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Knife Maintenance Tips: Perfectly Sharp, Razor-Sharp Knives Every Time

Investing in high-end chef knives would be a wonderful thing. It's very fulfilling and rewarding to know that you've spent so much money on something you'll be using almost every time you cook. 

If you've recently purchased a set of chef knives in the UK and are unsure of what to do with them, here's a quick guide to properly taking care of the knives.

PS: It doesn't matter if it’s kitchen knives or camping knives, you can take care of them the same way as they are sharp steel after all.

Sharpen Your Knives

The most important aspect of caring for a kitchen knife is keeping it sharp. Keeping kitchen knives sharp is one of the easiest ways to make the work in the kitchen less daunting.

Not only does slashing and dicing food feel more satisfying, but it's also far safer than doing so with a dull blade. While it might tempt you to fix this problem yourself, we recommend you use the help of a professional knife sharpener.

Honing Is Important  

Honing is like sharpening the last inch of the blade where it matters. The edge of your knife is there, but it can fold itself over with time if you don't temper it regularly. 

Honing simply makes sure that your blade stays straight is aligned correctly.

Use A Cutting Board

Now that your knife is sharp and the edges are aligned and honed, it's time to get to work. But what surface will you be cutting on? 

When preparing to cut something, you should always aim to use a cutting board. This will provide a hard surface so that the entire blade can be used instead of just the tip of the knife. 

If possible, try to avoid using anything other than the wood, bamboo or plastic cutting board for this purpose as these materials aren't as hard as the knife you are using and won't damage it in any way.

This also brings us to the point that using a marble countertop or any extremely solid and dense material - should be avoided because the hardness of these surfaces may cause damage to the blade over time.

Cleaning Your Knives 

Cleaning is another thing that requires effort and precision. Whenever you're cleaning, you need to be careful not to damage the items in question. 

First, never put knives away in the dishwasher. Not only will they knock and rattle against other knives and utensils, causing damage to both the edges and blade of your knives, the water and heat from the machine will also do serious damage to your blades' handles.  Make sure to wash your knives with soap and water, and you will be good to go. Storing Your Knives Now that your knives are all clean and dry, it's time to store them. But where do you put them away? Do you throw them back on the countertop or maybe even in a drawer where you have other spoons and ladles? While this may seem like the easy solution, storing knives this way is potentially dangerous for yourself or the kids and as well as the knife!

You can mount a magnetic strip on your wall or under your kitchen counter to store your knives until next time. Another option is a knife block, but it's important to enter the knives into the slots handle-side down so that the sharp edges aren't potentially dangerous when you're removing them from their slots!

Conclusion

We hope you have a clearer understanding of how to care for your knives; after all, a good set of knives can last you a lifetime. It deserves some extra TLC!  Plus, how very satisfying it is when you can slice through a sleek piece of avocado without any resistance from the blade!

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