Tag Archives: knife

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Dishwasher

I will admit to you that a lot of issues with kitchen wares arise out of putting them in the dishwasher. I grew up without a dishwasher, so I’m pretty great at hand washing them and don’t have an issue doing them that way. I’m also pretty fast at it so it doesn’t take up hours of my day. 

sexist_dishwasher_adI have used dishwashers since then. I’ve known people to have lovely looking dishes come out of theirs. I’ve lived with people who bought cheap dishwasher soap that didn’t work and had nightmarish issues with them at jobs. But now that I understand them a little bit more, how various products react in them, and have been using one in my own home a little more regularly – I have learned to stop worrying and love using my dishwasher!

The Basics:

  • Don’t put things in the dishwasher that aren’t dishwasher safe. They usually say that for a reason.
    • Cheap plastics leach BPA, some ceramics aren’t strong enough to handle bumping each other with the shaking motion of the washer, and certain finishes can’t handle the harsh environment, etc.
  • Pans on the bottom, plastic on the top. Some items will specify they are top-rack only. The heating element in the dishwasher is on the bottom, so this is to keep the item away from the heat.
  • Do not lay knives down on the top rack! If they don’t fit in the utensil holder, hand wash them.
  • Wood does not ever go in the dishwasher. (Epicurean brand can because it’s a special compressed wood that is dishwasher safe.)

Dishwashers get EXTREMELY hot, so that’s the reason a lot of items can’t go in them in the first place. They are the problem with plastic leaching BPA, so if you don’t have a dishwasher you really don’t need to worry about it. Plastic baby bottles are almost never dishwasher safe and unfortunately a lot of parents try putting them in on “sanitize mode” which is usually the hottest setting on the dishwasher. Not a good idea!

Notice the heating element is in the center of the inside of the machine.
Notice the heating element is in the center of the inside of the machine.

I have overcome this issue by sticking to the lower-level settings on my dishwasher. I have a couple of settings above “normal wash” and I have never touched them. If you have anything dirtier than that it’s not even worth trying in the dishwasher, in my opinion. Whatever is stuck to the pan will just get baked on inside of the machine.

Which brings me my next tip – turn off the “heated dry” setting if your dishwasher allows you to. This is just a waste of electricity (in my opinion!) that literally just bakes the dishes after they are washed, so if anything is still stuck to them, it just got baked on harder. The dishes are hot and usually still moist anyway if you do use it, so what I do is turn it off and when the wash cycle is over I just open it up and pull the racks out so they can air-dry. The plastic storage stuff doesn’t seem to dry well so I pull them out and put them in the counter dish rack to dry. Of course this is easiest when done later in the evening so they can dry overnight.

dishwasherYour dishwasher shakes. A lot. Think about your dishes getting bumped around into each other inside of that thing for an hour while it runs. This is why ceramic dishes chip in the dishwasher, because they bump edges with each other. Same with your nonstick finish, if something is bumping into it in the same spot over and over – chipping. I worry about my ceramic bowls even though I put them on the top shelf and they are a really good brand name, so I put the dishwasher safe plastic items between all of the ceramic items to try to avoid them bumping into each other.

The worst is if you put your sharp knives flat on the top rack – they shake and cut into the plastic rungs. This is what causes  your flatware to rust, when the plastic coating is exposed inside of your dishwasher. You can sometimes remove this staining with Barkeeper’s Friend but usually you will end up having to replace all of your flatware and also replacing the racks inside of your dishwasher, which is very costly.

