good knife in the dishwasher, oh no!

17 years ago

I know they always say not to put good knives in the dishwasher. Well, my boyfriend was helping me clean up last night after I slaved in the kitchen (chicken Alfredo with homemade noodles and fresh bread with roasted garlic... must have used every dish and utensil I owned... the "stuff" drawer was literally empty by the time I was finished!). I started unloading the dishwasher tonight after work and discovered that my good santoku knife which I have meticulously washed by hand for the the entire year that I had it went for spin in the dishwasher (along with my no freeze handle ice cream scoop grrrrrr) last night. Is one time OK? Should I sharpen the knife or is it ruined? It's not by any means a pricey knife, but it's my only non serrated blade and the nicest one I own. I put the cheap ones in there, but I've tried (successfully heretofore) to keep this one out to keep it nice and sharp. It was on the top rack, but it also went through the heated dry cycle. Any of you ever had something damage by someone with good intentions trying to help you clean up? Thanks!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (4)

sushipup1
17 years ago
The usual damages to knives in the DW are from the handle separating, especially if it is wood, and from the blade coming in contact with other items that will dull it. Repeated washing with abrasive detergents aren't good, either, but one time isn't probably a problem.

I'd try the knife out and see if it's okay. It likely is just fine, but you need to tell your BF to not start the DW until you give it a check to make sure that everything is loaded to your liking. Just tell him that if he wants good food, he'll have to put up with a couple of (very minor) "musts" from the chef!

Dinner sounds good. Was it as good as described?
claire_de_luna
17 years ago
I agree that dinner sounded good; I'd like to hear more about that!

I think sushipup's recommendation is right. I've had this happen before by well-meaning guests, so when I got my last set of knives (and hopefully the last set I'll ever own), I made a rule for myself. My knives are still in perfect condition after using them daily for five years, although I do have them professionally sharpened once a year.

