Are You Abusing Your Knives? (Knife Skills Series, Ep. 2)

Are You Abusing Your Knives?
Dishwashers, glass cutting boards, and many other common practices could be destroying your chef's knife. Learn how to treat your knives with respect and keep your sharp edge longer.
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[@jamesgardner2101]

"Just because it's on TV, doesn't mean that you should do that at home." Words to live by!

[@J0cked]

The real challenge in my experience is getting all the other members of the household to treat the one good knife with some respect.

[@jameswalkersharp4safe179]

Seems 2018 is a fine time to start the really safe kitchen knife... Why nobody created it before? kzbin.info/door/WmnuD7zk8usfO9LQVsNL5A

[@oceandrew]

No, you gotta train yourself to keep that one under lock and key!! ... or a secret drawer under the sink.

[@synthguy7774]

Dude story of my life. After countless times of telling them not to, they just keep throwing knives in the sink. I just bought some victorinox knives, a hand sharpener, keep my Wusthof and Shun under lock and key, and called it a day.

[@A_Box]

I found that one roommate was using my knife (we were supposed to have our own utensils). Ever since I stored my stuff in my room, not the shared kitchen.

[@shade9592]

Same... I'm thinking about getting a carbon steel knife so that maybe it'll force everyone to wash and dry it as soon as they're done. Or it could end up backfiring with me having to scrub the rust off of it every other day.

[@MsJavaWolf]

Jacques Pepin also scrapes non stick pans with forks. He once said that he simply doesn't care, because he gets those pans from sponsors and they are used only for 1 or 2 episodes of a show. TV chefs operate differently than normal cooks should. I assume with knives they also often have people who will sharpen them for them.

[@v0zbox]

I was just thinking this! I have seen so many chefs demonstrate French omelets by scratching the hell out of nonstick pans with metal forks, and it hurts my soul. My guess is traditionally a well seasoned cast iron omelet pan would have been used and would have stood up much better to that sort of abrasion, but the nonstick pan abuse must stop. You can get just as fine a curd using a spatula or wooden cooking chopsticks or literally any nonmetal implement, Jacques Pepin!

[@tiarkrezar]

@@v0zbox These days I only use silicone utensils on non-stick pans. Sure wood is somewhat softer than metal, but I still wouldn't trust it not to scratch the delicate layer of plastic off the pan, especially if you're doing any sort of vigorous stirring.

[@smievil]

i've seen Jacques Pepin mention that you only need 2-3 knives, but he got around 300 of them at home. i've also seen some other chefs use a hot frying table as a chopping board.

[@christopheroliver148]

@@v0zbox The answer is just say no to applied non-stick. I have a bunch of cast iron and black steel pans. Every now and then, I need to clean up the seasoning, but unless I warp them with inappropriate heating and cooling, I'm not worried about the utensils I use in them.

[@v0zbox]

@@christopheroliver148 I think each of these pans has its pros and cons, and it's really up to personal preference. I use a Calphalon skillet 95% of the time because it checks all the boxes I need: TRULY non-stick (even without fat), quick to heat up but heavy bottomed enough to get a good sear, and easy to maneuver and clean. But with daily use, I do have to replace the pan every 10 years, and for some that's an understandable deal breaker. I do lug out the cast iron when I want an amazing sear, but the tremendous weight and bulkiness and uneven heating annoy me, and even the best-seasoned cast iron is only semi-nonstick. I am keen to give carbon steel a try, as it seems to eliminate a lot of the issues I don't like about cast iron.

[@Rick_Hoppe]

Thank you Helen! There are a fair number of videos on KZbin where chefs talk about knife sharpening, but none of them talk about proper knife CARE.

[@capybaraPaul]

so refreshing. I seriously love your cooking channel. You're no nonsense, straight to the point and awesome.

[@ardentdfender4116]

I started today first just watching a video on a Cod Fish Stew and somehow along a string of videos I ended up now watching your entire Knife 🔪 care and sharpening and honing knife series. Stay humorous please!

[@janetmackinnon3411]

Always so informative, and trustworthy. Thahk you.

[@bushputz]

5:00 - Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! I work in a commercial kitchen, and it drives me crazy when other cooks scrape the edges of their knives on the board. We have a service that collects the knives and sharpens them once a week. Within 3-4 days, most of the knives have rolled edges again.

[@hobbyhopper3143]

LOL! I’ve just found your channel and have been binge watching videos. I can’t remember which one it was but there you were scraping chopped food off the board with the knife blade! I just sat back in my chair and moaned “No, no, no”. It’s good to know that was an aberration rather than your customary use of the knife.

