How to care for your knife?
I do everything I can to ensure the knives I sell will last for decades — quality materials, controlled processes and robust construction. However, there is one essential longevity factor I do not control: care. If you want your knife to stay in pristine condition for years, you need to follow a few simple rules. They are detailed below.
1. Use your knife only for cutting food
A kitchen knife is made for cooking food and that’s it. Do not use it to pry things open, to turn screws or for any other unintended purpose, however creative it may be. This advice does not apply to non-culinary type of knives you may buy from me.
2. Cut without twisting the blade
Only cut in upwards/downwards or front to back movements. If the blade gets stuck (which rarely happens with a high-performance knife), do not try to release it with sideways movements. You could chip or even break your knife. Instead, gently move it up and down until it gets unstuck.
3. Do not cut hard foods
Avoid cutting bones or frozen foods with your knife as it could seriously damage the thin and hard blade. If you absolutely need to chop hard foods, buy (or borrow) a bone cleaver with a thick blade.
4. Do not cut on hard surfaces
Sharpened edges do not like contact with hard surfaces. You should never use your handmade knife to cut on a plate, dish or hard cutting board. Materials to avoid cutting on are marble, stainless steel, ceramic, glass, and bamboo. Ideally, use a wooden cutting board (if you can, consider buying one from a local maker).
5. Do not put in dishwasher
Never put your knife — or any cooking knife for that matter — in a dishwasher. The heat, humidity and detergent will seriously deteriorate even the most robust of knives.
6. Wash and wipe the blade after each use
Shortly after you finish using the knife, gently clean the blade with soap and water before drying it with a towel. This simple routine prevents the formation of rust on your carbon steel knife. If your knife is stainless steel, the blade won’t rust but it is still good practice to clean it this way.
7. Avoid wetting the wooden handle
It is better not to put too much water on a wooden handle. Of course, you can use your knife with wet hands, but dry the handle afterwards and never leave the knife in a sink full of water. This advice does not apply to handles made of water-resistant synthetic materials such as G10 or Micarta.
8. Apply a coat of oil on a regular basis
To keep the handle of your knife in perfect condition, apply a light coat of linseed oil every few weeks or months depending on your usage. Soak a towel with a small amount of oil and then rub the handle with it until the entire surface in covered in oil.
9. Do not store in direct contact with other utensils
Once again, sharpened edges do not like contact with hard surfaces, and that includes other knives or kitchen ustensils. Therefore, you should not store your knife in a drawer full of other cutlery for example. Rather, use a wall rack, a stand or just leave it sitting on your countertop.
10. Sharpen with water stones
The best way to care for your knife is to keep it sharp. Don’t wait until it is completely dull to sharpen it. If you have a leather strop with polishing compound, you can strop the knife before/after each use — which takes 5 seconds at most —, or maybe every couple days. This way you will keep a razor sharp edge for months before needing to actually sharpen it. If you don’t have a strop, I would recommend a light sharpening every few weeks on water stones.
11. And most importantly, have fun with it!
That’s the whole point! I want you to own a knife that you take pleasure using. A knife that is more than just a tool, but a trustworthy kitchen companion supporting you in the moments that count.