good knife in the dishwasher, oh no!

14 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!

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Comments (4)

sushipup1
14 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
14 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!
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Well, you're right. I've only tried the Shuns and a Kuhn Japanese style (Swiss?) and those were testers. Didn't like 'em. Didn't like the way they felt in my hand. Didn't like the way they felt when they hit the board. Didn't have a problem with the edge. Didn't find it particularly more impressive than anything I own. For me, an edge on my chef's knife that's sharp enough to slice through anything without pressure is really sharp. Really sharp as opposed to not sharp (which I abhor). I don't doubt that the knife you suggested may be sharper than mine, but mine are sharp enough for all tasks, so they're really sharp, not sort of sharp. I even cut up some veg with my old butcher knife because it was out, and it did just fine because it's been honed within an inch of its life. :) I don't have to have surgical blades, but I really really really hate nicks and chips and don't mind having to straighten my edge occasionally. I don't know why so many of y'all are so pulled out of shape when someone has a differing opinion. I never said the Japanese blades weren't good. Just that I prefer my German one. I didn't even say anyone else should join me in that preference, just explained why I liked what I liked to provide information. There isn't a single right answer folks, and errant snobbery isn't useful. On the market are some really bad knives that won't hold an edge and which are too flimsy to steel because the steel itself will push them out of true. Those are the blades y'all should be condemning.
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annie1992
14 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
14 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

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good knife in the dishwasher, oh no!

Comments (4)

sushipup1

claire_de_luna

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vacuumfreakOriginal Author

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