If you have recently purchased a fairly expensive knife then it is no wonder why you would want to make the knife last forever. Knives can be very expensive and replacing them is sometimes just not an option. Besides, if you bought a very expensive knife, it should last forever no matter what, right? Well, that all depends on how you use and take care of your knife.

There are several things you can do to make sure your knife is used correctly and then cleaned and stored properly. Doing some of these things in the incorrect manner will determine whether your knife will last forever or not.

In this article, we will go over some of the different ways to properly use your knife as well as some ways to clean your knife after you use it. We will also cover some of the correct techniques and tools to use to sharpen your knives as well as some of the proper storing methods for your knives.

Using your knife correctly

When we say that you should use your knife correctly, we actually mean what you should use your knife to cut and on what surfaces. You need to make sure that the knife you are using is meant to cut the specific food. You would use a boning knife to cut through a frozen roast for not only obvious reasons but also you could seriously damage the edge of the blade permanently. Every knife is constructed with a certain cutting application in mind. So before going and using just any knife for any type of food or cutting application, make sure you are using the correct knife for the right job at hand.

You also want to make sure to handle the blade correctly. There are plenty of knives out there with a softer metal construction that will break or chip if they are dropped on the ground. Next, you want to make sure that you are cutting foods on a proper surface, or in other words, a cutting board.

Now, not all cutting boards are created equal. There are some that are better than others and then there are some that you should avoid completely. Some of the best cutting boards to use are going to be wooden cutting boards. This is the best type of cutting board for your knife, especially if they are constructed of bamboo. The wooden cutting board will not harm the edge of the blade at all.

The next best kind will be plastic or polymer boards. These boards are synthetic and are constructed to act like wooden cutting boards.
These boards will not harm your knife or leave minimal damage. The cutting boards you will want to avoid will be the glass, stone and slate cutting boards. While they do look great and prevent many other aspects, they are terrible for your knives and you might as well use the driveway of your house to cut food on. They will ruin the edge of the blade forever.

Cleaning your knife properly

When you are finished using your knife you need to make sure it is properly cleaned before you store it away. There really is not much to this. All you really need to do is wash your knife with warm soapy water and dry it. But you have to do this by hand and not by machine.

You should never place your knives in the dishwasher. The dishwasher will damage the edge of the blade and will ruin the handle which could cause splitting and breaking. This will damage your knives too much, so make sure to always wash them by hand. You also never want to soak the knives in a solution or warm soapy water for that matter. If you soak your knife in a fluid, there is a strong chance that the liquid will get in to the handle and either warp it or break and crack the handle. It can also lead to cross contamination. The moisture in the handle could mold or grow bacteria over time if not properly cleaned and dried after washing.

Proper Care for your knife

When it comes to the proper care for your knife, you need to consider one main basic thing which is keeping the edge honed and sharpened. There are plenty of ways to do this and many different tools that can help you along the way. One of the best ways to sharpen your knife is to use a sharpening stone. Most sharpening stones or whetstones come with two different sides of grit. That way you can use the rough side of the block to sharpen your filet knife and then flip it over and use the finer grit of the stone to get a sharper edge on your blade. These stones can be used dry, with oil or with just a little bit of water on the stone.

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Other ways to sharpen your blades could be by using a manual knife sharpener or using an electric knife sharpener. These can be very cheap or extremely expensive depending on the route you decide to take. You can also use a honing rod to hone the edge of the blade. These are used after the blade has been sharpened to make sure the edge is straight and sharp. No matter how you decide to sharpen your knife, as long as you keep the edge of the blade sharp all the time, then the knife should last even longer.

Storing your knife safely

After the knife has been properly cleaned and sharpened, you will need to make sure the knife is stored away safely and securely. This will make sure that the knife is out of harm of other people and by keeping it safe from damages that could occur. One of the best ways to store your knives is going to be a knife block or a magnetic knife holder.

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The knife block is usually what holds most knife sets. It looks nice of the counter and stores the knives properly. There are some that will even lock the blades in place so they are child proof as well. A magnetic knife holder is also great because it can be attached to the wall. Then all you do is place the knives on them out of reach of children and any other obstructions that may knock the knife off. They are fairly inexpensive and are widely used for knife storage in many commercial kitchens.

Another way to store your knife would be in a safe box or sheath that fits the knives safely and securely. Usually, this way will only hold one knife, but will be the best way to store a knife. It will keep it protected from dust, moisture and anything else that may damage the knife over time. No matter the way you choose to store your knives, just make sure the method is safe, keeps the knives secured and protected from any elements and is also out of reach of children or pets that could potentially hurt themselves.

Conclusion
So, if you are looking to make sure that your knife lasts forever or at least a very long time, then make sure you follow all of these rules and methods for caring for your knife. It may seem stupid and unnecessary at times, but we promise that these factors need to be followed. Some of the cheapest knives in the world will last longer than the most expensive knives simply because they followed a strict regimen of cleaning, sharpening and storing their knives. With just a little bit of time and extra care, we promise your knife will last for ages.