Chefs Knives - How to keep them as New

Chef’s knives are one of the most important tools in the kitchen for any chef, whether amateur or professional. Here we give you our top tips for how to look after and prolong the life of your new chef’s knives.
Chef’s Knives - 5 Tips to Prolong Their Life
If you have invested in a new set of chef’s knives then you will most probably be looking to protect them as much as possible. Here are our top five tips to look after them and prolong their life.
#1 - Protect Your Chef’s Knives by Keeping them Clean and Dry
Always make sure that you wash and dry your chef’s knives straight after use. This will help to keep them sharp and is also the best way to maintain high levels of hygiene in your kitchen.
Keeping your knives sharp not only makes it much easier to cut through food if your chef’s knife is sharp, but believe it or not you are actually less likely to hurt yourself.
When we use blunt knives in the kitchen, we generally have to put a lot more force into what we are doing, and this is when you are putting yourself at serious risk of losing a finger (or three!). Keeping your chef’s knives sharp will reduce this risk as long as you are careful not to touch the sharp side of the blade.
#2 - Use a Steel Each Time Before You Put Your Chef’s Knives Away
If you purchase your chef’s knives as part of a knife set, there will probably be a steel included in the set. If you are unsure what a steel is, it is the long, rounded metal item which is clearly not a knife! You should always give your chef’s knives a quick sharpen with this each time before you put them away to keep them nice and sharp.
#3 - Sharpen Your Knives Regularly
Even if you use a steel every time you use your chef’s knives, they will still become blunt over time. Ideally, chef’s knives should be sharpened every few months using a proper knife sharpener.
#4 - Don’t Use Your Chef’s Knives to Cut Anything Other Than Food
If you use your chef’s knives to cut things such as packaging, you can not only blunt the edges, but risk breaking the blade. Use a separate knife or a pair of scissors for anything non-food related in the kitchen.
#5 - Don’t Put Your Knives in the Dishwasher
Dishwashers tend to rattle items around, which puts your new chef’s knives at risk of breaking. Detergents may also harm the metal and cause your knives to become blunt.