Maintenanceお手入れについて
Try it outCare for your steel knives
This is a guide to the basics of caring for your kitchen knives to protect them from rust.
During the rainy season, when it is humid and damp, knives are prone to rust, so we would like to ask you to take care of your knives on a daily basis.
We hope you will refer to this information as necessary.
1. wipe knives frequently while cooking
First of all, the causes of rust on steel knives include moisture, acid, salt, and scum contained in food.
Therefore, it is important to frequently wipe off moisture with kitchen paper, a towel, or a dish towel while cooking.
If you use kitchen paper, thin towels, or dish towels, please use them in layers or folded into a thicker layer to avoid injury if they break.
After cutting vegetables with strong acridity, citrus fruits with strong acidity, or salty foods, wash the knife once before wiping it.
How to wipe a kitchen knife
Separate the knife into the blade side and the spine side to wipe safely without leaving any residue.
When wiping the spine side, wipe from the base to the tip as shown in the picture.
Be careful not to grip the towel too deeply so that the towel or other object will not be cut by the blade or caught in the chin (circled area in red) at this time.
※Please note that many knives have a wide base and narrow tip, so wiping from the tip to the base (in the opposite direction of the arrow) can easily cut towels and other items, which can cause injury.
Please be especially careful not to injure yourself when wiping the blade side.
刃を軽く掴み、刃に対して垂直方向へ引き抜くように元から先まで何回かに分けてまんべんなく拭くと安全です。 It is safe to grip the blade lightly and wipe it evenly from the base to the tip several times as if pulling it out perpendicular to the blade.
2. wipe off the water immediately after washing the knife
Wash the entire knife well and cleanly with the soft side of a dish-washing sponge using a mild detergent.
We recommend a quick splash of boiling water over the entire knife to sterilize and dry it quickly. Immediately after washing, wipe off the water well with a dry towel.
Also, please make sure to dry the handle thoroughly before putting the knife away.
Especially in the case of Japanese knives, water seeps into the base of the handle and rust tends to form there, so be sure to dry the knife thoroughly before putting it away.
Please do not use a dishwasher as it may cause damage.
※Never use extreme heat, such as by roasting the blade over a fire to dry it, as this may cause the original burning of the knife to return and deteriorate it.
3. oil if not used for several days
After wiping off water and drying the blade well, apply oil to the blade to make it more resistant to rust.
(Oil will prevent moisture and dirt from coming in contact with the blade, thus preventing rusting during storage.
How to apply oil
For a santoku knife commonly used at home, 2 to 3 drops can be applied to the entire blade.
Use kitchen paper to brush oil over the entire blade.
At this time, wipe the blade from the base to the tip while pressing the blade against a desk to prevent the blade from floating and causing injury.
Oil the back (opposite side) in the same way.
In the case of steel Western knives, the Tsuba part (between the holder and the blade) can also rust, so oil should be applied to the it as well.
- ◯Oil suitable for use
- Camellia oil for knives
- Cooking vegetable oil (unburned, before use), etc.
Since steel knives are prone to transfer the color and odor of oil to the blade, we recommend oil with as little color and odor as possible, as described above.
- ×Oils unsuitable for use
- Rust-preventive oils for machinery
- Animal oil
- Oil that has been used once in cooking, etc.
Since food is handled, please use oil that is not harmful to the mouth.
Please note that if oil gets on the handle, it may cause discoloration.
4. Wrap the blade in newspaper for storage.
Wrap the entire blade with newspaper to cover it as shown in the photo and store it in a dry place.
Wrap the blade in newspaper to protect it from moisture and to prevent it from being scratched or chipped by bumping into other tableware.
In the photo, a Western knife is wrapped as an example, but Japanese knives can be wrapped with newspaper as well.
If the inside of the paper is dirty or damp, it may cause damage to the knife, so it is recommended to change the wrapping paper every once in a while.
※Please note that if you keep your knife wrapped in a wooden sheath, cloth towel, or cotton cloth for a long period of time, moisture will be trapped in the sheath, causing the knife to rust.
These are the basics of caring for steel knives.
Especially, wipe them dry frequently, oil them if they are not used for several days, and wrap them in newspaper for storage.
Stainless steel knives, which are resistant to rust, can also be used for a long time if you take care of them in the same way as steel knives.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any trouble with rusting.
For more information about sharpening and repair, click here.