself in a piece that will enlighten you with every important piece of detail you need in maintaining the quality and efficiency of every knife in your possession.
Aside from cleaning knives appropriately, we will also tell you how to remove rust from kitchen knives.
Now, why is knife cleaning important?
Simple: cleaning can stop the formation and spreading of bacteria – it eliminates them. Another thing is that their sharpness can be retained or even enhanced that make them more useful in the kitchen setting. Lastly, kitchen knives vary, as well as their usage and caring necessities. So basically, they need to be handled with care.
If you love serving substantial meat dishes or are generally into cooking, knives will always be at your best support. Whether you need to cut meat or mince some spices or chop some veggie or fruit selections, either way, you will need kitchen knife.
Be careful in cleaning, too, especially the blades – or else you may end up with scratches or self-injury. Additionally, your knife might bend or start becoming dull through improper cleaning. Nevertheless, here are some directives that you should find helpful.
Cleaning Knives: Instructions to Follow Accordingly
- Rinse your kitchen knife well using tepid or mildly hot water that your hand should be able to bare whilst clutching the knife. Take off all the visible remains you can spot.
- Pour some drops of mild dishwashing soap or have your non-scratching sponge dipped into water with soap.
- Use your soaped sponge in wiping your knife entirely. Do it gently, though, to avoid bending the knife or incurring any damage. Don’t forget to have the handle scrubbed, too, which happens to be something that most knife owners overlook.
- Rinse thoroughly to remove the soap.
- Double check for any dirt and re-wipe the if necessary.
- Use a kitchen towel or any soft clothing to wipe your kitchen knife to DRY THOROUGHLY upon storage.
Essential Tips for Cleaning knife
Soft Bristle Brush : It’s always best to clean your knives with a brush that comes with soft bristles. Settle your knife on your sink’s edge while scrubbing from the handle to the blade gently from each side.
Clean immediately after use : In order to avoid any food remains from hardening or preventing dullness to manifest, consider washing immediately after the use of knives.
It can be of hazard to leave your kitchen knives uncleaned after cutting poultry, fish or any meat products through them. Also, clean your knives one after another so that you will not inflict them damages.
Pocket knife cleaning : Pocket knives are seldom used, which is probably the reason why people overlook the need to clean them. They can actually be wonderful tools, especially when camping out. If you want to keep them from dulling or rusting, treat them as much as you treat your regular kitchen knives.
Be wary of bacteria : It’s always vital to keep your kitchen and utility knives sharp because of their functionality in cutting major ingredients for cooking such as raw meat. By adhering to the proper cleaning of knives, you can defend them from bacterial growth.
Large knives : In order to make cleaning a large knife easier, have the handle settled on the boarder of a countertop. Wipe its blade with care and turn over slowly to clean the other side.
Post-cleaning Storage : Properly store kitchen knives is must after cleaning. Placing them inside a silverware has always been a tradition of many. The downside of it is that your knives could damage due to blade contact. As a tip, sheath all of your knives or better yet, use a knife block if you find it more convenient.
Warning
- Be vigilant with every sharp blade that you have to deal with in cleaning knives.
- When putting to knife in hot water, do it slowly to avoid splashing.
- As much as possible, refrain from putting your knives by the dishwasher to prevent damaging. Paring knives, however, are more reversible from damage, which means it should be fine to put them by the dishwasher.
- Then again, leaving your knives exposed may hurt anyone within the household when improperly and carelessly place your knives. So after using, immediately wash with gentle cleaning agents and dry for storage. No mess, no worries.
- Additionally, drying will keep your knives from rusting when exposed to air.
How to Remove Rust From Kitchen Knives?
Rusting can degrade the sharpness factor of your kitchen knife and it disables you from sharpening it. Sharpening a rusty knife can break the knife literally, making it a piece of trash.
By cleaning every knife in the set on a regular basis, you will not have to worry about rusting and bacterial manifestation. On another news, removing rust can be done safely and easily.
Here are two methods you can follow:
First Method for Removing Rust
- Get a potato and slice it into two. Make sure every slice is big enough for wiping every side of the blade.
- Make sure the entire blade is covered with potato after wiping.
- Get a cup of baking soda or powder. Pour it inside a bowl.
- Get a wet soft-bristled brush (preferably a brush for 6-year olds) and dip it into the baking powder.
- Use that brush to blade thoroughly until you begin noticing the disappearance of the rust.
- Using a paper or kitchen towel, with the knife. To remove all the rusty parts, just repeat the steps given.
Second Method Removing Rust From Knives
- Get a paper or kitchen towel and moisten it. Use cooking oil instead of water. Rub the oil-moistened towel to the entirety of the rusty areas. Leave the oiled knife untouched for a matter of 2 to 3 days.
- After that, get another knife and use its tip to take off the rust. However, do it slowly to avoid damaging the rusty knife.
- Make sure that you keep the finish protected and remove only the rust. So, scrape gently toward the grain of the steel.
- Use a pad of steel wool to rub the rusted spots lightly when the knife is stained by rust. Add a bit of oil to that pad and follow the grain’s direction in rubbing.
- Don’t apply any dishwashing solution to prevent chemical reactions from occurring. Instead, rinse directly with faucet water after cleaning and dry thoroughly using a sanitary rag.
Final Tips and Precautions for Cleaning Knives
You know what they say, prevention is always better than cure. If you want to avoid the persistence of rust, rinse right after using them to cut through certain items. Dry thoroughly thereafter and store them separately from any other items made out of metal.
Keep your kitchen knives from the dishwasher and refrain from using cutlery baskets in storing them. If you really want to protect the quality of your knives, I’m telling you again to sheath them, especially when placed inside a drawer.
Hope you have got a very good guide to keep rust free and clean knife in the kitchen. If you are looking to get another set of knife, we recommend to check our kitchen knives reviews to find right knives for your kitchen easily.
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