How to Prepare Your Kitchen Blades for Christmas Feast?
Posted by SwordsSwords on Dec 6th 2019
Your kitchen blades have a new, delicious assignment!
After gobbling up the Turkey feast and the mountain of delicious leftovers, Thanksgiving is over for all the foodies. The stomach is full and the heart is fuller but the taste buds are looking forward to the Christmas fair. However, the knives and the forks need to be thoroughly cleaned. The maintenance of these kitchen essentials is important around the year. But their care becomes quite pertinent during the holiday feasts. The grease and spices can dull the blades and introduce impurities into the grain. These tips are very helpful to make sure your blades live long and serve you well at Christmas.
Using the Blades Correctly
The seasoned chefs know this, but those at home needs a reminder often. You should use the correct knife for every function. There is no one-knife-fits-all policy in cooking. Every blade is designed to optimize a certain function. For example, frozen foods, seeds, pits, and bones in meat can dull the blade of thinner knives. Putting a carving blade to cleaving or vice versa can cause the loss of good food, the knife itself, the carving board, limbs, and life. Bleeding out due to blade injuries is no laughing matter. So, you must always be careful while using knives. Research, practice, and learn from your mistakes.Washing the Steel Blades
Dishwashers are very handy machines for everyone. But you should be careful when washing steel knives in them. It is advised to rinse the knives first before placing them in the dishwasher. This is done because prolonged contact with acidic food substances like tomatoes, vinegar, eggs, salt, etc. can cause staining and corrosion of fine steel knives. Thus, rinsing is best before a long wash. Additionally, you should never soak or leave the steel cutlery damp before a wash. This will also result in a stained or dull knife. Washing the blades by hand is the best method, hands down! But, if you still want to use the dishwater, there are a few precautions. Keep the knife blade up. Use only a soft detergent and check the cutting edge for dullness after each wash. Check the handles as well if they are wooden. The bolts on a riveted knife will also be affected so they should be inspected as well. Dry the knives as soon as a wash is done. All of these steps should be enough to ensure zero rust on your steel blades.Polish The Blades Regularly
Many blade enthusiasts confuse polishing the knife with sharpening the blade. But these two processes couldn’t be more different. Polishing consists of softly cleaning the steel blades with a cloth and stainless steel polish. This provides a buffer between the impurities and the steel surface. The polish also makes it harder for the blade to stain or deteriorate, thus giving it a long and shiny life. Do not polish aggressively or with a heavy hand. You can cause internal damage to the steel. Be gentle and thorough. Avoid using home-made or no-brand polishes. Try to use products recommended by the experts. Excessive polishing can be detrimental to the knife’s surface health as well. Strike a healthy balance and keep up with the inspections.Avoid Washing With Silver Cutlery
Washing all the utensils together may sound benign and easy, but it is very harmful. Washing your steel cutlery with silver or wooden cutlery may cause deterioration in all the utensils. As the silver utensils are usually a family heirloom as well as pretty expensive, you should be extra careful in this case. Silver-plated cutlery comes in the same category, as the outer layer is still silver. You should use separate flannels to dry the different utensils. Gentle scrubbing will cause a natural and lasting shine in the blades.Sharpen the Blades
For proper cooking and efficient carving, you need your knives at maximum sharpness. There are many tools used to achieve the prime edge. The following are the most popular:- Sharpening Rod
- Leather Strop
- Whetstones
- Electrical Sharpeners and Machines