Several years ago, a nurse friend of mine gave some literature to another friend about smoking. It wasn't the usual anti-smoking stuff; instead, it was an information sheet about how, if you were going to smoke, what to take to help mitigate smoking's bad effects on the human body.
This post is kind of like that.
I imagine most of you own kitchen knives, right? I also imagine some of you have dishwashers? And you've heard that you shouldn't wash good knives in the dishwasher? But you do it anyway, right?
Right.
Well, yes, you're not supposed to do that. But I sometimes do it too. I'm sure my knives would be better off if I didn't. But I try to do it in a way that mitigates any damage to the knives.
Please do not consider this encouragement to put fine knives in the dishwasher. And some knives should under no circumstances go in the dishwasher. But if you're going to do it, here's a list of things to help mitigate any damage.
First, just don't do it anyway. :) Come on, it'll take you like 30 seconds to wash that knife.
You're not listening, are you? OK. :) Here we go:
Do not wash any non-stainless-steel knife in the dishwasher. If you do, it will rust like hell. The rust will damage the edge, and you'll need to have the knife ground down past any area of damage (if that's possible). In fact, some cheaply made stainless steel knives will rust too. I bought a set of three KitchenAid knives at a discount store, and decided to wash one in the dishwasher. It looked like stainless steel, but I guess it didn't have enough chromium (or whatever) in it to keep it from rusting under the dishwasher's aggressive attentions.
Even if the knife is stainless, it can still sometimes get a rust-like stain if the blade is in contact with other metal. But the knife shouldn't be in contact with anything else in there anyway (more on this later).
If the knife has a wooden handle, please consider washing it by hand. Sooner or later, the wood will be damaged by the exposure to the hot water, soap, and drying. The scales on the sides of the knife handle are thin, and prone to split. In fact, you shouldn't be washing any wood in the dishwasher at all. But if you are going to do it, oil the wood after it's clean and dry with some regular vegetable oil and a paper towel or the like. This is a good idea anyway, as it will help protect any wood. Some people use mineral oil, but I'd rather just use whatever kind of plain oil I have around the kitchen. It won't take much. Just moisten the corner of a folded paper towel with the oil and rub it into the wood. If you're oiling a cutting board, pour a tablespoon or so on the cutting board and rub it in. Don't forget the back and sides. If the wood soaks it all up, put on some more. If you get too much on, just wipe it off. Your wooden utensils will thank you for this nice treatment.
Don't let the knife bang around. Some of the damage that occurs to a knife is by it knocking against other items in the dishwasher. If it's small, maybe it can sit in a segment of the silverware basket by itself. How you position it in the basket will depend on whether the basket is coated metal or plastic. Just remember the knife is going to get shoved around. If the knife is larger, consider the top rack. Again, position the knife so it, particularly its edge, isn't in contact with anything else. Remember that stuff will be moved around by the force of the water, so anchor the knife down by its handle within the tines of the rack, or by sandwiching it between other things in the rack. Protect the edge. The rack itself is coated metal, so I'd put the knife in with the blade facing up and away from the rack. If you put something hard over the knife blade, it may also contact the edge and damage the knife. Finally, be careful when you take the knife out, as it'll be easier to cut yourself if the edge is facing up.
Some cycles of the dishwasher are more aggressive, and the dishwashing detergent itself can attack the knives. If you don't believe me about this, try an experiment sometime, maybe when Durham has more water: Take an inexpensive cup or bowl of clear glass. Put it by itself in the bottom rack of the dishwasher. Use as much dishwashing detergent as possible, and as aggressive a cycle as you can. The "Pots & Pans" cycle is usually more aggressive, as is using more and hotter cycles. When the dishwasher is done, pull out the bowl, and dry it if it's still wet. Is there a place on the bowl that looks like it has condensation still on it? Continue to try to dry it off. You probably can't: that part that looks like condensation is where you've actually etched the bowl. I know this is possible, because I've done it to a Pyrex bowl, even without all the preparation described above. If I can do it to Pyrex, imagine what can happen to to metal and wood, which are much more reactive. So consider using gentler cycles and less detergent.
So, if you do the stuff described above, will your knives be ok? No, they won't. They'll be better than they would be if you just threw them in there, but they will still suffer damage. I've used a magnifier to look at some knives that have been repeatedly washed in a dishwasher. Their edges have a curious rounded character to them that differs from the dings of contact with other hard objects. I can't say for sure, but I think this rounding comes from the above-mentioned etching, occurring at a lower level. So whether you're careful about using a dishwasher on them, they will still become damaged more quickly, and need more frequent sharpening.
Ok, we're done. Time to go screw up your knives. And when that happens, and you cut yourself because a dull knife slips, don't blame me, ok?
I've got $200 to spend on knives. I want to get 2 or 3 moderately high-end knives. Do you have a recommendation? (Type and brand?) I'm thinking probably a santoku and a chef's knife.
Posted by: Eric J | 17 January 2008 at 06:42 PM
Eric: Perhaps these? With respect to a santoku knife: I've never owned one, so it's harder to make a recommendation. The knives above don't include a santoku, but the sexy-looking Porsche knives they carry do. And go read my knife post in case you haven't already.