As I already said, if my pans are really dirty, I just resolve to hand washing them. I let them soak overnight and wash them with any other items I have that are not dishwasher safe.  Sometimes you can get away with scrubbing the pan with a dish brush or a scrub sponge and getting all the big stuff off of it so it is dishwasher-ready, however. I pretty much end up cleaning them first if I do this because if anything is stuck to the pan, it will be baked on in the dishwasher, usually. And if it does come out this way, dirty, resign yourself to hand washing them at that point – putting them in for another dishwasher cycle will not get it off!

happy-lady-with-dishwasherMy motto is, “If you love it, hand wash it,” so even a lot of the things I own that are dishwasher safe – I still hand wash. Some items I will throw in the dishwasher every now and again and it’s not the end of the world, but some little thing will happen that reminds me that I do indeed love it and I better wash it by hand next time. And actually, sometimes putting your stainless steel Kitchen Aid mixer bowl or stainless pot in the machine actually helps bring back its luster – just not every time so I only do it every handful of uses. One of my dearest kitchen store friend (and mentor) had the best saying about dishwashers: “It’s called a dishwasher for a reason. It’s not a pots and pans washer. It’s not a glassware washer.” So keep that in mind when putting items other than dishes in that machine, even if it does have special settings for those other things.

Speaking of glassware, I don’t put anything with a painted design in the dishwasher, nor any stemware. If you have really inexpensive, sturdy stemware like Libbey, that will probably hold up. Anything shaped like a martini glass is just asking to break because of the bumping. Luckily most stemware is too tall for most dishwashers unless you purchase one that has specific glassware settings. Use at your own risk! I find that the glassware tends to come out with a teensy bit of spotting, but maybe that’s because I don’t steam clean them afterwards with the “heated dry” setting!

If you just can’t stand to hand wash, make sure you read the labels of what you’re buying and avoid items that aren’t dishwasher safe. There are still kitchen items that you cannot find dishwasher safe, and I’m sorry, you’re just either going to have to not use it, hand wash it, or buy really cheap so you can afford to keep replacing it because you put it in the dishwasher anyway. 😛 (Meat tenderizer is the item I know you can’t find as dishwasher safe. Even the OXO one can’t go in there – it’s a kind of metal that will oxidize. All the generic metal meat tenderizers I have seen are the same kind of metal so there must be a reason for it.)

Cascade Complete Pac
Cascade Complete Pac

My last tip will be on dishwasher detergent. The only thing I have found to work almost all the time are the Cascade dishwasher pacs. They now make a few different versions of this, and I find the Cascade Complete work the best. (Although now there is a “platinum” version I will have to try!)

Just use your best judgement, and the dishwasher can be a great help in your kitchen without costing you a fortune in replacement costs if you’re smart about how you utilize it. Of course spending the extra money for more durable kitchen wares always helps, but clearly we can’t always afford that. So the Dollar Tree items…those get hand washed in my house. 😉

And remember…if you love it, hand wash it!

Leave dishes to air dry, like this!
Leave dishes to air dry, like this!

Happy Cleaning! 🙂

Read more about My Favorite Cleaning Gadgets.

How to Hone a Knife

Greetings, readers!

As promised, I have assembled a “How To” instructional guide on how to hone a knife in what I think is a very non-scary way.  I was taught this method by a pretty respectable Wustof knife representative (and I am very wary of salespeople!).

So enjoy! Click the link below. Let me know if you think I missed anything pertinent!

Check out How to Hone a Knife.

Sharpening Your Knives

I do not recommend sharpening your own knives, at least not if you paid a lot of money for them. Most places charge $1/inch. I do, however, recommend taking it to an actual knife sharpener or store that uses a stone/wheel. Even if you have really cheap knives, if you keep them sharpened they will treat you well!

Stores like Sur la Table charge you for them to use a Chef’s Choice electric sharpener. If that’s you plan, then I would recommend buying a Chef’s Choice electric sharpener for your home. That is the best brand. 🙂

***If you are using an electric sharpener, do NOT push down on the knife when running it through. Just pass it through.***

  • You should probably read the directions…just sayin’!
  • Some of them come with an extra step that you don’t use every single time
  • Some have a slot for only Asian knives

You can buy some inexpensive sharpeners at most kitchen stores, and most brands will make one with their brand name on it and these will get you by. The biggest mistake folks make with these is that they never hone them and sharpen them too often, so don’t fall into that category! Hone so you don’t have to sharpen!