[@jetlaggedchef6806]

I believe this is the second-most important video in your entire series (behind the amazing video about how to sous vide duck breast)!! I travel a lot and leave a note on my knife block - don't touch my knives! True story. Hahaha. :)

[@cjeats5571]

Gotta say, this channel is fantastic and I've already learned so much. Would love to see a vid on Chinese knives, reviews of the models and the different style of chopping 😊💕

[@ohyeahinfinite]

Aaahhh!!! You have such great content!!! I have to show this to my mom. I kept on telling her not to use our knives without a chopping board. Maybe showing her this will change her ways. Thank you!

[@marknarouz4337]

Thanks so much

[@rickkcir9959]

I keep dedicated plate knives that are sharp except where they collide with the ceramic or glass. I have a set of non serrated steak knives and a paring knife that is just FOR use on plates so I don't have to worry. Serrated steak knives work great on plates too because the tips blunt but the inner serrations never touch the plate and remain sharp. All my other knives are kept scary sharp from tip to heal. I like to sharpen different ways. Whet stones, diamond plates, sand paper on glass, diamond files/sticks...... It all works. I like to strop with diamond paste or green stainless polishing compound on a Popsicle stick or wood stir stick.

[@jamesr6497]

I have a stainless steel food scooper by Chefs Planet Prep Taxi. It saves on using my knife plus it keeps me from having to pick up my cutting boards to dump the food. Use the bottom of the knife for a small scoot like Helen demonstrated; then use the scooper to dump into a small metal ingredients bowel sitting close by. This way I don't have to move the board until I am done and clean it. This becomes really handy if I'm using a lot of ingredients and my larger 15' x 20' Boos maple cutting board. Amazon sells the Prep Taxi for about $10.00 I believe.

[@BlueJazzBoyNZ]

Helen Always smart experienced researched

[@MichaelCDoroc]

We love you Helen.

[@TravisTennies]

Yay! Must share this to people who don't believe what I say. ! :)

[@luisamak4116]

Agreed. 100 percent!

[@TitoTimTravels]

#realcomment When I first moved to the Philippines I saw one of the nieces getting my Sabatier chef's knife. Luckily I knew what was coming... and was able to stop her before she used it to open a can. I tried to teach her how to use a can opener, but she just got one of their knives out of the kitchen. The family says their knives are better than mine because they can cut stuff - and open cans with them ha ha 😎

[@harryhthenorwegian476]

i'm a knife sharpener expert in Norway. Lady, you know the drill.... :-)

[@westcoastwarriorsarchive7929]

Ive seen a number of online "experts" saying to scrape the board with the edge because its safer, you cant accidentally fall on the edge or some nonsense. I think Ill take the risk and keep my knives sharp longer.

[@b-radg916]

I don't use it often, but you can buy a very inexpensive plastic pastry scraper to pick up almost as much food as you could with a cleaver AND not worry if you fall on it!

[@FireWaterCooking]

I love your videos! Thanks for all of your tips and tricks! #realcomment

[@margitschendel1605]

If only everyone could watch this video!!!

[@MsJavaWolf]

I got a pretty decent chef's knife, it was super sharp but my roommate would always put it in the dishwasher after using it. Of course it got dull and I was super angry so what did he say? "Well at least now that the knife is dull there is no more harm putting it in the diswasher, haha xD" I really wanted to slap him in that moment.

[@westcoastwarriorsarchive7929]

If he were my roommate he may have showed up at the hospital with a stab wound.

[@SteinGauslaaStrindhaug]

@@westcoastwarriorsarchive7929 Or blunt force trauma... ;P

[@borisfohrman3133]

@@westcoastwarriorsarchive7929 behind the ear

[@Elazul2k]

#realcomment So... I'm uhhh guilty of a number of these and my knives are pretty dull as a result. What would you recommend as a cost effective way to sharpen them up again?

[@helenrennie]

that video is coming up soon :) I have a whole knife skills series planned that will be coming out every week for the next month.

[@Elazul2k]

Helen Rennie Nice! Looking forward to those videos then!

[@ceojr1963]

All my knives are hand washed, sharpened before I put them back on the top of my fridge, or into their rack, Never the drawer, never the dishwasher, never let anyone use them, I only use a wood cutting board, well bamboo too, My dad was an Executive Chef before I was born, my first recipe was off a Skippy jar in crayon.. Only to find it again in 2006 (estimated to have been 40 yrs old) to my horror the recipe wouldn't make cookie, there was an ingredient missing.

[@lioneltijerina]

#realcomment I am guilty of using my chef's knife as a bench scraper. Typically I don't drag the edge of my knife across the cutting board but rather lay it down at an angle and push the food up on to it and then slide the food off with my finger. Thank you for the tip about using the back of the knife.