Posted by: Joe Eater | 17 January 2008 at 06:53 PM
You will be proud of me. None of the knives you've ever sharpened for me have ever touched a dishwasher. Ever. For any reason. My nice knives aren't allowed to sit in water in the sink while they await washing, either. I've heard that's a bad idea as well. I will confess to having put $2 cheapo paring knives in the diswasher in the past, but I've even stopped doing that. I wuv my knives, and I try not to let them down.
However, what is this multiple cycle thing on the dishwasher that you speak of? Mine just has "on/off" :)
Posted by: Kira | 18 January 2008 at 08:07 AM
Kira, I think you get multiple cycles by telling your SO to do the dishes again. ;)
Posted by: Joe Eater | 18 January 2008 at 09:06 AM
Eric: You might do better on price elsewhere, but I'd suggest going to a cutlery shop or to Williams Sonoma or somewhere and actually holding the knives. I bought a nice Henckel knife block set for my wife (although I think I use them more, since I do most of the cooking... ) last year and it was really good to feel the knives-- different manufacturers like Wusthoff, and even different knife series from the same company fit different shaped/sized hands differently. You really want to pick up the knife for feel and heft before you lay down a bunch of money. Also, check out the starter blocks-- the one I got was on sale for under $300, came with a nice chefs knife, a santoku, a slicer, a bread knife and some pairing knives. I didn't think I would notice, but I've come to really like having different knives for different jobs.
As for dishwashing, I find that it's easier to just have one of those soap filled sponges on a handle around and wash the knives immediately after use, dry them with the dish towel on the stove and put them right back in the wood block-- it's quick and, imo, easier than being 'careful' with them in the dishwasher, or god forbid, having to oil the handles every time...
Posted by: James | 18 January 2008 at 09:58 AM
I highly suggest using mineral oil for wooden cutting boards rather than any vegetable based oils like canola or olive oil because these can go rancid and make the cutting boards stinky! I did extensive research on caring for cutting boards because I got a beautiful one made of cherry, walnut and maple for Christmas.
Posted by: Kelly | 18 January 2008 at 11:09 AM
I imagine most of you own kitchen knives, right? I also imagine some of you have dishwashers? And you've heard that you shouldn't wash good knives in the dishwasher? But you do it anyway, right?
Are you kidding? If I put my knives in the dishwasher, my father would rise up from his grave and come after me.
Posted by: Maura | 18 January 2008 at 12:04 PM
I'm like Maura ... not only would my father haunt me, my grandfather would cast an evil spell on all the antique tools he left me.
Besides, who uses a dishwasher when your single?? I rarely use it even when I have dinner parties.
I mean, you can't put wood in, you can't put you pots and pans in (most of my stuff is cast iron), never put stem ware in, more plates with gold/metal rims ... so that leaves? Uh, the water glasses?
ps: Come sharpen my knives. I'll feed you! :)
Posted by: MitMoi | 19 January 2008 at 09:45 AM
Right on Joe. It's not that hard to clean them and having good sharp knives is crucial to good cooking.
Posted by: PeterB | 20 January 2008 at 02:40 PM
J: Even on the rare occasions I do put something wooden in the dishwasher, I don't oil it every time after pulling it back out. But wooden items, however they're washed, ought to get some oil on them every once in a while (cutting boards in particular ought to get this, but I'd never put a wooden cutting board in the dishwasher anyway).
K: I just don't have that problem, although I've heard people say that before. Since I don't notice a problem, I find it easier to grab the canola oil (or whatever) than keep a separate bottle of mineral oil around. And while mineral oil isn't exactly poisonous, neither is it digestible, so I prefer to keep it and other non-organic chemicals away from my cutting boards (with the exception of what I use to clean them in the first place).
M: Well, I guess we sure as hell don't want that to happen. :)
M-M: I use my dishwasher a lot, because even a short stint at the sink can start my back hurting. I shove everything I possibly can in the dishwasher. I put stemware in all the time, because I seem to break more stemware when I wash it by hand, although I never wash lead crystal in the dishwasher: supposedly it increases the amount of free lead that can wind up in the beverage. / I'd come sharpen your knives, or come get them one, if I had my knife sharpening stuff easily available. Right now about half of it is in boxes somewhere, with the rest in boxes elsewhere in an unheated shed. :( Actually, some of my knives could use some TLC too. / The things I like about dishwashers are
P: Thanks for stopping by. / It's sure as hell easier to take care of them in the first place than it is to fix the results. However, I probably am more cavalier about it than most people, because of my afore-mentioned knife-sharpening experience and tools. But sharpening them isn't a panacea either: sooner or later you run out of knife. :)
Posted by: Joe | 20 January 2008 at 07:18 PM
I throw all my paring knives, even the one with a wood handle, into the dishwasher, but none of the long blades go in there. And I'm bad, as I have two dishwashers. But then, I have 9 gazillion kids (or four, I can't really remember).
Posted by: Varmint | 21 January 2008 at 05:19 PM
I guess I didn't make it clear enough that I throw stuff in the dishwasher all the time, especially if I'm desperate to get the kitchen clean. I think if I had 4 kids, I'd probably want to throw myself in the dishwasher occasionally. :)
Posted by: Joe Eater | 24 January 2008 at 01:17 PM