What the scientific explanation as to why you are not supposed to put kitchen knives in a dishwasher? how is this any different than hand washing them?
In: Other
Dish washers are hostile environments, and only tough materials that can withstand it should go in there. Pots, pans, plates, glass, etc. Plastics are iffy – I, for one, have melted my fair share. Delicate things get damaged – wood, wood spoons, wood handles, wood cutting boards, anything wood glue that holds cutting boards and things together, and your knife edge.
Just a quick bit about wood – you can buy a bag of wood spoons for $10, and stick them in the dish washer, who cares? But wood you can’t cheaply and easily replace – cutting boards, utensil handles, rolling pins, DO NOT dish wash them. What you want to do is hand wash those things and then wipe them down with butcher block oil. Water is bad for wood, soapy water doubly so. There are oils in the wood that give it its shine and protects it, and you’re stripping it away. That’s why brown and blonde woods go gray, shrink, twist, and crack. Hot, soapy water is terrible for wood glues, too, and will take your cutting boards apart. Any wood finish on a bowl or nice spoon will dissolve, too.
If you have a stainless steel knife with a resin handle, it’s basically fine. Your flatware is all a cheap grade of stainless that can withstand the same environment. The biggest problem is that knife edge. Being battered around by, or battered by not only the water, but what’s in the water, can dull the blade.
We’re not talking butter knives, maybe steak knives, but definitely kitchen knives. If you want to keep that edge for as long as possible, you’ll hand wash that knife, and hone it before EVERY use (that long metal rod thing in the knife block). You can feel a dull knife, you can SEE a dull knife, when you look on edge and see chips and shine. An edge should look dull.
You can sharpen at home, and there are a number of emery board gadgets to help you upkeep your edge, you can even stone your edge yourself; but it takes practice, time, and patience. I recommend having your knives sharpened on whatever schedule makes sense for you, depending on how much you use them – every 6 months if you don’t know any better. A professional will be much faster and put a superior edge on it because they have the setup and the experience. It’s not expensive, and if you live in a city, you might even see a sharpener cart walking down your sidewalk, just run out and stop him.
Latest Answers