How to Ruin Your Kitchen Knives in 7 Easy Steps

For somebody like me who likes to cook dinner and does it typically, kitchen knives turn into an extension of my arm. Keeping my favourite blades in the most effective situation attainable is important however not at all times straightforward to do. There are parts lurking round each reducing board that may uninteresting and harm knives and unhealthy habits that solely trigger them to deteriorate sooner.

Even the greatest knife will uninteresting and ding when used or cared for improperly, rendering it ineffective, and in some circumstances, harmful to make use of. One of the most important errors folks make is storing their knives improperly. But there are much less apparent kitchen practices that may destroy them past restore, equivalent to scraping the blade sideways on a reducing board, utilizing it for non-cooking duties and oversharpening.

If you are on the lookout for a fantastic new knife, we have examined greater than 10 to search out the most effective chef’s knives for 2025. If you have acquired one you’re keen on, under you may discover a listing of the commonest kitchen knife use and care errors that can destroy even the very best high quality knife.

Read extra: Want Your Kitchen Knives to Stay Sharp for Longer? This Simple Trick Will Help

7 straightforward methods to destroy your favourite kitchen knife

1. Scrape it sideways on a board

Knives are made to chop in solely two instructions, backwards and forwards and never facet to facet, so strive to not use your good knives in a scraping method. It could also be intuition to maneuver and collect all that chopped meals on the board with the blade of the knife however it’s going to harm the sting over time. If you may’t break the behavior fully, no less than try to do it gently and with out a lot downward power. 

2. Use it on something aside from wooden or plastic 

There are boards and blocks constructed from all types of supplies however a lot of them usually are not knife-friendly. Stone or marble boards and glass surfaces needs to be reserved for serving meals, not making ready it (no less than not with a knife) since they’ll uninteresting your blade sooner than virtually anything.

Bamboo and plastic are the softest — and infrequently least expensive — reducing board supplies and can be mild in your blades. Most different kinds of wooden reducing boards, nonetheless, have sufficient give to not harm the blade. 

3. Store it freely in a drawer 

This might be the most important mistake of us make with their kitchen knives. I’ve seen it extra instances than I can rely and it hurts each time. Letting your knives clink round in a drawer with different knives and steel instruments will uninteresting or chip them over time. It’s comprehensible to not need a clumsy knife block on the counter, however there are some fairly glossy choices today like this and this

You can even purchase in-drawer picket knife racks or sheath your knives in plastic circumstances. The coolest choice could also be to retailer the knives on one in all these magnetic knife racks and exhibit your shiny blades to dinner visitors. Just be mild when putting knives on and eradicating them from the magnet in order to not scrape the blade.

4. Let it soak within the sink or (*gasps*) put it within the dishwasher

For many causes, your knives ought to by no means go within the dishwasher. It’ll possible harm the handles, and the blades ought to by no means be uncovered to water for that lengthy. Speaking of which, by no means let a knife sit moist within the sink or wherever else for that matter. That means no soaking, ever, and while you’ve completed washing it by hand, dry it instantly or the steel will turn into prone to rust and corrosion.

5. Cut nonfood gadgets or use it as a normal instrument

Good knives might appear to be a multipurpose instrument however they need to solely be used for meals prep. Try to not lower any nonfood gadgets like plastic, cardboard or different packaging. And do not even take into consideration using your knife as a screwdriver or lever to pry open one thing caught.

6. Use a steel scrubber to wash it

It should not come as a shock that utilizing steel or one other tough materials to wash your knife blade may result in massive issues. Instead, use sizzling water and a tender sponge or material. Your knives ought to by no means be so soiled that these aren’t sufficient to get them clear. 

7. Oversharpen the blade

There comes a degree at which a knife blade cannot be sharpened anymore, and should you proceed to pound it on a metal or whetstone, you may solely be shaving off the blade itself and shortening the knife’s life span. Here’s a information to sharpening your kitchen knives.