There are several ways of using and maintaining kitchen knives. Best practice this a best practice that — even opposing methods are sometimes called best practices.
In the eternal pursuit of keeping our knives sharp and handy, we resort to many such ideas. Yet, the results sometimes match the intention, and we make many typical mistakes ourselves.
This piece seeks to snuff out some of those problems. We’ll look at some common mistakes we make with kitchen knives and figure out how to fix them. Fortunately, it’s merely a matter of trying in most cases.
Kitchen Knife Mistakes You Might Be Making
1. Not Using the Right Knives
Every knife available to us has its purpose and speciality. Different ingredients require varying knife structures, materials, and designs, and we must find the correct pairings.
Using the wrong knife can introduce a host of problems:
- The process will be inefficient and take much longer to finish.
- Trying to force the knife to do things it’s not meant to can damage it. E.g., a thin blade is likely to chip with heavier workloads.
- The end result also takes a hit, and you won’t achieve the same quality of cuts.
For instance, you’d need a heavier, thicker knife when cutting dense meat or tough ingredients. A cleaver would be the perfect option here, as a thin one isn’t structurally sound to handle that.
On the other hand, a chef’s knife is better suited for tasks that require precision and accuracy — like slicing, peeling, and dicing. Trying to cut dense meats with it would be counterintuitive.
A utility knife sits in the middle and accomplishes tasks that other knives won’t. From cutting buns to herbs to slicing meat — these knives sit at a unique sweet spot.
The size of the blade also plays a crucial role. A peeling knife should be small to allow for the highest accuracy, as it’s lighter and easier to control. A heavier blade is better for processing large ingredients (especially at higher volumes).
The fix to this issue is relatively straightforward, thankfully. Use the right knife.
But you can buy some off the market. A properly-sized chef’s knife is crucial since it can cover a lot of ground. Secondly, a smaller paring knife can help you with minor, precise cuts because they’re easier to handle.
Thirdly, a serrated knife is handy for cutting bread or squishy, juicy fruits like oranges. While a heavier cleaver can improve the arsenal, these three knives can do a lot.
2. The Blade Is Not Sharp Enough
Trying to force your way through with a dull blade is terrible. Your knife should be sufficiently sharp for any tasks you throw at it.
And no, buying a premium doesn’t relieve you of your maintenance duties.
Two aspects of keeping your knife sharp enough are honing and sharpening.
With usage, the blade’s edge loses its straightness, resulting in burrs. That means it will lose its cutting efficiency, and you’ll have to put in more effort during usage. In turn, that worsens the performance.
Honing a knife can prolong the sharpness of the edge. However, it doesn’t remove any of the blade’s material but only straightens it. That means you can hone your knife somewhat often (here’s a detailed walkthrough).
But honing can only get you so far. Sharpening the blade twice a year (depending on the knife and your usage pattern) helps keep it in shape. Unlike honing, this process removes metal from the edge and makes it as sharp as new.
Without that, the knife becomes dull and inefficient. It takes more effort, and the cuts lose their preciseness. Moreover, there’s also a health risk since you’re more likely to have accidents if a knife is dull.
An easy way to test the sharpness is by cutting a piece of paper. If the knife is sharp enough, it’ll cut through the paper without any issue. However, if it’s somewhat dull, it’ll create more friction and tear through it instead of smoothly cutting.
While a rod is fine for honing, I’d suggest getting a proper whetstone for sharpening for better and consistent results. Even if you have automatic sharpeners, an appropriate session of sharpening is warranted once in a while.
3. That’s Not the Right Cutting Board!
A cutting board might merely seem like a surface to cut stuff on. Nope.
I see why glass (or even metal) cutting boards are attractive — cleaning them is a breeze compared to porous materials like wood. Unfortunately, it’s pretty bad for your knife’s blade.
As glass is a rigid material, it creates a bigger risk of dulling your knife when it comes in contact. Consequently, knives lose their edges and require frequent sharpening and honing when used with glass cutting boards.
Another risky bit is that its surface is pretty slippery, which can be a safety hazard while cutting.
The safest bet you can take is a wooden cutting board. It’s tried and tested and easy to sand down, even if it scratches up easily. These days, plastic or rubber cutting boards (like the hi-soft ones) are also excellent options. And if you don’t want the board to scratch easily, bamboo boards are also suitable.
This goes without saying, but cutting on countertops is out of the equation. These surfaces are too hard for your blade and can hurt its edge, be it granite or marble.
Here’s a bonus tip: avoid scraping the chopping board with your knife’s blade after cutting ingredients. You could use the knife’s spine side to prolong the blade’s sharpness.
