Knife Care

Tips for storing and sharpening your knives

Your knives are an investment, so follow these easy steps to take care of them.

  • Don't throw your knives in a drawer. Banging around against one another will dull their blades. Use either a knife block or a magnetic strip to keep them separate. If space is an issue and you must put your knives in a drawer, buy blade guards to protect them.

  • Never put a knife away wet; it'll corrode the blade. Let it air-dry, or dry it with a kitchen towel. And don't put knives in the dishwasher; it will dull its blade.

Sharpening

  • Use a sharpening steel regularly, preferably one made of high-carbon steel. A steel doesn't sharpen the blade but instead straightens its edge. Regular use of a steel will keep a knife in relatively good shape.

  • Your knife will inevitably dull, though, and be in need of a proper sharpening. To do that:

  • Use a sharpening stone: "wet stones" need to be moistened with water or oil; dry stones don't. Most commercially sold stones require water. Carefully pull the knife across the stone at a 10- to 20-degree angle. Keep your fingers spread out on the blade, applying even, gentle pressure, while dragging the knife from the tip to the handle. Use the same number of strokes on each side of the knife.

  • Use a pull-through sharpener. These are easier to use than sharpening stones, but tend to be less precise.

  • Take your knives to a professional sharpener. Check your local kitchen store for a recommendation.

  • It's worth your while to keep your knife sharp — dull knives are more dangerous than sharp ones as they require more pressure and can slip easier.

Next Up

How to Clean a Grill

Cleaning grill grates before or after grilling is a must: This helps prevent food from attaching and keeps leftover grit from sticking to your food. All grills should be cleaned at the start of the season to keep everything in tip-top shape.

Butter Basics

Learn how to navigate all the butters in your supermarket dairy aisle, then find out which applications require the different varieties.

Metric Conversions

Metric Conversions

How Long Food Lasts in Your Pantry

Consider this your essential guide to knowing what stays and what goes next time you clean out the pantry.

At Your Disposal: How to Use Up Kitchen Waste

Chefs tell Food Network Magazine how they use perfectly good ingredients that the rest of us throw away.

Smart Supermarket Shopping: International Inspiration

Shopping for your week's groceries is always a puzzle. How do you get everything you need in one shot and avoid midweek runs for forgotten items? Here are some tips from the Food Network Kitchens.

Basic Pantry 101

While a good shopping list is the key to a quick and painless trip to the supermarket, a well-stocked pantry is the best way to ensure that you'll have most of what you'll need to cook once you get home.

Ellie's Tips

Ellie's Top Tips

Food Network Stars' Top Eats Across the Country

Check out Food Network stars' top restaurant picks from their travels across the country.

Sugar High's Dufftionary: Ace Every Episode's Lingo

Check your Sugar High Q with Duff Goldman's Dufftionary, a six-page dictionary of terms you'll hear about in each episode.

Latest Stories