[@helenrennie]

that kind of thing is not a biggie. I do that too and so do most chefs for small ingredients. for example, if I chop a bit of garlic or herbs, I'll scoop them up with my knife (I keep it at a very shallow angle) and swipe them off with my finger. It's repeated swipe after each cut at a 90 degree angle that is a problem.

[@borisfohrman3133]

@@helenrennie One of the Zwingli series knives forget the name of the line has an 8-inch chefs that is almost cleaver width great for prep and scooping. it is discontinued now.

[@stevewebber707]

When the knife is angled significantly, the edge is far less likely to be damaged by scraping against the board. The perpendicular scrape is what you really want to avoid the most.

[@Nesdude42]

My question is why do they even make glass cutting boards then?? If they're just going to damage the knives.

[@agc2477]

#realcomment - I see I have a couple of bad habits to break. Thanks for posting.

[@brigittescott7826]

What about ceramic knives?

[@Boz1211111]

Do not recomend

[@maiiabakhova2474]

One of youtube chefs being confronting by his viewers about no hand washing on his videos replied that these parts are edited out as redundant.

[@MsAnthropicsRhapsody]

#realcomment What about shellfish's shell (eg: lobsters)? Is it harder or less hard than the knives?? Thank you

[@helenrennie]

depends on the lobster. some are very hard. I would never whack a lobster with a knife. I use kitchen shears.

[@suivzmoi]

A friend of mine had a roommate use his Miyabi to open a tin of biscuits and broke the tip. He now keeps all his knives in his own bedroom...

[@helenrennie]

how sad :(

[@b-radg916]

I have a two drawers, one with knives that no one but me is allowed to touch, and one with a few perfectly decent and sharp knives that anyone is welcome to use. Works well, probably because people know that I'm not kidding when I tell them that my knives are for me only!

[@jamesr6497]

Miyabi knives are a serious investment; I know because I own 3 from their Evolution Series. The roommate should either pay up or replace the damaged knife; that would be the honorable thing to do. Someone once asked me what I thought of roommates... this is a example why I answer in the negative. When people don't respect your things... they don't respect you!!

[@SuperKingslaw]

Usually, expensive knives will almost always be harder than anything else in the kitchen (Rockwell hardness of greater than 60 is not uncommon.) If you have cheaper stainless steel knives you may run into problems with sharpness. The hardest and sharpest knives are almost all made of carbon steel, whose biggest enemy is RUST. This includes most high end Japanese and German knives. Being sure to wipe clean and OIL your knives after use should be at the top of your list!

[@Mythyrian]

No need to oil. Wiping clean and not leaving any water is sufficient, even for high carbon non-stainless knives like Blue #2 or White #2.

[@olivervasquez7032]

Where do you teach at?

[@helenrennie]

at my house www.helenrennie.com/kitchen/classes.php

[@Javaman92]

The hardest thing my knives hit is my bamboo cutting board.

[@berniekida6715]

#realcomment: We have a knife block that orients the blades vertically. One of the things I've picked up somewhere is to insert the clean knife with the blade edge side up so as to not drag it against the lower edge of the slot even though the wood is softer. Am I crazy and did I pick up bad information? Your reply will solve a long-standing dispute between me and my "cleaning crew" (my wife). She thinks I'm being a little OCD when it comes to my "babies."

[@RaphaelleMunger]

Maybe wash your knives yourself?

[@berniekida6715]

I do. It's a matter of letting them air dry before placing them back in the block. Without going into detail, it's the arrangement we have since I do all of the cooking.

[@helenrennie]

I don't think you are OCD. I would put them edge up too. Maybe we are both OCD :)

[@wffarrell]

I put edge up, too, in my Chicago Cutlery block. My Shun block is horizontal so it's not an issue..

[@b-radg916]

Bernie Kida: For both safety and knife protection, I believe in drying knives right after washing and putting them away. I prefer a variation of the cork storage method that I learned about on another channel to store my knives.

[@borisfohrman3133]

The best: " Just because it is on TV you should NOT do it at home ....

[@brianjennings7644]

❤

[@smievil]

think it's dangerous to put knives in dishwashers. they can cut even when you aren't currently using them to cut something.

[@philipp594]

Putting those two chefs in the same sentence seems like an insult.

[@aldolorenzo5199]

What about honing the edge with the bottom of a mug or plate? #realcomment

[@helenrennie]

if you are renting a vacation home and don't have a steal, that's not a bad idea. of course, if you are in a vacation home, the knives are probably dull enough that even honing with a real rod won't fix them ;)

[@dulceypicante122]

#realcomment Helen! I’ll be at your cooking class tomorrow. The intro to your video made me wonder, do I need to bring a knife with me?

[@helenrennie]

no, you don't. Students only bring them for the knife skills class, and even that's completely optional since I have knives for everyone. if you want to bring your knife because you have questions about it, you are welcome to bring it to any class.

