Tuesday, December 9, 2008

double kitchen tip Tuesday…NO dishwasher…and software for your cutting board

The first kitchen tip is the one I submitted to Culinary Cory to be in the running to win Cooking School Secrets for Real World Cooks.

tip # 1

Rather than plunk them in the dishwasher, always wash your good and sometimes very expensive chef knives by hand in mild detergent and water and then rinse well. Wash the carefully, one at a time so the knife blades don’t nick eash other or your fingers for that matter. Dry the knives thoroughly before putting them away in a knife block or protective knife roll with their knife guards in place. Also don’t let them soak in the hand wash water, as that can warp wooden handles.

The harsh and often citus acid chemicals of the dishwasher soap and the extreme high temperatures of a washer itself can damage the blades and the wood or composite handles. The expansion and contraction of the handles in the extreme heat in dishwashers can loosen the rivets causing the blade to shift over time. In the dishwasher, the knife blades can also be accidentally nicked when coming in contact with other silverware or dishes and lose their edge.


Many knives such as the Chroma knives designed by Porsche of pure Japanese steel even comes with a red warning label “NO dishwasher”…!

Even though it can be a pain at times, taking the extra effort to care for your good knives will reward you with knives that remain sharper, safer and newer looking longer.
(I have had some knives for 15+ years).
It will also same bit of cash and time over the years, with fewer trips to the professional knife sharpener.

tip # 2

Before I begin cutting or chopping on my cutting board, I have a piece of skid proof plastic shelf or drawer liner that I place between the counter and the cutting board that will keep it anchored as I work. I like the particular one that is pictured as the tiny rectangles act as miniature suction cups and make my cutting surface immovable during food prep. When I work in a kitchen other than my own, I find that a damp kitchen towel between my cutting board and counter works well in a pinch.
I still work in the kitchen with safety as my priority...no need to spend Christmas Eve in the E.R.



One of my favorite Porsche-designed Japanese steel knife on my secured cutting board, ready for action...
now, if I only had a car that looked like this...

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Love Porsche design. really elegant stuff.

Some great tips on knife care!

A Brush with Color said...

I'm laughing at that last comment. Good one! Beautiful photos of those knives, Terrie! I will say I'm good and never put good knives in the dishwasher, but I never thought about some of the reasons why. And I do like your idea of the stabilizer under the cutting board. Great post and lovely to look at, comme toujours!

Anonymous said...

LOL! Your car wish! My first real chef knife is 28 years old and still holding an edge...in my son's kitchen. I never realized what an influence it had been on him - I had only one for at least a decade - but when he went to college and met his girlfriend, he asked me to give her a knife for Christmas! She didn't have any "decent " ones. :-)
As for the anti-skid pad, I never get up enough speed to move the board....sigh.

Anonymous said...

Your knives are wonderful! I thinking I'm going to add these to my Christmas list.

Anonymous said...

oh yes, these are great tips...I follow them both religiously!!!

Your photos are so sleek and chic !!! Just gorgeous my friend, excellent work behind the camera as well :)


/barbara

feasting-on-pixels (terrie) said...

Merci mille fois for all these really awesome comments and compliments...you all rock and are wonderfully encouraging.

I so so appreciate you Matt, Sue, Jeanette, Cory and Barbara and the time you took to read and comment on my blog.

Gail Peck said...

I too laughed at your last comment. My son David just bought a Porsche 911 turbo that is a stunning piece of machinery. I love my wooden cutting boards. Re Jeanette's comment. My twin sons girlfriend and wife have birthdays one day apart, Dec. 17 and 19th. I bought them each a Weustoff Classic Sandouko knife for their birthday which I told them when they opened it that they might think it is a weird gift but they will eventually be very grateful. A good knife makes cooking so much more pleasurable.

feasting-on-pixels (terrie) said...

Merci Beaucoup Gail for your kind visit.
I will never be able to afford a Porsche auto, but I will alwayse have my Porsche designed knife.
You made an excellent choice of knives for gifts, as my Wüsthof Santoku Chef knife is the one I use the most of all the knives in my knife roll.