My rule is: after I've used my knife, it never leaves my hand, until I've scrubbed it quickly with a brush, dried it and stuck it back on my magnetic knife rack. It's saved me untold aggravation, and I never wonder where my knife is, worry about dulling, scratches or damage anymore. It was a habit I had to develop, but it's so ingrained now, it only takes seconds to clean, dry and put away. My knives were the one place I decided I had to take complete ownership until the ''other'' in my household learned and respectfully observed the rule!
Related Discussions
Knifes getting rust spots in dishwasher
Q
Comments (9)
We just quit washing cutlery in the dishwasher at all. We had some older, wide-blade, knives that we liked to use for spreads and they started getting the rust spots - and it wasn't long until our newer ones were getting them too, so we just do all the cutlery by hand now. There's only two of us and neither mind doing dishes, but it's a pain to see your new stuff look like old stuff from washing them in the dishwasher. As far as the water not being hot enough... I always run the hot water to the kitchen faucet before I start the dishwasher to assure the hottest water is available. And the dishwasher also has a heater for the water, so I'm not buying that at all. I suspect the plating on the knives wears out quickly, so the steel on the knives is rusting - PERIOD. Don't have a problem now that we wash AND dry them by hand. The newer set will probably look better longer doing them by hand. -Grainlady
...See More
What do you call this type knife and suggestions
Q
Comments (41)
Johnliu, that was a great write-up, very educational. Count me as someone OCD about my knives. I also want to emphasize that one's "taste" in knives is very individual. So, for me, regarding ceramic knives - I know they are really sharp, and maintain their sharpness much longer than steel knives, and are easier to care for (as long as you don't drop them). Having said that, I cannot stand the hard sound they make when chopping - that sound and how they feel as they strike the cutting board gives me the shivers. Obviously, this is a very personal thing! One more thing that John briefly mentioned that I want to expand on a bit is the type of cutting board. If you care about your knives, or care about the investment of $$ you've made in your knives, you should not use a plastic cutting board. They will dull your knives in just a few uses. You should use wood cutting boards. No one knows where the idea came from that plastic boards are safer - researchers at the University of Wisconsin have studied this perception that plastic cutting boards are better, and were unable to ascertain why people think this. Their findings were that wooden boards are safer. "The [University of Wisconsin] researchers purposely contaminated wood and plastic boards with bacteria and then tried to recover those bacteria alive from the boards. They also tested boards made from seven different species of trees and four types if plastic. They incubated contaminated boards overnight at refrigerator and room temperatures and at high and typical humidity levels. They tested several bacteria, Q Salmonella, Listeria and enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli Q known to produce food poisoning. The results consistently favored the wooden boards, often by a large margin over plastic boards. The scientists found that three minutes after contaminating a board that 99.9 percent of the bacteria on wooden boards had died, while none of the bacteria died on plastic. Bacterial numbers actually increased on plastic cutting boards held overnight at room temperature, but the scientists could not recover any bacteria from wooden boards treated the same way. A major question is why wood is so inhospitable to bacteria. The researchers have tried unsuccessfully to recover the compound in wood that inhibits bacteria, and is continuing the research."
...See More
Need recommendation or sharing of experience of a good dishwasher
Q
Comments (50)
Rereading my earlier post I might have to rethink my loyalty to KA in the future. My 16 year old KA is a really great DW. It will clean anything, is quiet, reliable, attractive. But recently I was at a big box store and the salesman told me I would be horrified if I saw how they are making them now and said the same thing about Bosch. He said that recently all electrical boards for the most part had been outsourced overseas and they have had so many problems and went on to say that was the problem in a lot of the recent car recalls. Years ago Kitchen Aid was THE line to aspire to for us middle class folk around here. But with reading the reviews on GW it's discouraging that they may not be the same as in yesteryear. Heartbreaking!!! Some of the fault is with the heavy restrictions on energy and water that increases wash time significantly. Energy restriction is a real challenge when offering all those extra features. That is why they are trying to come up with less heat to get the job done both in washing and drying. I am interested in looking at Asko for our next DW. I like the tall tub and also that the third utensil rack is in the middle and is removable. My wish list includes that it will clean really well and is easy to load and will accommodate larger than normal dishes, stemware and large pots. Have been paring down my list of must haves in order to get the best cleaning and interior space. Not sure what I will end up with but I was intrigued by the Asko and will give it a look when the time comes.
...See More
Show me your the knife set/block in the kitchen please.
Q
Comments (48)
One of the goals of my kitchen remodel was to reduce/eliminate clutter on the counters. Things that used to live on the counter but now live in drawers (or in the super susan) include canisters, knife blocks, chargers, and toaster. The only thing permanently left out on the counters are the MW (tucked into a corner) and a paper towel holder. I love my knife drawer! My Mom has a small kitchen in an apartment, with very little counter space, and downsized a lot when she moved from a big house. She added a small knife insert to her flatware drawer - the knife insert is at the very front, and the flatware organizer behind it. I wish I had a photo. I think her insert holds 4 or 5 knives, which is all she needs.
...See More
annie1992
17 years ago
Like Claire, I wash my knives immediately after I use them and put them back into the knife block, but for a completely different reason: Mine tend to get placed in my stainless steel sink and other things get tossed in there and I end up reaching into the (single) sink and cutting myself. So now I wash and replace immediately.

As for yours, I also think it's fine. Damage to handles would/could be immediately but damage to the blade is normally cumulative.

Yes, tell the bf that if he wants you to cook for him, you have a few very minor requirements for your tools. If he doesn't get it, explain like I did to David, that kitchen tools are just like power tools or mechanics tools or woodworking tools. You can get WalMart or you can get SnapOn, and if you get the good stuff, you must be prepared to care for it properly.

Annie
vacuumfreak
Original Author
17 years ago
Thanks. I won't worry about the knife then... but I will set some rules!

The meal was OK... the noodles and bread were fine, but I wasn't pleased with the sauce. I should have had you all screen the recipe for me before I picked it. It wasn't saucy enough and was too cheesy. I felt like I wasted an 8 dollar block of Parmigiano Reggiano. He said he liked it, and it was OK, but I could have done better. The problem is that even if the end product is disappointing, the same amount of work and clean up are involved! The bread was great with the freshly roasted garlic... I'd never roasted garlic before. It was just like butter!

Here is a link that might be useful: the recipe I used

good knife in the dishwasher, oh no!

Comments (4)

sushipup1

claire_de_luna

Related Discussions

annie1992

vacuumfreak
Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

good knife in the dishwasher, oh no!

Comments (4)

sushipup1

claire_de_luna

Related Discussions

annie1992

vacuumfreakOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

vacuumfreak
Original Author