The most popular and effective inexpensive sharpener is the Wustof hand-held guy. They used to have one for Asian and one for regular, and now they sell a universal one for around $30.

Shun now carries a pretty cool whetstone set that takes the guesswork out of finding the perfect angle. Pretty nifty, and comes with their honing steel!

Shun Steel – for honing, not sharpening, although a lot of times a steel is called a “sharpening steel” in a retail setting.

 

This knife is in dire need of a sharpening!

You will need to get your knives sharpened one to two times per year, if you hone regularly (Re: Knife Care). I take mine to someone who uses the Kramer Method (series of seven belts) versus a wheel, and this keeps the knives sharp for about one year. If your person is using a wheel/stone (this is normal/standard), you will probably need it done twice a year. This obviously varies by how much you actually use and hone individual knives.

  • Honing brushes off miniscule dings and divots you put in the blade with regular use. Brushing these off keeps the knife in shape; if you leave them, you’ll end up starting to have to use more force to get the knife to cut because the blade isn’t straight.
  • If you don’t hone your knives, you will need to get them sharpened a LOT more often.
  • Bob Kramer is the man who created the seven-belt method. I told you he knows a lot about knives!

Knife Storage

The best way to keep your knives is in a wood block with horizontal slots. Why horizontal? Pulling your knife in and out of a vertical slot actually drags the knife along the slot and dulls it. Crazy, right?! Not everyone likes a block or has space for it, so here’s the best to worst:

I found this wood block for $1 second-hand! Horizontal slots…perfect!

1. Wood block (horizontal slots)

  • Unless you buy a really fancy one, the steak knife slots are usually going to be vertical; I’d only recommend splurging if you have really fancy steak knives!

2. In-drawer wood 3. In-drawer plastic 4. There’s these crazy new ones out that have thin plastic rods in lieu of slots, so your knife can go anywhere in the block! 5. Magnet 6. Throw them in the drawer loosely and make a game out of grabbing them without looking 😛

If you have to use a magnet, there’s a way to save your knives some injuries (and yourself!). Place the spine on the magnet first, then lay the knife down on its side gently. Remove it in the opposite manner. This will avoid scratching the metal body of the knife and dragging the blade across the magnet and dulling it.

Ceramic Knives

Ceramic knives are pretty cool. I admit I was once a skeptic and often told customers I would be extremely worried about breaking them. They probably do fall into that category with Asian knives—if you aren’t going to care for it properly (re: wash it immediately after use and put it away), don’t buy it.

I have since been able to handle several ceramic knives, mainly Kyocera, and these guys are pretty awesome. They are actually pretty strong—the sales rep let me drop one several times onto the hardwood floor. That was really my only holdout, and the simple act of dropping it made me a believer. Not saying you should throw them on the floor–they are still potentially breakable. Plus you don’t want to cut your foot. 😉

I don’t own a ceramic knife, but it would be great for cutting all this produce!


The other amazing thing about ceramic knives, which I’ve always endorsed, is the fact that they stay sharp 10x longer than a steel knife. A great option if you’re not into honing and sharpening. They’re also rust and stain-proof, as well as germ-resistant. People love these for slicing fruits and veggies because ceramic won’t brown foods like steel knives can, or transfer a metallic taste or smell to the food.

The cool thing about Kyocera in particular is that they will actually sharpen your ceramic knives for free, you just have to pay to mail them in. Lifetime offer–not a bad deal!

I recommend buying a 6-8” chef knife for a budding young chef on their way to college. They won’t have to worry about sharpening, and they will have it forever if they take good care of it.

PS — They also make peelers and mandoline slicers, which is great because it’s next to impossible to sharpen the blades on regular metal ones, but a ceramic version will stay sharper way longer.