4. Are You Throwing It in the Dishwasher?
These days, most knives come with a dishwasher-safe tag on them. That should be the green light, right? Apparently not.
While the convenience is undeniable, dishwashers can affect knives pretty significantly.
The first risk is abrasive soaps and detergents. These chemicals are stronger than your usual soaps and are bad for steel. As a result, using that may introduce pitting or discolorations.
Secondly, the drying cycle relies on heat to dry utensils. Some knives even come out warped after the process ends. Moreover, the powerful sprays can also hurt the blade’s edge.
I recommend handwashing your knives with warm water, soft detergents, and sponges to prevent damage to the blade. Note that the sponge should be gentle, too.
It’s wise to wash the knife quickly after you’re done, as it takes more effort once the food dries up.
Another good practice is keeping your knife dry in the sink, especially if you’ve got a carbon steel knife. This steel is prone to rust.
Even if you have a stainless steel knife, it’s wise to wipe the blade off right after washing. Stainless can still corrode, despite the name.
5. Not Storing Knives Correctly
You might use your knives correctly, but poor storage practices can ruin that effort and the blade’s edge.
The first thing to ensure is that the blade shouldn’t come in contact with anything else. If it’s in a drawer, ensure that it doesn’t roll around and hit other knives or the drawer itself.
I’d recommend investing in a proper knife storage drawer with slots for knives. That way, they won’t hit each other, and you won’t have a hard time finding anything.
There are many other options for storage — magnetic strips and knife blocks being two of them. Magnetic strips are excellent if you want to keep everything within reach but not in drawers.
On the other hand, knife blocks are a great way to organize your knives within a short space. However, I’ve found myself occasionally pushing the blade’s edge against the block while putting it in. Doing so can affect the edge, so beware of that.
6. That’s Not What the Knife is For!
I’d be rich if I had a dollar every time someone used their kitchen knife to cut cardboard boxes or get pins out of paper.
That’s not a kitchen knife’s purpose.
Imagine cutting a thick plastic with an extremely sharp knife intended for making thin and accurate slices. While the task may seem effortless for the knife, it will hurt the blade’s edge.
Doing so frequently can dull the blade and make it tougher to cut actual food with it. In many cases, these are the reasons for a dinged-up or chipped knife, which require a lot of work to fix.
7. Not Using the Right Part of the Blade to Cut
A blade has different parts — like the tip, belly, or heel. Each region has specific uses and cannot be replaced by the other.
For instance, the blade’s tip is usually the thinnest and pointiest. That makes it ideal for scoring and piercing jobs without too much force. But if you try to cut hard ingredients with that part, there’s a chance of chipping involved.
On the other hand, the heel is usually strong and can handle more pressure — bolster or no bolster. That’s why it’s wise to cut hard veggies and meat with this part.
It also helps to use the entire blade instead of pushing one section through the ingredients. Forcing one portion without using the whole blade requires more force from your side, increases the possibility of dulling, and reduces the accuracy of cuts.
8. Not Having the Right Techniques
Of course, knife grips are often subjective, and experts have different ways of doing it. However, some techniques are straight-up counterintuitive and can ruin your experience with the knife. Sometimes, they can ruin even the knife itself.
The grip largely depends on what you’re doing with the knife. E.g., if you lack precision, try holding the start of the spine between your thumb and index fingers.
The rest of the fingers should hold the handle. This style provides more control over the knife, although awkward for beginners.
Most beginners hold the handle without this pinch grip, which reduces accuracy and dexterity.
The Guiding Hand
Another crucial element is the guiding hand. Make sure you are clawing your hand and guiding the knife with your knuckles. The blade should sit evenly with the knuckle to direct the knife consistently.
This method also reduces the risks of hurting yourself and makes controlling the knife easier.
Creating a Flat Side for Yourself
Many ingredients are rounded and difficult to cut without any processing. They keep moving around, and holding them down with one hand will only allow you to guide the knife correctly.
In that case, it’s always wise to make a flat surface. That way, you can make precise cuts, and there are no risks of cutting yourself in the process.
Another set of basic techniques includes slicing, chopping, dicing, and mincing. These are fundamentals that everyone should know.
Moreover, many advanced cuts utilize a combination of these techniques, meaning you’d need more mastery over them.
My Last Words!
The pursuit of perfection with knives is a never-ending one. But by avoiding these common kitchen knife mistakes, we can improve our cutting techniques and prolong the knives’ lifetime. Remember, learning slowly and correctly is better than flawed, rapid improvement.