[@borisfohrman3133]

Yes she will sharpen it for FREE

[@JeannetteShoreland]

#realcomment.....Great video! I keep my electric knife sharpener on the kitchen counter. Is that an Instant Pot on the counter in background? Any IP recipes planned for future videos? I sincerely hope so.

[@helenrennie]

Wow -- someone is paying attention :) yes, I just got an instant pot and have been playing with it a lot because many of my students were asking about it. it's incredibly useful for some dishes. Next week I hope to shoot an instant pot stock video.

[@smorrisby]

Electric knife sharpeners are worse than useless. They grind away good steel and only provide a mediocre edge.

[@Keith80027]

I have two knife sets. One for me and the other for everyone else.

[@markwatson5984]

Beautiful lady and very knowledgeable

[@robertferguson2091]

#realcomment I wash my knives with a brush and put them in a dish drying rack that has holes for them from SimpleHuman. Should I be drying them with a towel? I admit I put the steak knives in the dishwasher, but it has a special area for them... It's probably not good! This video was very informative thanks!

[@helenrennie]

you can put your steak knives in the dishwasher (I do too). If you are using them to cut on ceramic plates, why not :) I just googled for simple human dish rack. How cool -- it has a special space for knives. that's way better than a normal dish rack. I would still dry them by hand through. your edge will last better if you don't let them stay wet for a long time.

[@llltrac9143]

I'm going to make all the idiots in my house watch this video before touching my knives.

[@borisfohrman3133]

Don't F.......G let them touch your knives at ALL

[@borisfohrman3133]

Use your Chinese cleaver to chop their fingers off

[@dixonpinfold2582]

You're so knowledgeable and informative. Just don't try so super-hard to be charming. Charm only works when it comes easily.

[@mencken8]

Dishwashers are indeed bad for knives, but the detergent is abrasive, not corrosive.

[@adamw8469]

I have my own knives and my wife uses IKEA knives.

[@chillnacho]

#realcomment Do you have a video on choosing a knife to buy?

[@helenrennie]

yes, on occasion I do knife reviews. the last review is out of date. the company changed the knife and I don't like it anymore. I have a review of my current favorite knife coming out this fall.

[@chillnacho]

@@helenrennie Oh I can't wait...I need a knife now! I've been considering the Global chef knife. I hope to see your review soon.

[@2adamast]

Don't panic about scraping a board, woodworkers will do it a whole day pushing with both hands with an inclusive angle of 30°-35° that's an angle similar to many kitchen knives, reducing boards to shavings. Now in practice I use the spine, maybe because my knife angles are also around 10° per side.

[@addammadd]

It was Jacques Pépin. Dude used his knife for practically anything. Thing is, that’s Jaques Frickin Pépin. What applies to the gods shall not be useful to us mere mortals.

[@smorrisby]

I look at a cooks knives and know immediately how they will run their kitchen.

[@hyto]

I'm going to teach you how to care about your knife .... ;) just kidding, nice video.

[@ccccclark2605]

👍🇨🇱🇺🇸✝️❤️🙏

[@YezaOutcast]

and by the way: some plastics have a harder surface then steel. so cutting on plastic surfaces is mostly a bad idea too.

[@limgeyleng5056]

👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍😋

[@ronenkraus8230]

t

[@tomupei]

#realcomment please make a dish with vetkoeks

[@helenrennie]

I've never heard of vetkoeks. just googled for them. sounds delicious :)

[@pscheidt]

I host a sous vide forum (slorum.org/forum/view/?id=1133&p=1) and your tips are the first post on each page. Thank-you. #realcomment

[@helenrennie]

Wow. that's wonderful! Thank you so much for spreading the word about sous-vide.

[@pscheidt]

Helen Rennie, You are welcome. Here is a suggestion from the forum. Have you ever tried sous vide corn on the cob? "I'm making elotes for a tex mex tailgate party. Cooked 16 ears in my normal sous vide pot unbagged. I put them in at 120, heated to 180 and held for 20 (started at 11, didn't want to stay up forever). I'm also going to be grilling them, this was just a precook to prevent raw corn."

[@LunaRendezvous]

#fakecomment is your accent French?.... just kidding ;)

[@Sodchucker]

That's clearly a Boston accent.

[@lnb29]

basically you can't do anything with your chef knife. might as well not even buy one

[@LastBastian]

ikr? I shouldn't chop rocks with my chef knife, therefore it must be useless for cutting food. 🙄

[@DamirSecki]

Heya Helen, I like your tips, but please, put some energy in and have it a bit faster... almost slept :/ Also some infographics (like titles or the tip name) would help... hope to see you soon!

[@PredictableEnigma]

I'm amazed when the video is so short that you'd be able to fall asleep