8 Bad Habits That Will Destroy Your Kitchen Knives
Even one great chef’s knife is only as good as the condition it is in. You can use a top-shelf knife, but it will still dull quickly if you don’t take proper care of it. Worst yet, certain bad habits can ruin your carving, slicing, or chef’s knife forever.
Kitchen knives of all sizes and prices deserve love. Knowing how to use, wash, shop and caring for your best knives will keep them sharp for much longer. Knowing what not to do is just as important, as certain bad habits can irreparably damage your kitchenware.
One of the biggest mistakes home chefs make is storing their knives incorrectly. But there are less obvious habits that often damage the blade irreparably, such as scraping it sideways cutting board or over-sharpening, which can cause blade wear.
If you’re looking for a great new knife, we tested over 10 to find the best chef’s knives for 2024. If you have one you like, below is a list of the most common kitchen knife uses and maintenance mistakes that will ruin even the highest quality knife in no time.
Read more: Do you want your kitchen knives to stay sharp longer? This simple trick will help
These bad habits can ruin your kitchen knives
1. Scrape sideways across the board
Using your knife as a scraper is a tough habit to break, but the blade will thank you.
Knives are made to cut in only two directions, back and forth and not side to side, so try not to use your good knives in a scraping manner. It may be an instinct to move and collect all the chopped food on the plate with the blade of the knife, but it will damage the edge over time. If you can’t break the habit completely, at least try to do it gently and without much downward force.
2. Use it on anything other than wood or plastic
Even one cut on a glass or marble surface can cause irreparable damage to your chef’s knife.
There are planks and blocks made from all kinds of materials, but many of them are not knife-friendly. Stone or marble shelves and glass surfaces should be reserved for serving food, not preparing it (at least not with a knife), because they will dull your knife faster than almost anything else.
Bamboo And plastic are the softest – and often cheapest – cutting board materials and are gentle on your knives. However, most other types of wooden cutting boards have enough give not to damage the blade.
3. Store freely in a drawer
This setup will not only ruin your knife, but you will end up hurting yourself.
This is probably the biggest mistake people make with their kitchen knives. I’ve seen it more times than I can count and it hurts every time. If you let your knives rattle around in a drawer with other knives and metal tools, they will dull or chip over time. It’s understandable that you don’t want to have a clunky knife block on the countertop, but there are some pretty sleek options out there these days, like this And this
You can also buy Wooden knife racks in drawers or store your knives in plastic cases. Perhaps the coolest option is to store the blades on one of these magnetic knife racks and show off your shiny blades to dinner guests. Be careful when placing and removing blades from the magnet so as not to damage the blade.
4. Leave it in the sink or place it in the dishwasher
Try getting that chef’s knife out of the sink and dry it before you eat.
For many reasons, your knives should never end up in the kitchen dishwasher. It will likely damage the handles and the blades should never be exposed to water for that long. Speaking of which, never leave a knife wet in the sink or anywhere else. That means you never have to soak it, and when you’re done washing it by hand, dry it immediately or the metal will become susceptible to rust and corrosion.
5. Cutting non-food items or using your knife as a general tool
Don’t use a good chef’s knife to open your Amazon boxes.
Good knives may seem like a multi-purpose tool, but they should only be used for food preparation. Do not attempt to cut non-food items such as plastic, cardboard or other packaging. And don’t even think about using your knife as a screwdriver or lever to pry something loose.
6. Use a metal scrubber or rough sponge to clean it
Steel wool is great for some dishwashing jobs, but will ruin the edge of your knife in seconds.
It should come as no surprise that using metal or another rough material to clean your knife blade can lead to major problems. Instead, use hot water and a soft sponge or cloth. Your knives should never be so dirty that they are not clean enough.
7. Sharpening the blade too much
The sharpening is good. Excessive sharpening is bad.
There comes a point where the blade of a knife can no longer be sharpened, and if you continue to hammer it on steel or whetstone, you will only be shaving off the blade itself and shortening the life of the knife. Here you will find a guide to sharpening your kitchen knives.
