Chef Knives - 7 Top Tips For Keeping Chef Knives in Perfect Condition

Congratulations on your new chef knife purchase! That was a very wise investment on your behalf. I'm going to give you seven top tips for keeping your chef knife in great shape for years to come.

1. Keep it honed. Remember the phrase "hone every half-hour." For every 30-45 minutes of usage, your blade need to be "honed" or "steeled." If you purchased your knife in a set, chances are that it included a "sharpening steel." This long rounded file actually does not sharpen, rather, it hones the teeth of an already sharp blade into alignment. This is an easy skill to learn and one well worth your time.

2. Sharpen yearly. Send your knife to be professionally sharpened once or twice per year. If you notice you are becoming a real enthusiast, it may be worthwhile to invest in a whetstone and learn how to do this yourself.

3. Never use the knife sharpening feature on a can opener. These sharpeners simply overheat the blade and ruin the forge. Have your knives hand sharpened or start looking for a new one!

4. Handwash your knife. After each usage, very carefully and gently hand wash your knife. This is very important because a dishwasher can be very damaging. The salts from the food and excess heat may degrade the metal of the blade and may steam and rot a wooden handle, and the rattling inside the dishwasher that may chip your edge. Immediately after washing, hand dry to prevent staining.

5. Use only wood or plastic cutting boards. Throw out any glass or ceramic cutting boards and never even consider chopping on a formica or stone countertop. Your blade needs a soft cushion between cuts.

6. Store properly. Your chef knife deserves to be cradled. Store in a special knife block, on a magnetic rack, or covered in a sheath. To make your own sheath, simply fold some clean cardboard around the edge of the blade.

7. Use only on certain items. A chef's knife is an all purpose kitchen knife, but always use it only on food items. While you may use your chef knife to split or de-bone a chicken - try to keep it away from thick bones to help maintain its edge.

Now I know that all of this may seem a bit tedious, but you will be rewarded with a beautiful looking, efficient chef knife for years to come. So what are you waiting for? Grab some onions and get dicing!