Why does washing knives in the dishwasher dull them?
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Dishwasher detergents are very abrasive, and meant to be used primarily on ceramics, heavy glassware and things that won’t easily stratch.
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I don’t like washing my knives in the dishwasher because I’m worried about them rusting quickly. I wash and dry mine by hand
I think there may be some cultural differences here because British dishwashers are quite different from American ones. I’m not sure if the presence of salt, the use of hot water (instead of heating cold water), the type of detergent, or the way the dishwasher dries matter, but all those things are different on each side of the Atlantic.
I was always taught not to put knives on the racks as it would cut the coating and then the racks would rust.
Other than that, they’re fine.
I’ve never heard a satisfactory answer to this. It always seems to be implied that it’s some effect of the water or the detergent or something, but in reality it always seems to come down to them banging into each other.
Which means that if you have a cutlery tray instead of basket, which keeps the knives upright and away from each other and anything else, it should be perfectly fine. IMHO a cutlery tray is far superior to a basket. I have one, always put all my knives (that are otherwise dishwasher proof) in it, and have never noticed any dulling.
To be honest the whole thing sounds like a myth to me. I think it’s probably fine to put your knives in the dishwasher, _especially_ if it has a cutlery tray.
One possible theory I came across, even if your knife is immovable in the plastic tray, the water jets cause a slight difference in voltage between the knife and tub of the dishwasher which causes electrolytic corrosion right on the edge.
Again just a theory. The best sharp knife is a honing rod.
It’s not the dishwasher as such, it’s that they can stay wet from some time allowing the very fine edge to ever so slightly pit from a type of rust, that’s the dulling that you experience, same effect if you leave them under other dishes on a washboard. Of course cutting hard things and a had chopping surface can do much more damage.
always best to hand wash, dry and put away knives after using them to keep the best edge possible
I had no idea that dishwashers dull knives. Is this a well known fact and I’ve been living under a rock?
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