Use and care of kitchen knives
USE
Using the right knife
Use the knife best suited to the task in hand, as blade profiles are designed for specific uses. Deviating from this intended use can damage the blades (e.g. using a very thin-bladed knife as a boner). Thin blades (e.g. Santoku, Nakiri) are particularly fragile and must not be over-twisted. This could result in serious damage to the cutting edge. See this section to learn about the different types of blade.
How to hold your knife
- For soft foods, hold the knife as an extension of the body, overlapping the blade. For tougher foods (e.g. squash), hold the knife by the handle to use leverage.
- Position the guiding hand correctly. See this image which illustrates this point.
Stabilizing food
Stabilize food as much as possible before cutting. The trick is to gently create a small dish on one surface of the food to stabilize it before starting a faster cut.
Don't scrape the board
Don't scrape the cutting board with the edge of the knife. Instead, use the back of the knife or a scraper. Scraping the board with the knife edge will damage the cutting edge.
Storage and transport
Avoid "catch-all" drawers where everything collides and you risk cutting yourself.
Instead, use a magnetic wooden bar (which won't scratch the blades) mounted not far from your work surface. Steel bars are ideal where aesthetic preservation of the blades is not an important criterion.
The knife block is also an interesting solution if the knives are kept clean so that it doesn't become a "nest of bacteria".
For transport, use a knife transport case or individual cases, or protect knives from each other with clean cloths or other suitable knife transport accessories (watch out for sharp edges!).
See the storage section to find the right equipment for your needs.
MAINTENANCE
Knife cleaning
Gently wash and rinse knives under running water after use, then wipe directly with a dry cloth.
Never use abrasive sponges to clean blades.
Dishwashing damages blades and wooden handles. Wooden handles, and even some plastic handles, cannot withstand the high humidity and intense heat. Dishwasher detergents generally contain abrasives that can dull blades.
Watch out for rust!
Beware of traditional Japanese knife blades made of high-carbon steel, which can oxidize. They are sensitive to humidity and the acidity of food. These knives require special care. Knives of this type are identified as follows in the online store: "WARNING: THE HEART OF THIS KNIFE MAY RUST". For further information on steel types, see this section.
Knife sharpening
Sharpening the blade, ideally before or after each use, straightens the cutting edge to maintain it for as long as possible and avoid frequent sharpening.
Visit sharpening block made in Val-David is particularly smooth and easy to use. A ceramic or diamond rifle can also be used, making sure to maintain the right angle. The latter, while very quick to use, can alter the blade profile and require repair in the medium term, thus shortening the life of the knife. What's more, the gun rarely achieves the level of polish provided by the polishing paste supplied with sharpening blocks.
CUTTING SURFACE
End wooden boards
Preferably use wooden boards as a cutting surface, ideally in end grain. Polypropylene and laminated wood boards can also be used, but they dull the blades more quickly and need to be planed regularly to prevent the proliferation of bacteria in the grooves created by the knife edge.
Beware of hard surfaces!
Never cut into a frying pan, saucepan or plate, as this will damage both the container and your knife. Only a few stabs into a plate will dull the knife. In this case, the sharpening block cannot restore the knife to a satisfactory cutting edge. If you have to do this, make sure that only the tip touches the plate in particular. This way, only the tip will be blunted.
Stabilizing the board
Stabilize the board before using it for cutting. If a gap appears under the legs of your board, you can wedge it with thin steel washers between the board and the leg.